Sun temple

West Holy Gate, Temple of the Sun (Beijing)

The Temple of the Sun in Beijing, China, was built in 1530 during the Ming dynasty by the Jiajing Emperor,[3] together with new temples dedicated to the Earth and the Moon, and an expansion of the Temple of Heaven.[3][4] The Temple of the Sun was used by the imperial court for elaborate acts of worship involving fasting, prayers, dancing and animal sacrifices, as part of a year-long cycle of ceremonies involving all the temples.[5] An important element was the colour red, which was associated with the Sun, including red utensils for food and wine offerings, and red clothes for the emperor to wear during the ceremonies.[5] The temple is now part of a public park.[6]

A plan of Userkaf's temple

In ancient Egypt, there were a number of sun temples. Among these old monuments is the Great Temple of Ramses at Abu Simbel,[7] and complexes built by the Fifth Dynasty, of which only two examples survive, that of Userkaf and of Niuserre.[8] The Fifth Dynasty temples usually had three components, a main temple building at a higher elevation, accessed by a causeway, from a much smaller entrance building.[9] In 2006, archaeologists found ruins underneath a market in Cairo, which could possibly be the largest temple built by Ramesses II.[10][11]

Surya Sun temples of the Indian subcontinent

Martand Sun Temple Central shrine, dedicated to the deity Surya. The temple complex was built by the third ruler of the Karkota dynasty, Emperor Lalitaditya Muktapida, in the 8th century CE. It is one of the largest temple complex on the Indian subcontinent. Konark Sun Temple at Konark, Orissa, built by Emperor Narasingha Deva I (1238–1264 CE) of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, it is now a World Heritage Site. Sun Temple of Modhera, with stepwell surrounding the Kunda (tank), was built by Bhima I of Chaulukya dynasty in 1026 CE. It is one of the finest example of stepwell architecture of Gujarat. Katarmal Sun Temple constructed by the Katyuri Kings in the 9th century CE.

The sun temples of the Indian subcontinent were dedicated to the Hindu deity Surya,[12]with the most prominent among them being the Konark Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda) [13][14] at Konark in Odisha and the Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, built in 1026–1027. Both are now ruins, having been destroyed by invading armies. Konark was constructed around 1250, by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty,[15][16] and was built in the shape of a large chariot with carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. Surya was an important deity in early Hinduism, but largely ceased to be worshiped as a principal deity around the 12th century. In Manipuri mythology, the sun god Korouhanba is the synonym of the Hindu deity Surya. Other Surya or sun temples in the Indian subcontinent include:

• Martand Sun Temple, near Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir built in 10th century[17]
• Deo Surya Mandir in Deo, Bihar
• Ebudhou Korouhanba Temple, Moidangpok, Patsoi, Manipur
• Sun temple at Katharmal, near Almora and 70 km from Nainital was built in 9th century CE by the Katyuri kings.[18][19]
• Sun Temple at Modhera in Gujarat, built in 1027 by King Bhimdev of the Chaulukya dynasty[20]
• Bhramanya Dev Temple at Unao, Balaji in Madhya Pradesh[1]
• Sun Temple at Kalpi in Uttar Pradesh
• Soorya Narayana Temple at Maroli, Mangalore, Karnataka
• Surya Pahar Temple at Sri Surya Pahar in Assam built in 9th century[1]
• Suryanar Kovil Temple at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu built in 1060-1118 CE[1]
• Surya Narayana Temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh built in 7th century[1][21]
• Dakshinaarka Temple at Gaya in Bihar[1]
• Biranchinarayan Temple, Buguda in Buguda, Ganjam, Odisha.[22]
• Biranchinarayan Temple, Palia, a 13th-century temple in Palia, Odisha.[22]
• Multan Sun Temple, also known as Aditya Sun Temple, in Multan in Punjab, Pakistan was destroyed by Muslim rulers in 10th century.[23][24]
• Navlakha Temple, Ghumli, Gujarat, built in the 11th century.[25]
• Katarmal sun temple in Uttarakhand, built from approximately the 10th century onwards.[26][27]
• Birla Sun Temple in Gwalior
• Sri Suryanarayana Swamy Temple, Gollalamamidada, in Andhra Pradesh built in 1920.

Qurikancha with Convent of Santo Domingo above

The following are Pre-Columbian temples of Inti (the Inca god Sun):

• Qurikancha in Cusco, Peru, was the most important temple in the Inca Empire.[28]
• Muyuq Marka in Cusco, Peru.
• Willkawaman in Vilcashuamán, Peru.

There are also sun temple sites in a number of other countries:

• The Temple of the Sun in the Temple of the Cross Complex, at the Mayan site of Palenque, in southern Mexico, built sometime between 200 and 900 AD.[29][30]
• The Temple of the Night Sun at the Mayan site of El Zotz, Guatemala, possibly abandoned in the fifth century.[31]
• There are several Shinto shrines in Japan, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu including:

• Ise Grand Shrine in Ise, Mie prefecture[32][33]
• Amanawa Shinmei Shrine, founded in 710, in Kamakura
• Amanoiwato-jinja in Takachiho, Miyazaki prefecture[34]

• In the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, United States, there is a structure which may have been used as a sun temple by the Pueblo culture,[35] with construction thought to have begun in 1275 AD,[36] although it does not seem to have been completed.[37]

• Fire temple
• Temple of the Moon (disambiguation)
• Temple of the Stars