Aditya · Ravi · Bhaskara · The giver of light
Surya Dev
Surya Dev is the Sun, the light seen by everyone, worshipped every morning with water poured at sunrise. Offer him arghya, recite the Aditya Hridayam, and see when Chhath Puja and Makar Sankranti fall in your city.
- His day
- Sunday
- Next: Today
- Next Surya Dev day
- Chhath Puja
- In 14 days · Sun 15 Nov
Konark · Odisha
Konark Sun Temple
The temple built as his chariot in stone, on 24 great wheels in twelve pairs drawn by seven horses, about 1250 under King Narasimhadeva I. Its wheels are read as sundials, and each year in Magha the Chandrabhaga Mela is held near it.
All his temples →Modhera · Gujarat
Sun Temple, Modhera
Built under the Chaulukya king Bhima I about 1026, with a great stepped tank, the Surya Kund, before it. It is no longer a temple of worship. It was built so that at the equinoxes the first rays of the rising sun fall into its sanctum.
Mattan · Jammu and Kashmir
Martand Sun Temple
Built by King Lalitaditya Muktapida in the 8th century near Anantnag, in the Kashmir valley. It was destroyed and now stands in ruin, a monument of national importance.
Arasavalli · Andhra Pradesh
Arasavalli Sun Temple
The temple of Sri Suryanarayana Swamy near Srikakulam, where the Sun himself is the presiding deity, crowded above all at Ratha Saptami.
Suryanar Kovil · Tamil Nadu
Suryanar Kovil
The one temple of the nine Navagraha temples round Kumbakonam that is kept for the graha himself: Surya presides, and each of the other eight has a shrine of its own round him.
Katarmal · Uttarakhand
Katarmal Sun Temple
High in the hills near Almora, built by the Katyuri kings. Here the Sun is worshipped as Vraddhaditya, the old Aditya, with 44 small shrines gathered round the main temple.
Deo · Bihar
Deo Surya Mandir
Near Aurangabad, in Bihar: a temple that faces west, to the setting sun, not east to the rising one, and is thronged at Chhath Puja, when the evening arghya is offered to the setting sun.
Tap a temple, or its name, to read about it. Positions are approximate. The temples are drawn on a light outline of the coast, roughly where they stand, as a picture rather than a map.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Four days of fasting and arghya to the setting and the rising sun, six days after Diwali.
- Every Sunday
- Sun 1 NovHis day of the week
- Makar Sankranti
- Fri 15 Jan7:15 am to 9:00 am
- Pongal
- Fri 15 Jan
Recite the Aditya Hridayam
रश्मिमन्तं समुद्यन्तं देवासुरनमस्कृतम् ।
पूजयस्व विवस्वन्तं भास्करं भुवनेश्वरम् ॥
Rashmimantam samudyantam devasura namaskritam,
Pujayasva vivasvantam bhaskaram bhuvaneshvaram.
Worship Vivasvan, the Sun, crowned with rays, as he rises, to whom gods and demons alike bow: the maker of light, the lord of the worlds.
किरणों से भरे, उदय होते हुए विवस्वान सूर्य की पूजा करो, जिन्हें देवता और असुर दोनों प्रणाम करते हैं; जो प्रकाश करने वाले और संसार के स्वामी हैं।
The hymn the sage Agastya taught Lord Rama on the battlefield, from the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana. Its hymn proper runs from this verse to verse 24, and many recite it at sunrise, facing east, after the arghya.
Read the whole hymnHis prayers
- Aditya HridayamThe hymn to the Sun that Agastya taught Rama, all 31 versesRead
- Gayatri MantraThe Vedic mantra to Savitr, the Sun as the one who brings forthRead
- Navagraha StotramVyasa’s nine verses, his the first, on the Navagraha hubRead
- The twelve names of SuryaOm Mitraya Namah to Om Bhaskaraya Namah, said in Surya NamaskarRead
The morning arghya, step by step
His daily worship is water poured to the rising Sun. It needs no priest and takes a few minutes. Customs differ by family and region; this is the way the guides share.
- Rise before the Sun, bathe, and put on fresh clothes.
- Fill a copper lota with clean water, and add a red flower, a little roli or kumkum and a few grains of akshat.
- Go where you can see the eastern sky and stand facing east.
- As the Sun rises, hold the lota in both hands and pour the water in a slow stream, looking at the Sun through it.
- Say his mantra, Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah, the arghya verse below, or his twelve names, as the water falls.
