The Sun temple in Bihar which changed its direction overnight !

‘There are several temples of the Deity Sun in Bharat. Among them, the world-famous Sun Temple of Konark is very well known. There is a similar artistic temple at Dev in Aurangabad, Bihar. While all Sun temples in the country face East, uniqueness of this temple is that it faces the West. The 100 feet tall Sun temple is believed to be thousands of years old. Similar to the Konark temple this temple too has a chariot of the Deity Sun. The seven chariots engraved in the stone have exquisite carvings and sculptures. These include beautiful images of the sun in the rising, mid-noon and setting phases. These sculptures resemble those in the Jagannath temple of Odisha.

Reference of this temple is found in the Surya Puran. As per the legend in the Puran, a group of dacoits had come to plunder this temple. Then the priests in the temple begged the robbers not to destroy the temple. The leader of the dacoits said, ‘If God really exists in this temple then He should display His strength and overnight make this temple face the west. If this happens then we will not destroy it.’ All night the priests offered prayers fervently and when the day dawned the temple was facing the west. Consequently, the dacoits left the temple without looting anything.