Surya is the chief,the solar deity,one of the Adityas,son of Kasyapa and one of his wives Aditi.He has hair and arms of gold.His chariot is pulled by seven horses,which represent the seven chakras.He presides as "Ravi" over "Ravi-var" or Sunday.
In Hindu religious literature, Surya is notably mentioned as the visible form of God that one can see every day.Furthermore, Shaivites and Vaishnavas often regard Surya as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively.The Sun is called Surya Narayana by Vaishnavas.In Shaivites, Surya is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva,named the Astamurti.
He is said to be of Sattva Guna and represents the Soul,the King,highly placed persons or fathers. Invoking Gayatri Mantra or Aditya Hrudaya Mantra (Adityahridayam) are known to please the Sun God.
The grain associated with the Sun is whole wheat and the number associated to the Surya is 1.
Design: Made in heavy shining brass.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity.It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals.The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions: 2.8 inches (H) x 3 inches (W) x 3.25 inches (L) (7 x 7.6 x 8 cms) approx
Weight: 515 grams
Placement: It should be placed in the center of the house facing East direction.
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors,but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God.Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it.Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it.This is truly a wonder and a miracle.The picture comes to life.The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems.The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol.The lives of Mirabai,Sant Tukaram,Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point.They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the"finite representation of the Infinite".As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29,v 55-7),persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it:"Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to,it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber.Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."