Patna: As millions across Bihar gather on the riverbanks to offer Arghya to the rising Sun this Chhath morning, few may realise that the tradition they uphold is more than two millennia old — and one that once blended local faith with foreign influences.
From the Bodh Gaya Museum to the Mundeshwari Temple in Kaimur, rare statues of Lord Surya found across Bihar chronicle an extraordinary history of devotion, artistry, and cultural exchange. Some depict the Sun God wearing Iranian-style boots and robes, offering a striking image of how ancient India absorbed and reinterpreted diverse traditions.
Archaeological findings suggest that Sun worship in Bihar dates back nearly 2,500 years, to the Shunga period. A carved pillar fragment from this era — preserved in Bodh Gaya — is considered the oldest depiction of Surya in Bihar. It portrays the Sun riding a chariot drawn by seven horses, flanked by Usha and Pratyusha, the twin goddesses of dawn and dusk, both armed with bows as they symbolically pierce the darkness.
Perhaps the most remarkable of all is a Kushan-era statue discovered in Tapovan, Gaya, now housed in the Narada Museum, Nawada. Believed to be 2,000 years old, it depicts Surya flanked by Danda and Pingal — his celestial companions representing Dharmaraja and Chitragupta. What sets it apart, however, is Surya’s attire: a long robe and boots, unmistakably influenced by the Iranian style of the time.
“Such details point to a period of intense cultural interaction,” explains a Patna-based archaeologist. “The Kushan Empire connected Central Asia to the Gangetic plains, allowing both artistic and spiritual ideas to travel freely.”
The Gupta period, often called the golden age of Indian art, saw further evolution in Surya’s iconography. A 5th-century statue at Murli Hill in Sultanganj, alongside depictions of Lord Shiva and other deities, shows Surya holding lotuses in both hands — a gesture symbolising enlightenment. Another Gupta-era image, carved into the Mundeshwari Temple’s entrance pillar, features similar attire with Iranian touches, a sword at his waist, and his two attendants by his side.
Moving into the early medieval period, the Chausa Surya statue in Buxar — carved from sandstone around the 7th century — provides evidence of the Panchdevata worship tradition, with Surya positioned alongside Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, and Parvati.
Further west, in Tarari, Bhojpur district, archaeologists have uncovered dozens of Surya statues dating between the 6th and 10th centuries, made from granite and sandstone. Some belong to the Pala period, distinguished by intricate detailing and elaborate halo designs.
Each of these artefacts — now housed in museums or temple niches — serves as a silent reminder that Bihar was once a thriving centre of Sun worship, long before Chhath Puja became the public celebration it is today.
“The Surya tradition of Bihar is not just about faith,” says cultural historian Dr. Rajendra Prasad Singh. “It represents continuity — from the stone carvings of the Shunga era to the lamps lit today on the ghats. The devotion remains unchanged, even if its expression has evolved.”
As devotees today stand knee-deep in the Ganga’s waters, offering their final Arghya to the rising Sun, they unknowingly echo a ritual that has endured through empires, faiths, and centuries — a tradition that once carved the Sun God in stone and boots, and now celebrates him in song and prayer.
