Deo Surya Mandir

Getting there

• By air

  Patna's Lok Nayak Jayprakash Airport is the nearest, about a 3-hour drive from Aurangabad.

• By train

  Anugrah Narayan Road is the nearest railway station, about 20 km from Deo.

• By road

  The temple is about 160 km from Patna by road on NH-98, passing Aurangabad.

Rules to know

• Keep the premises clean and respect the temple's rituals.

Why devotees come here

Deo Surya Mandir stands in Deo, about 10 km southeast of Aurangabad in Bihar. It is a sun temple dedicated to Surya, and it is best known for the Chhath festival, when lakhs of devotees bathe in its tank.

Deo Surya Mandir is a Hindu solar shrine dedicated to Surya, the sun. Oral tradition says Vishwakarma built the temple in one night, a tale told as legend rather than record. An inscription from 1437 records the dedication of the temple by King Bhairavendra.

The temple mixes Nagara, Dravidian and Vesara styles of architecture. It faces west, towards the setting sun, which is unusual because most sun temples face the rising sun. The district site describes it as 100 feet tall, with an umbrella-like top, and the carved stone and sacred water tank are part of its character.

Chhath is the festival the temple is best known for. Every year lakhs of devotees from across Bihar and other regions come to attend the Chhath Mela, bathe in the holy Surya Kund and offer arghya to the sun.

Festivals

• AnnualChhath

  Lakhs of devotees from all over Bihar and other regions attend the Chhath Mela, bathe in the Surya Kund and offer arghya to the sun.

Tips for your visit

• Inside the sanctum are idols of Vishnu, Surya and Avalokitesvara, according to the Times of India travel page.
• The Bihar tourism site calls Deo one of the most important sun temples in India, and says its sacred water tank and carved stonework reflect its historical and religious significance.

Questions people ask