- Recite the Aditya Hridayam if you have time, and bow to the Sun.
What you need
- A copper lota
- Clean water
- A red flower
- Roli or kumkum
- Akshat, whole rice grains
Prayers for the puja
- Aditya HridayamRead
- Gayatri MantraRead
Who is Surya Dev
Surya is the Sun, the one god every person sees each day. In Hindu tradition he is the son of the sage Kashyapa and of Aditi, which is why he is called Aditya, and he crosses the sky in a chariot drawn by seven horses, with Aruna, the dawn, as his charioteer. The seven horses are read as the seven colours of light, or the seven days of the week.
His wives are Sanjna and Chhaya, and his children include Yama, the river Yamuna, the Ashvins, Shani Dev and Karna of the Mahabharata. In his images he holds lotuses. He stands at the centre of the nine grahas, and Sunday, Ravivar, is his day.
His worship is the simplest of all: water poured to him at sunrise, the arghya, with a mantra or a hymn. The sage Agastya taught Lord Rama the Aditya Hridayam, the heart of the Sun, on the battlefield, and the Gayatri Mantra is addressed to him as Savitr. His great temples stand at Konark, Modhera and Arasavalli, and the ruins of Martand.
- Aditya the son of Aditi
- Ravi the name that gives Sunday, Ravivar
- Bhaskara the maker of light
- Bhanu the shining one
- Mitra the friend, first of his twelve names
- Divakara the maker of the day
- Vivasvan the radiant one, as the Aditya Hridayam calls him
- Savitr the one who brings forth, to whom the Gayatri Mantra is addressed
ॐ घृणि सूर्याय नमः
Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah
Om, I bow to Surya, the radiant one.
ॐ, तेजस्वी सूर्य को मेरा नमन।
जपाकुसुमसंकाशं काश्यपेयं महाद्युतिम्।
तमोऽरिं सर्वपापघ्नं प्रणतोऽस्मि दिवाकरम्॥
Japakusuma sankasham Kashyapeyam mahadyutim,
Tamorim sarvapapaghnam pranatosmi Divakaram.
Red as the hibiscus flower, the son of Kashyapa, of great splendour; the foe of darkness, who destroys every sin: to Divakara, the maker of the day, I bow.
जो जपा (गुड़हल) के फूल जैसे लाल हैं, कश्यप के पुत्र हैं और महान तेज वाले हैं, जो अंधकार के शत्रु हैं और सब पापों का नाश करते हैं, उन दिवाकर को मैं प्रणाम करता हूँ।
The verse for the arghya
Said as the water is poured
एहि सूर्यसहस्रांशो तेजोराशे जगत्पते ।
गृहाणार्घ्यं मया दत्तं भक्त्या मामनुकंपय ॥
Ehi Surya sahasramsho tejorashe jagatpate,
Grihanarghyam maya dattam bhaktya mam anukampaya.
Come, O Sun of a thousand rays, mass of light, lord of the world. Accept this arghya I offer you with devotion, and be kind to me.
हे सहस्र किरणों वाले सूर्य, तेज के पुंज, जगत के स्वामी, आइए। भक्ति से दिया मेरा यह अर्घ्य स्वीकार कीजिए और मुझ पर कृपा कीजिए।
Many say the second line the other way round: Anukampaya mam bhaktya grihanarghyam divakara, be kind to me, and accept this arghya given with devotion, O maker of the day.
His great days
When devotees worship the Sun most
Ratha Saptami
Magha Shukla Saptami, the bright seventh of Magha, in January or February: Surya Jayanti, his birthday, when his chariot is said to turn north. Many bathe at dawn with arka leaves, seven in many tellings, offer arghya and recite the Aditya Hridayam. At Tirumala the day is a Brahmotsavam in one day, on seven vahanas from the Surya Prabha at dawn to the Chandra Prabha at night.
Makar Sankranti
On 14 or 15 January the Sun enters Makara, the sign of Shani Dev, and begins his journey north, Uttarayan. Families bathe in holy rivers, at Prayagraj above all, give sesame and jaggery, and fly kites.
Pongal
Tamil Nadu’s harvest thanks to the Sun, on the first day of the month of Thai: new rice is boiled with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot under the open sky, and when it boils over the family cries Pongalo Pongal.
Chhath Puja
Six days after Diwali, on the Shashthi of Kartika, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh keep four days of fasting, ending in arghya to the setting and then the rising sun, with Chhathi Maiya. A smaller Chhath, Chaiti Chhath, comes in Chaitra.
