The radiant deity, illuminating the cosmos with warmth and vitality.
Aditya, the Devata of the Sun, the Lord of the Day and the main deity among those in the Rashi Chakra, is the only Planet Devata worshiped in the Panchayatana system or worship of Five Devatas, where the other four are Devi, Vishnu, Ganapathy, and Shiva.
Of the nine planets in Hindu astrology known as Navagrahas, Aditya is considered to be the most important. There is a separate tradition called Soura of worshipping the Sun as the main Devata. Aditya has masculine energy and serves as a symbol of oneself. He is seen as the creator of daylight, bestowing energy and vitality on living beings and helping them to be active while removing laziness and sickness. As well as being the ruler of the star clusters Krittika, Uttaraphalguni, and Uttarashada, he also rules over the zodiac sign Leo. He navigates through every sign of the zodiac in a month and completes a full circle of all 12 signs within a year.
Aditya travels in his chariot drawn by seven horses. The 12 Adityas are interpreted differently, however, Aditya, in each of the 12 Rashis, is generally considered as the 12 Adityas or Dwadashadityas.
A well-placed sun in the birth chart signifies intelligence, strength, confidence, and leadership, while an overly strong sun can lead to pride and self-centeredness, and a weak sun may result in low confidence and energy, making one easily dominated by others. Festivals like Pongal, Makara Sankranti, Rathasaptami, Chath, and Samba Dasami are mainly dedicated to Lord Surya.
In the Vaidika Dharma, Sandhyavandanam is an important ritual where water is offered to Aditya with Gayatri Mantra, which is called Tarpana. From the day of Makara Sankranti, a period of 6 months is called Uttarayanam, or movement along the northern half, and the next 6 months are Dakshinayanam or movement along the southern half. Uttarayanam is considered to be very auspicious and many of the rituals in certain traditions are done only during these six months. The story of Bhishma who waited for Uttarayana to come for his death during the Mahabharata war in Kurukshetra is famous. Suryanamaskar or Sun salutation is an ancient yogic practice prevalent all over Bharat.