The Hindu Sun God Surya is the most important and oldest of the Indian planetary deities (nava graha). The earliest known anthropomorphic representations of Surya date from the late 3rd- 1st century B.C. The Sun God is depicted therein as riding in a chariot drawn by four horses as he makes his daily circuit across the heavens. Surya and his divine attendants are occasionally portrayed as archers, symbolizing their dispersal of darkness. The Sun God evolved into a composite nature with various strata of Vedic, Hellenistic, Iranian, and Brahmanical influences. Surya's popularity increased in the Gupta period during the 4th-6th century and the iconography used to portray him grew more complex. He continued to be represented throughout the medieval period and today remains one of the major gods of popular Hinduism.
In this representation, Surya is nimbate and wears a tall square crown (kirita mukuta). He stands in a stiff, frontal pose (samapada sthanaka). He has two arms and holds a blossoming lotus in each of his shoulder-level hands. Surya wears a breast plate (cuirass) decorated with a floral pattern and is barefoot. He has standard jewelry, a long garland (vana mala), and a scarf around his shoulders with long flowing tail ends.
A comparable bronze image of Surya attributed to Gujarat, 10th century, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.309-1951).