Unao Balaji Sun Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Gwalior airport is about 90 km away.

• By train

  Datia railway station is the nearest, about 18 km from the temple.

• By road

  Unao is connected by road only, and it is about 15 km from Datia.

Rules to know

• By tradition, only people of the Kachhi Kushwaha Kshatriya community may sit on the brick platform and offer garlands and prasad to the deity.

Why devotees come here

Unao Balaji Sun Temple stands in the small town of Unao, in Datia district of Madhya Pradesh. The sun deity is worshipped here as Balaji, and pilgrims come from far away to visit.

Unao Balaji Sun Temple is dedicated to the sun deity, who is worshipped here as Balaji. Devotees come from very distant places to visit. Legend says the sun deity came in a dream to the king of Datia and asked him to dig up the spot where a cow used to pour out her milk.

The temple is said to have been built in pre-historic times by the king of Datia, and it is very old. The sun deity stands on a brick platform covered with black plates. Carved into the shrine are twenty-one triangles, one for each of the 21 phases of the sun. The temple is known for its unique architecture and design.

A tank near the temple is said to hold sacred water. By tradition, only people of one community may sit on the brick platform.

Tips for your visit

• Sunday is considered the day of Balaji, the sun deity.
• Look for the twenty-one carved triangles inside the shrine, one for each phase of the sun.
• Jhansi, the city famous for Rani Lakshmibai, is about 17 km from Unao.

Questions people ask