Though often dwarfed by the immense beauty and size of the Ranakpur Jain Temple dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar, Sri Adinath; there is an ancient Sun Temple housed within the same temple complex. This temple is dated back to the 8th century and has a similar structure and appearance to the bigger temple. Its walls are also intricately carved with warriors, heroes and the Sun God in his magnificent stallion driven chariot.
A more recent development at this temple has been the construction of an open air amphitheater. The Godwad Festival during the month of December takes place at this venue.
The sun god is especially worshiped on the day of ‘Makara Sankranthi’ which falls sometimes in the month of January. It goes without saying that a visit to the Sun Temple at Ranakpur on this day would be worth your while.