Written By: Puja Mohapatra
Sun worship, a widespread practice in ancient civilizations, played a key role in religious history. In ancient India, Surya Deva, the Sun God, was revered with many temples dedicated to him. Similarly, ancient Egypt saw the rise of sun worship, particularly during Pharaoh Akhenaten’s reign. In 1350 BC, Akhenaten declared the first faith in recorded history with a single deity, Aten, the solar deity of ancient Egypt, marking a significant shift in religious practices. Although his son, King Tutankhamun, later restored polytheistic traditions. The time from sunrise to sunset symbolised the journey through the afterlife.
The sun was also venerated in Sumerian and Akkadian religions. The ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Sol Invictus (the “Unconquered Sun”) with great joy on December 25. Eventually, Christians took over this date as Christmas, the birthday of Christ. Some Native Americans have practiced sun worship, notably in the Sun Dance of Plains Indians and in the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico and Peru. In Aztec religion, extensive human sacrifice was offered to the sun gods Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca. In Japan, the sun was the goddess Amaterasu, considered the deity of the royal family and the supreme ruler of the world. Although sun worship has been used frequently as a term for “pagan” religion, it is, in fact, relatively rare. Various other cultures, including the Celtic, German and Slavic also had solar deities or practices related to sun worship.
Sun worship is the most ancient faith in India. Scholars broadly agree that it started in the Mesolithic period. V.C. Shrivastava holds the view that the sun god has played an important role in the eschatology of the protohistoric cultures of India. The tradition of sun worship in Puri is more ancient than what it seems to have been accounted for. It reached its glorious climax in the form of a monumental Sun temple at Konark. However, sun worship in Odisha continues to be a living tradition. K.S. Behera traces sun worship in Odisha back to the early vedic period. However, there is enough evidence to consider an indigenous tradition of sun worship, which probably preceded the Vedic sun gods, among the primitive tribes of Odisha.
The worship of the Sun God is one of the earliest practices of the Hindu and Buddhist faith. The description of MatsyaPurana regarding the iconography of Surya is very noteworthy which throw light on the iconographic features of the sun god. It states that the image of the sun god(who causes the lotus to bud) should be made as seated on a lotus with two hands holding two lotus flowers. “The image of the sun should be made with beautiful eyes, seated in a chariot and holding a lotus.
There should be seven horses and one chakra in the chariot of the sun and decorated well with ornaments. His body should be adorned with ornaments, covered with bodice or two pieces of cloth. The feet should be made brilliant and two other figures, named Dandi and Pingala, should be placed as guards with a sword in their hands. Arun, the charioteer of Surya, is resplendent like the lotus leaves and on both his sides are high spirited horses yoked to the chariot should be tied together with the string of serpents. The image of the Sun should be thus made either seated in the chariot or on the lotus, holding a lotus.
The Indo-European character of sun worship is also seen in the conception of the solar deity, drawn in his carriage, generally by four white horses, common to many Indo-European peoples, and recurring in Indo-Iranian, Greco-Roman, and Scandinavian mythology.
The artistic expression of Sun Motif in Odisha is found in the prehistoric period as evident from the rock art panel of Gostimada-I in the Sundargarh district. We find solar symbols like rays and lotus etc in silver and copper punchmarked coins discovered from Khandagiri, Jharpada, Sonepur, Baripada, Chatarpur, Asurgarh, Salepur, Dhauli, Sisupalgarh etc. One of the earliest figurative representations of Surya in Odisha has been carved in Anantagumpha.
We find sculptural representation of the Sun god during the pre-Somavamsi period. The popularity of the sun-cult in Odisha during the Somavansi period can be inferred from both literary and archaeological evidence.
The sun worship attained a new height when the Ganga ruler Narasimha-1 constructed the grand sun temple at Konark in the 13th Century AD and the devotion to Sun god is amply testified when he named his son as Bhanudeva. However, the fact remains that it was during the Ganga period , Sun worship was merged into Vaishnavism.
Sun worship is a part of everyday ritual and is still practised in Odisha. At the Lingaraj temple, surya puja is a part of the daily routine. On Magha Saptami, the reprentative of Shri Lingaraj is taken out in a procession to the Bhaskaresvara temple situated in Brahmeshwara Patna, Bhubaneswar. The Bhaskaresvara, the Shivalinga is named after Bhaskara, the sun god. After joint worship of Shiva and Surya, the deity returns to the Lingaraj Temple. Magha Saptami is also known as Ratha Saptami, as on this day the Sun God got his chariot. The Rukuna chariot of Lord Lingaraj is constructed as per the specifications of the Bhaskaresvara temple.
The Niladri Mahodaya, which lays down the rules regarding the worship of Shri Jagannath also mentions the rituals of sun worship with appropriate Dhyanas, Nyasas and Mudras. It even proclaims that without the worship of the Sun, the worship of Vishnu is fruitless.
Sun worship survives in society in the form of popular vratas such as Ravi Narayana vrata, Pusa Ravivara vrata and Dutiya Osa. The Samba Dashami falls on the 10th day of the bright half of the Pausa month is a popular festival connected to sun worship. Also on Magha Saptami, a ceremonial bath in the river Chandrabhaga near Konark is considered highly meritorious.
Located on the eastern coast, Odisha is fabulously rich in the material culture of the tribals. The tribes like Kandhas, Orans, Bhuiyans, Gonds, Kharias and Bhunjis of Western Odisha worship in their own ways either the supreme being or as a powerful god regulating their agriculture. The Sauras and Juangs, two important primitive tribes of Odisha worship Sun as their supreme god in which they pay their homage on all festive occasions particularly before any agricultural operations, construction of houses and marriage ceremonies.
The Khaira tribe of Mayurbhanj worship the Sun God under the name of Dharani Devata. The Banda tribe of Malkangiri worship their supreme deity as Patkhanda Mahapuru who stands of the Sun and Moon. Similarly the Kandha tribe of southern Odisha worship the sun god under the name of Bona Pennu for good crops.
Ultimately, the landscape of Sun worship in Odisha, having been sewn with threads of ancient archaeology, prevailing rituals, and tribal practices, creates a spiritual pictorial always evolving in the making. The older notes of Sun worship centuries-old converge into all the different expressions of the faith modern people may show, pointing to the longstanding devotion to local deities and customs. Deep-seated traditions in the land and history of the state, this ancient faith highlights the strength and adaptability of the religious way of life, ensuring that spiritual worship continues from one generation to another.
(Writer Puja Mohapatra’s Mail ID ‘ pooja.mohapatra998@gmail.com )
