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Jammu and Kashmir is a region with rich cultural values with many different types of culture residing in it. It has a history of great architectural sites or to be precise popular temples, these temples are mentioned below:
- Amarnath Temple
- Avantipur Temple
- Vaishno Devi Temple
- Sudh Mahadev Temple
- Baboor Temple
- Raghunath Temple
- Martand Sun Temple
We are going to discuss more in detail about the Martand Sun Temple in this article.
History of Martand Sun Temple
The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple located in Jammu and Kashmir, India, just near the city area of Anantnag. It was built in the 8th Century AD and was dedicated to Surya (Hinduism’s principal Sun God). Surya is also recognized through his Sanskrit name Martand.
Upon command of the former Muslim emperor of Kashmir, Sikandar Shah Miri, this temple was demolished by the army of the Shah Miri empire during the 15th century.
The Martand Sun Temple was initially established in the 8th century AD under Lalitaditya Muktapida, the third Raja in the region of Kashmir with relation to the Karkota empire. While the temple seems to be constructed from 725 until 756 AD, its foundations go all the way back to roughly 370 to 500 AD, with several dating the temple’s development to Ranaditya.
Brief On History And Structure Of The Sun Temple Of Kashmir:
The Archaeological Survey of India has classified Martand Sun Temple with the recognition as ASI protected site. Anantnag town, located at an altitude of approximately 5,400 feet above the sea level, seems to be approximately 33 miles from Srinagar and seems to be easily accessible by road.
The Martand temple is located on a plateau with a panoramic view of the entire Kashmir Valley. Dedicated to Vishnu-Surya, the Martand Temple has three distinct chambers—the mandapa, the garbhagriha, and the antralaya—probably the only three-chambered temple in Kashmir.
This is a columned mediaeval temple with a monument in the centre and a yard. It contains 84 column-like structures, which is a holy Hindu figure and offers stunning views of the surrounding valleys.
This points to the position it enjoyed. The temple is built in a unique Kashmiri style. The temple is also influenced by Classical Greco-Roman, Buddhist-Gandhara, and North Indian styles.
The temple possesses far more imposing dimensions than any other existing temple, being 63 feet long. As an isolated ruin this deserves on account of its solitary and massive grandeur to be ranked, not only as the first ruin of the kind in Kashmir but as one of the noblest amongst the architectural relics of antiquity that are to be seen in any country.
The principal shrine is at the centre of a quadrangular courtyard, flanked towards the north and south by two small structures. The temple walls are built of huge blocks of evenly dressed grey limestone by making use of lime mortar.
The magnificent Martand Sun Temple, located amongst the woods just in the region of Mattan within Kashmir’s Anantnag Province. It still makes for an impressive sight with the formidable grey walls standing stark against the blue sky, broken grey fragments strewn around the green grass. Some of the walls bear clear carvings of deities, and the beauty and symmetry of the temple are still amply evident. The temple is ringed by a row of pillars—the peristyle common in Kashmiri temple architecture.
Conclusion
The article talks briefly about the location of the Sun temple of Kashmir along with its structural importance and for whom it was built. The Sun God was an actual figure of inspiration and devotion for constructing this temple.
