Shrine of the sun god Surya

Nepal: Hindu Art
Situated on the border between Tibet and India, the Kathmandu Valley has long been both a crossroads and a cosmopolis for religious traditions. Here, Buddhist and Hindu rituals and philosophies have interwoven into a kaleidoscopic array of ever-transforming deities and doctrines. , The circular medallion within the square shrine symbolizes the sun, containing Surya, the sun god, riding on his chariot. His driver is Aruna, the legless brother of Garuda, the Hindu sun bird. Surya is accompanied by four of his consorts; the ones on the far left and right being Dawn and Twilight, the dual lights that combat the darkness before sunrise and after sunset. Poised in the archer’s pose, they are fighting the darkness with their arrows.