Suraj Kund: The Pond of the Sun

The story

Shri Ram's family is the Suryavansh, the line of the Sun, which traces its descent from Vivasvan the Sun god through Manu and Ikshvaku. Suraj Kund, "the pond of the Sun", at Darshan Nagar on the road leading out of Ayodhya, is a place where that ancestry is honoured. Tradition says the kings of the solar dynasty established this pond for the worship of Surya, their forefather.

A charming local legend adds that when Ram was born, the Sun was so delighted to see a child in his own line who was the Lord himself that he halted his chariot here for a month to gaze at Ayodhya, and during that month there was no night. Tulsidas mentions the month-long day in the Ramcharitmanas.

What you will see

The kund is a large rectangular tank with stone steps on all sides and a temple to Surya on its bank. The ghats seen today were built in the nineteenth century, when the surrounding settlement was named Darshan Nagar after Raja Darshan Singh. In recent years the site has been restored and landscaped with walkways and lighting, and it is now a pleasant place to spend an evening away from the crowds.

The logic of Sun worship

The Sun is the visible source of life, regular, impartial and never late. For a dynasty of kings he was the model: a ruler should give light and warmth to all alike and draw up taxes only to return them as rain. In the Yuddha Kanda, before the final battle with Ravana, Sage Agastya teaches Ram the Aditya Hridaya, a hymn to the Sun, to give him strength. Many families recite it each morning.

Sundays, the Sun's day, and Chhath in the month of Kartik bring worshippers who stand in the water to offer arghya to the setting and rising sun.

Visiting

• Take an auto or e-rickshaw from Ayodhya; it is a short ride.
• Go at sunrise for worship or in the early evening for the lights.
• Combine it with Bharat Kund at Nandigram, further along in the same direction.

Read about the dynasty at Raghukul.