When we hear the name of Sun Temple, the only place comes to our mind is the Sun Temple of Konark, Orissa but this is not that temple. There are many Sun Temples in India, which are much older than Konark temple. This Sun Temple of Rahiliya is located in the region of Budelkhand. At 3 kms from Mahoba district in Uttar Pradesh, we can reach this temple by road only.
It was constructed by Chandela king Rahil Dev Varman who ruled over Bundelkhand between 890-915 AD. This was built to worship the Sun as it is considered the God of Power. Kings worshipped Sun to remain in power. It had an Idol of Sun placed at an elevated platform inside the temple. But when this temple was attacked by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1200 AD , it was destroyed and idols were stolen or damaged. It is now protected by Government of India and restored by Archeological Department from time to time.
In its architecture we can see a lot of similarities between it and Konark sun temple. It has very beautiful lake around it and beautiful garden. Since last three years it has got a complete new look as the colorful lights have been installed here and we can enjoy the light and sound show where younger generation can understand the history and culture of it.
We should also come forward to protect our monuments and spread the awareness about them.
As I visited this temple during the night time so I could take the pictures of the lake and garden of it. Accept my apologies for it.
@rocksg