India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village

Why in news?

• Recently, Prime Minister declared Modhera in Gujarat’s Mehsana district as India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village.

About India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village:

• Modhera will be India’s first village to become a net renewable energy generator.
• It will be the first modern village to have a solar-based ultra-modern electric vehicle charging station.
• It is India’s first grid-connected megawatt-hours (MWh) scale battery energy storage system. People in Modhera would be saving 60% to 100 % on electricity bills.
• Modhera was well known for the Sun temple, now it will also be known as a solar-powered village.

About Modhera Sun Temple:

• It was made by King Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty in the early 11th century.
• It is 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 the other two well-known sun temples in Kashmir (Martand Sun Temple) and Odisha (Konark Sun Temple).

PRACTICE QUESTION

India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village is located in?

(a) Gujarat

(b) Karnataka

(c) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Telangana

Answer