MODHERA

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Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be declaring Modhera in Gujarat as a 24 x 7 solar-powered village on October 9.

Details:

• Under this, this first-of-its-kind project, Solar Rooftops have been set up in over 1300 rural houses at iconic Modhera village at the cost of 80 crore rupees.
• It is India’s first grid-connected megawatt-hours (MWh) scale battery energy storage system.
• This has resulted in more than 60 to 100 percent reduction in power bills. 
• PM will visit Modhshwari Goddess temple and the world-famous Modhera Sun temple.
• The Modhera Sun Temple was made by King Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty in the early 11th century.
• It is a temple made to honour the Sun God in Modhera village of Mehsana district on the bank of River Pushpavati.
• The temple is designed in such a way that during every equinox, the first ray of the rising sun would fall on a diamond placed on the head of the Sun God. This would also light up the shrine with a golden glow.
• The Sabha Mandap stands on 52 pillars, signifying the 52 weeks in a year. There are carvings of the sun on the walls to show its unity with air, water, earth and space.
• In 2014, Modhera Sun Temple entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• It enjoys the same significance as other two well-known sun-temples in Kashmir (Martand) and Orissa (Konark).
• The Gujarat Tourism hosts a three-day dance festival every year, known as the Uttarardha Mahotsav, at the temple every January after Makar Sankranti festival.

https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=PM-Modi-to-embark-on-a-3-day-visit-to-Gujarat-from-today%3b-to-dedicate-%26-lay-foundation-stone-of-projects-worth-over-Rs-14%2c500-crore&id=449056