The Solar Tradition
Again the seers of the Rig Veda described the sun as:

The remover of all weaknes,
Healer of all illness,
Lord of all that stands and goes,
He slays the demons
And guards the worshippers

Finally they state:

We meditate in the adorable glory
Of the radiant sun.
May be inspire our intelligence.

The Suryopanishad states that persons who worship the sun as Brahman, become powerful, active, intelligent, and acquire long life. 'The sun is personified as brilliant like gold, having four arms, seated on a red lotus and riding in a chariot drawn by seven horses. He sets in motion the wheels of time, and from him emerge the give physical elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether, as well as the five senses. The Akshopanishad identifies Surya with Purusha who assumes the form of the sun with thousands of rays, and shines for the good of humanity. There is a verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which reads as follows:

O Lord and essence of light
Lead me from the unreal to the real
From the darkness to light
From death to immortality.

Ancient architectural marvels
Several sects of sun worshippers still exist today. Some worship the rising sun, some the setting sun, some the noonday sun. Though these people appear to worship the physical sun, the real object of their worship is Brahman, the Absolute, and its manifestation as creator, preserver, and destroyer, of which the sun is but a symbol.

There are many ancient sun temples existing in India today, some of which date back as far as the 8^th century AD, and are architectural marvels. The most famous of these was built at Konark, Orissa, during the 13^th century AD. The other main sun temples are located in Kashmir, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.