Surya, in Hinduism, both the Sun and the Sun god.
Although in the Vedic period (1500–5th century BCE)
several other deities also possessed solar characteristics,
most of these were merged into a single god in later Hinduism.
Surya was once ranked along with Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, and Ganesha,
and many temples dedicated to him are found throughout India.
Those five deities are worshipped by a group of Brahmans (priests),
the Smartas, but only a small group, the Saura sect, worships Surya as the supreme deity.
He is, however, invoked by most Hindus, and the Gayatri mantra,
uttered daily at dawn by many Hindus, is addressed to the Sun.