Every Sunday
Sunday, Ravivar, is his day. The morning arghya is offered every day, and on Sunday above all.
What his symbols mean
The sun disc
He is the Sun itself, worshipped as the visible god: the disc of light that rises in the east every morning.
The chariot wheel
His chariot crosses the sky each day. At Konark the whole temple is that chariot in stone, on 24 carved wheels.
Seven horses
The seven horses of his chariot are read as the seven colours of light, or the seven days of the week, and Aruna, the dawn, drives them.
The lotus
In his images he holds lotuses, one of the emblems he is known by.
Red
His colour: red as the hibiscus in his verse, offered as red flowers and roli in the water of the arghya.
Water from a copper lota
The arghya, water poured to him at sunrise, is his daily worship, and the guides ask for a lota of copper.
His stories
Across India
Odisha
At Konark the temple is his chariot in stone, on 24 wheels drawn by seven horses, and each year in Magha pilgrims gather for the Chandrabhaga Mela.
Bihar and Jharkhand
Chhath Puja is the great festival of the year, with arghya at the ghats to the setting and the rising sun. At Deo the temple faces west, to the setting sun, and is thronged at Chhath.
Tamil Nadu
Thai Pongal thanks the Sun for the harvest with new rice boiled over in a clay pot. Near Kumbakonam, Suryanar Kovil is his among the nine Navagraha temples.
Andhra Pradesh
At Arasavalli, near Srikakulam, the Sun is worshipped as Sri Suryanarayana Swamy, and Ratha Saptami draws great crowds. At Tirumala the day is a Brahmotsavam in one day.
Gujarat
The Sun Temple of Modhera, with its stepped Surya Kund, stands in Mehsana district, and Makar Sankranti is Uttarayan, the festival of kites.
Kashmir and the hills
The ruins of Martand stand near Anantnag, and in the hills near Almora the Katarmal temple keeps the Sun as Vraddhaditya, the old Aditya.
His temples
- Konark Sun TempleKonark, Odisha
- Sun Temple, ModheraModhera, Mehsana, Gujarat
- Martand Sun Temple, in ruinsMattan, Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir
- Arasavalli Sun TempleArasavalli, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh
- Suryanar KovilSuryanar Kovil, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
- Katarmal Sun TempleKatarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand
- Deo Surya MandirDeo, Aurangabad, Bihar
Questions
When is Chhath Puja in 2026?
Chhath Puja, when the evening arghya is offered to the setting sun, is on Sunday 15 November 2026 in New Delhi. Pick your city at the top of this page for its own date and muhurat.
Who is Surya Dev?
Surya is the Sun, worshipped as the god everyone can see. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Aditi, crosses the sky in a chariot of seven horses driven by Aruna, and stands at the centre of the nine grahas. Yama, Yamuna, Shani Dev and Karna are among his children.
Which day is Surya Dev’s?
Sunday, Ravivar, named after Ravi, one of his names. The morning arghya is offered every day, and on Sunday above all.
How do you offer water to Surya?
Bathe before sunrise, fill a copper lota with water, a red flower, a little roli and a few grains of rice, face east, and pour the water slowly as the Sun rises, looking at him through the falling stream. Say his mantra or his names as you pour.
What is the mantra of Surya Dev?
Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah: Om, I bow to Surya, the radiant one. Many also recite his twelve names, from Om Mitraya Namah to Om Bhaskaraya Namah, or the Aditya Hridayam.
What is Ratha Saptami?
His birthday, Surya Jayanti, on Magha Shukla Saptami in January or February, when his chariot is said to turn north. Many bathe at dawn with arka leaves, offer arghya and recite the Aditya Hridayam.
What is the Aditya Hridayam?
A hymn to the Sun from the Yuddha Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, taught by the sage Agastya to Lord Rama before his last battle with Ravana. It is given whole on this site, in 31 verses, with the meaning of each.
Why does Surya ride seven horses?
His chariot is drawn by seven horses, which are read as the seven colours of light or the seven days of the week. Aruna, the dawn, is his charioteer.
Which are the great Sun temples of India?
Konark in Odisha, built as his chariot in stone; Modhera in Gujarat; the ruins of Martand in Kashmir; Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh; Suryanar Kovil in Tamil Nadu; Katarmal in Uttarakhand; and Deo in Bihar, which faces the setting sun.