Victoria in Tokyo

The Sabha Mandap at Modhera Sun Temple, above the Surya Kund (a large water tank), at dusk. The Sabha Mandap and other structures to its rear face eastward and are aligned with sunrise on the spring and autumn equinox, when it is believed rays of light would pass into the temple and illuminate a sacred idol within. They are also aligned with the passage of the Sun overhead at its highest point on the summer solstice. The Surya Kund in front of the Sabha Mandap, over which the Sun rises, extends from the point of sunrise on the summer solstice, to the left when viewed from the Sabha Mandap, to the point of sunrise on the winter solstice, to the right.

The carved ceiling of the Sabha Mandap at Modhera Sun Temple. The temple is aligned with sunrise on solstices and equinoxes, and with the passage of the Sun overhead during the summer solstice. During sunrise on the spring and autumn equinox, it is believed rays of light would pass through the Sabha Mandap and illuminate a sacred idol in the temple complex beyond.

Frontispiece of the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India, Volume 26 (March 1998), by N. Kameswara Rao, detailing the astronomical alignment of Modhera Sun Temple.

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 04:53:44 +0100

Victoria

vsrj@hub.netzgemeinde.eu

#SayanaUttarayana timings for #Tokyo, #Japan

#Uttarayana at 6:47am on Thursday Dec. 22, sunrise at 6:48am. The day will last 9h44m.

Sayana Uttarayana, or #winterSolstice, is the start of the period during which the Sun moves through the northern hemisphere, based on the tropical (sayana) zodiac — the apparent rotation of the Sun around the Earth.

? #ModheraSunTemple, #Gujarat, by https://www.gujarattourism.com. The temple is aligned with sunrise on solstices and equinoxes.

Much of the Hindu calendar is based on the sidereal (nirayana) zodiac, the apparent movement of heavenly bodies in relation to the constellations (nakshatras).

The difference between the zodiacs, known as #ayanamsha, is caused by precession of the equinoxes — the small difference in duration between a tropical and a sidereal year.

Because of this the two zodiacs drift apart, and that is why the festival of #MakarSankranti (calculated using the sidereal zodiac) is now celebrated in mid-January.

#Hinduism #photography

Note: Originally posted Dec. 20, 2022

Hinduism Sayana Uttarayana