Surya, the Sun God

The Hindu deity Surya is considered the source of light, and as the solar deity can be traced to the earliest Indian texts, the Rgveda. The sun deity is represented standing erect, holding lotus blossoms in both his raised hands. The high boots and short sword are a legacy of his Iranian ancestry, a feature he retains well into the medieval period. At his feet is depicted his half-brother charioteer Aruna. On the proper right stand the god Pingala with pen and ink-bottle (broken away) and the goddess Nikshubha (“Earth”). On the left is the god Dandanayaka holding a staff (danda) and the goddess Rajni ("Air"). At the god's feet is his principal consort Prabha ("brightness"; later known as Mahasveta) . Above the attendant divinities are the female archers Usha and Pratyusha driving off the hosts of the night. At each top corner of the lotus-decorated frame are celestial singers (vidyadharas) in cloud, bearing garlands. In the lower register are the seven horses and Surya's chariot, here represented by a single spoked wheel. All the horses face left, a unique configuration.