Sun Temple

About the Sun Temple at Dev

The Sun Temple at Dev is said to be the oldest Sun temple, with the priests of the temple claiming an age of more than nine lakh years. Temple tradition places its origin in the Treta Yuga, the age of Lord Rama. Many stories and legends attach to its building, and separately from them the temple is widely known for the quality of its sculpture and architecture.

The temple stands in the Dev village of Tarari block, in Bihar. The village holds a statue of the Sun God along with several other deities, and these statues are said to date from the 14th century or earlier.

Sculpture and shrines

The statue of the Sun God

The central image is of Surya, the Sun God, and it anchors the whole site. It is one of the statues dated to the 14th century or before, so it is worth looking at closely rather than passing through quickly.

The other deities at Dev

Dev village holds several other deity statues besides Surya, of the same period. Seeing them together gives a better sense of the group than visiting the main image alone.

The architecture

The temple is known for its brilliant sculpture and architecture, and much of its reputation rests on the carved surfaces rather than on scale. Walk the exterior as well as the shrine.

Planning your visit

This is a working temple in a village setting, so plan around worship rather than around sightseeing hours.

• Dress and behave as you would at any active shrine.
• Ask before photographing the statues or inside the shrine.
• Check access and darshan arrangements locally on the day.
• Leave time for the subsidiary deity statues in the village.

Best time to visit

The source material does not record a particular season or festival calendar for this temple, so a visit is best timed around comfortable travelling weather and confirmed darshan hours. As with most Surya shrines, morning visits suit the subject of the temple.