Suryadev - The Hindu Sun God
In Hindu mythology, Suryadev or Lord Surya is a prominent figure. 'Surya' means 'sun' and 'Dev' means 'god'. Hindus most commonly will glimpse at the sun when starting out any well-known task. He is the ruler of Navgraha (nine planets) that rotate around him in Hindu astrology. Being the son of account Kashyap and Aditi he is described as 'Aharpati' which means Lord of the day and 'Jagat Chakshu' which means gawk of the world. Married to three wives Saranyu, Prabha and Ragyi, he is the reason for rainfall in the world. The lord of Leo in the Zodiac he is worshiped as the visible create of God that one can gawk every day
Surya is also recognized as one of the eight types of Lord Mahadeva, named the Astamurti. All of his names refer to a quality of awareness. Sunday is his ruling day. An early morning prayer to him, is a allotment of the daily ritual of Indian devotees. Surya Namaskar in yoga, is an example of this love. The Surya Namaskar is a pattern of yogic exercises that devotees do at sun rise in order to salute the sun. Surya makes day and night, offers energy to all living beings and rids them from ailments and lethargy. Among Hindus the Surya Puja is performed to appease the sun god. It is believed that one should always design Surya Puja in case the influence of the sun is powerless or depleted in the horoscope. The gods in the Hindu mythology are appeased by chanting of the mantras. Suryadev is no such exception. 'Shri Surya Mantrashakti' features the most potent and grand chants of hhis name. account Agastya recited 'Aditya Hridayam' to Lord Rama before his battle with Ravana. 'Aditya Hridayam' is a mantra closely associated with Lord Surya for strength in defeating one's enemies. In Hindu religion, the 'Gayatri' hymn is also associated by the sun.
Among Hindus the gazing of the sun is considered to be a imprint of cherish. It helps the devotee collect his eyesight when he acknowledges him by gazing at the sun. By performing the Surya Namaskar in the early morning, the devotee is blessed with strengthened bones, wealth, long life, progeny, cured illness and good-health. Surya Namaskar is the advanced version of the novel push-ups. Temples of Lord Surya are all the across the country. 'Suryanarayana Temple' is located in Tamil Nadu and is popularly known as 'Suryanar-Koli'. 'Konark' is also another temple of Lord Surya at Orissa in Buguda of the Ganjam District. The Marthand temple in Kashmir was also an dilapidated temple dedicated to the sun god. It is believed to have been built around 9th century AD but destroyed by Muslim invaders later.
In Hindu mythology, the monkey king Sugriva was the son of Surya. Lord Rama is said to be a Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) . His royal family is said to have descended from the sun. In Hindu religion, symbol of Surya is considered as one of the definite signs. They possess that he symbolizes Lord Brahma during the day, Lord Shiva at noon and Lord Vishnu in the evening. His chariot is pulled by seven horses. Hence, he is sometimes referred to as Saptashva (Lord of Seven Horses) .
