Unao Balaji Sun Temple

Unao Balaji Sun Temple stands near the small town of Unao in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, about 17 km from both Datia and Jhansi. Its main deity is the Sun God, worshipped here as Balaji, whose image stands on a brick platform faced with black plates; twenty-one triangles engraved in the shrine stand for 21 phases of the Sun. Unlike most temples, where Brahmins officiate, the chief priests here come from the Kachhi Kushwaha community.

Legend says a cow used to pour her milk on one spot outside Unao, and the Sun later appeared in a dream to the king of Datia, telling him to dig there. The king found a statue of the Sun, built the temple and made the cow's owner its priest. The deity is famed for curing skin ailments, and Sunday is his special day. The Pahooj river flows below the temple; its water contains sulphur, and it is said that bathing in it and offering water to Balaji cures such ailments.