Saamba Aditya Temple

Legend

Saamba Aditya temple has its imprints in ancient history. according to Kashi Khand, Once Sage Narad traveled to Dwaraka Puri where he was highly impressed by the treatment and actions of the sons of lord Krishna. Sage Narad was deeply moved by the hospitality he was being provided by lord Krishna’s sons. although he was satisfied still he was very disappointed by the actions of his son Saamba.

As per sage Narad, samba did not give any attention to his arrival and was disrespectful. After some time, Sage Narad told lord Krishna about the strange behavior of saamba and asked him to take note of his actions. and gave a bold statement about samba that he was a strong and handsome boy and was capable of seducing various ladies around the palace.

After Sage Narad left the palace, Lord Krishna started keeping a close watch on Saamba but nothing unpleasant was observed in Saamba’s behavior. Lord Krishna could not witness any such happening after noticing it for quite some time.

After some days, Sage age Narad again visited Dwarka Puri to meet the Lord, Krishna. Lord Krishna was in his chamber secluded with a group of ladies. Sage Narad called Saamba, who was loafing around the palace, and told him to inform Lord Krishna that he has arrived to meet lord, Krishna. Saamba hesitated for a while, as he was confused about whether to call lord Krishna from his chamber which could make his resentful, or reject sage Narad’s command, which could be disrespectful.

Still, he had to confront the situation, he went inside the palace and then to lord Krishna’s chamber, not knowing that Narad was following him. Both sage Narad and saamba made women embarrassed. Saamba silently left the place. Narad gave a wrong interpretation of the events to Lord Krishna stating that the ladies who were with Lord Krishna were indeed seduced by the appearance of Saamba.

Lord Krishna got enraged and cursed Saamba that he will be wrecked with Leprosy. However, Saamba pleaded innocence but lord Krishna was not in a position to overlook the situation. He told Saamba that to get rid of this curse, he should go to Kashi and pray to Lord Surya.

After agreeing on the condition, Saamba came to Kashi, dug a Kund which was called Saamba Kund, and carried extreme penance and pooja of Lord Surya. In due course, he was cured of this dreaded disease. This is the reason why this form of lord Surya came to be known as saamba Aditya.

According to Kashi Khand Chapter 48, a person who takes bath in Saamba Kund religiously on Sundays at sunrise and prays to Saamba Aditya will get cured of any incurable disease, and any married lady performing such prayers will always remain Suhangani (a lady whose husband is alive) and the childless couple will be blessed with a child. Saamba Kund is now known as Surya Kund / Suraj Kund.

• By Train: Varanasi has a huge railway network directly connected to various cities, one can easily reach Varanasi which is a few km away from the temple.
• By Air: Varanasi airport is well linked to other national and international airports.
• By Bus: book your seats in nearby city buses to reach saamba aditya temple.