Modhera is situated on the banks of river Pushpavathi in Gujarat, on the north western side of Ahmadabad. It is 102 km away from Gujarat. Modhera is a famous Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Hindu deity Lord Surya is present in one of the sun temples that were constructed during the reign of King Bhimdev I. The sun temple was constructed during the eleventh century. The temple is built in a Solanki style of architecture. A huge pond referred to as Surya Kund is present in front of the temple. The devotees who visited the temple in the ancient days stopped here and used the holy water to perform some ceremonial ablutions and then proceeded toward the Sun God to offer prayers to him. Currently the pond remains dry. The huge pond is surrounded by step terraces which hire more than 100 small temples over them. This temple is divided in to three main compartments. Modhera has also the four largest shrines of Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and Mata Shitala Devi.
The Sabha Mandap is magnificient pieces of pillared splendor present a few steps from the Surya Kund. Religious gatherings and conferences were held at this Mandap. The Mandap has nearly 52 pillars fine intricately carved with the scenes of Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Krishna Leela etc. The Guda Mandap contains the surang. The surang end is believed to end at the capital of Solankis, the Patan. The royal family members’ fleed to safety places during the times of attack. A small town located at the base of the Modhera sun temple is the town of Unjha that is familiar for the marriage customs of the tribes of Kandwakanbis. Mahesena and Sindhpur are the popular tourist places around Modhera having ruins of ancient temple buildings.
During the ancient period, Modhera was known as Dharmaranya. It is believed that at this place a famous mythological God of Hindus, Rama has performed a Yagna to cleanse him of his sin of killing a Rakshasa king, Ravana. The common languages spoken at Modhera are Gujarati, Hindi and English. The most appropriate time to visit Modhera is during the period from October to March. Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport is the nearest one to Modhera.