Savitr is a god from the times of Rig Veda and is worshipped Hindus, as part of the daily sandhya puja. ‘Savitr’ is a word meaning to stimulate, derived from the root ‘su’(twilight), which is constantly and almost exclusively used with it in such a way. By description, Savitr is pre-eminently a golden deity, golden eyed, golden handed, golden, tongued, and moving in a gold chariot.
Savitr is drawn by two or more brown, white-footed horses. He is the destroyer of sins, demons and sorcerers. In Rig Veda (III.62.100), he is praised as the bestower of riches and stimulator of the intellect of the worshipers. This is what is stated in the Gayatri mantra recited all over India as the sandhya prayer, morning and evening, for thousands of years. As per mythology, he is one of the twelve sons of Kashyapa and Aditi. The twelve Adityas are Dhatr, Mitra, Aryaman, Sakra, Varuna, Amsa, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusan, Savitr, Tvastr,and Vishnu.
Savitr is generally distinguished from Surya.
In the techniques offered for meditation, the supreme deity is supposed to be meditated upon inside the ‘golden orb’ of Savitr.
The female deity associated with him is Savitri, considered the Mother Goddess of Vedas. In astrology, Savitr is considered the king and controller of all the planets.