deities and the divine
Who is Surya and how is he worshipped in daily Hindu practice?
Who Surya is
Surya is the god of the sun. The tradition sees him as more than the physical star. He is a living, divine presence, the eye of the world, the one who drives away darkness and gives life to everything. He is counted among the Pancha Devatas, the five principal deities that many Hindu households honour. He is also known by twelve names, called the Dvadashaditya, each one pointing to a different quality of the sun across the year. Sunday, called Ravivar in Hindi, is his day.
Where the worship comes from
Surya is one of the oldest deities in the tradition. The Rig Veda contains hymns addressed to him and to Savitr, a solar form linked to the power that sets everything in motion. The Gayatri Mantra, one of the most widely known verses in the tradition, is addressed to Savitr and is seen as a prayer for light and wisdom. Sun worship runs deep across many ancient cultures, and in Hindu tradition it has stayed alive and central in a way that is still visible every morning in homes and temples.
What he stands for
Surya is shown riding a chariot pulled by seven horses. The seven horses are often understood as the seven colours of light or the seven days of the week. He holds lotus flowers and radiates golden light. His iconography at places like the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha is elaborate and detailed, showing him as a cosmic king. The sun's daily rising and setting is read as a symbol of the soul's journey, of knowledge overcoming ignorance, and of the steady, unchanging order behind the world.
How he is worshipped
The most common daily practice is offering water to the rising sun, called Arghya. A person stands facing east and pours water slowly from a copper vessel, often while reciting Surya's names or the Gayatri Mantra. The tradition holds that doing this at dawn, when the sun's rays pass through the water, is especially meaningful. Surya Namaskar, the sequence of twelve postures, is both a physical practice and a devotional one, with each posture linked to one of Surya's twelve names. Fasting on Sundays is another common form of devotion, especially among those who feel a particular closeness to Surya. In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Chhath Puja is a major festival dedicated entirely to Surya, where devotees stand in rivers and offer water and food to the setting and rising sun over several days. This festival is known for its simplicity and its deep community feeling.
Today
Surya worship is one of the few forms of Hindu practice that has moved easily into modern life. Surya Namaskar is practised worldwide, often without a religious frame, as a morning exercise. The Gayatri Mantra is recited in homes, schools, and yoga spaces across the world. For many in the diaspora, the morning water offering is a quiet, grounding ritual that connects them to the tradition even when they are far from a temple. The practice varies by region and family, but the core idea, greeting the sun with gratitude at the start of the day, stays recognisable everywhere.