With the cold winds blowing from the Himalayas, the temples of Kashmir have a calming effect and you feel at peace. There is something so different about the ruined temples of Kashmir that makes you explore more. Special influence goes to King Lalitaditya of the Karkota dynasty and under his rule, there were many temples of Shiva built around the place. King Lalitaditya was a huge devotee of Shiva. There have been many Shiva temples in Kashmir and we have discussed some of the ancient ones below.
These Are The 7 Ancient Shiva Temples In Kashmir
1. Avantishwara Temple
The Utpala dynasty started with the ruler, Avantivarman, who built this Shiva temple near the banks of the Jhelum River. This temple is so ancient that you will witness the ruins strewn here and there. The actual temple is just a skeletal structure remaining from its huge building.
2. Avantiswami Temple
King Avantivarman built this temple as well and it is erected nearby to Avantishwara Temple. This is Lord Vishnu’s temple. This is ruined due to natural calamities and no idol deity resides here and the fine grandeur of the temple has been lost, so it is now a ruined monument.
3. Shankaragaurishvara Temple
This temple was built around 1200 years ago by Shankaravarman, who was King Avantivarman of the Utpala dynasty’s son. He succeded in the throne in the 9th century and decided to construct two fabulous temples. It is in the quaint town of Pattan near Baramulla, Srinagar as he decided to shift the capital to Pattan from Awantipora.
4. Sugandhesha Temple
King Shankaravarman named Shankaragaurishvara Temple after himself. so he kindly dedicated another temple to his wife. He named it after her and this is ruined as well. It was smaller in size than Shankaragaurishvara Temple but it is preserved in a better manner.
5. Bumzuva Cave Temple
This temple is from the 12th century and has the typical standard architecture of a trefoil arch which is a three-lobed arch and straight-edged pyramidal roof. The caves are artificial and carved out of limestones. Lord Shiva’s shivling can be found here. At the base of the temple, you can see two ziarats, a Muslim shrine. These were temples before and were converted to shrines centuries ago.
6. Payar Temple
It is a 1500-year-old temple that houses shivling and has the typical standardised architecture. It is located near Pulwama and is claimed as the Monument of National Importance by the Archeological Survey of India.
7. Shankaracharya Temple
It is also known as Jyeshteshwara Temple and is located on Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Range, which is about 1000 ft above the valley. This is considered one of the oldest temples in Kashmir. The shivling adorns a huge snake and the festival of Maha Shivratri is celebrated on a grand level.
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If you are a devotee of Lord Shiva and have wanted to explore all the ancient temples of Shiva which have been weathered and are mostly in ruins, then you have to follow the list above. You will get to witness century-old architecture and their significance to Lord Shiva.
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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