Martand Sun Temple Kashmir Story, History, Who Was It Built By, Who Destroyed It, Architecture, Restoration, Images

Martand Sun Temple Kashmir Story, History, Who Was It Built By, Who Destroyed It, Architecture, Restoration, Images

Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple in Jammu and Kashmir, India, know its history, story, destruction, restoration, architecture, who was it built by and images

Now, it has turned into ruins but efforts are being made to fix it again.

Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple in Jammu and Kashmir, India, near the city of Anantnag. It was dedicated to Surya, Hinduism’s greatest sun deity, in the 8th century AD. Surya is also known by the Sanskrit name Martand.

Martand Sun Temple Kashmir Story, History, Who Was It Built By, Who Destroyed It, Architecture, Images, Where Is It Location

The Martand temple is located on a plateau with a panoramic view of the Kashmir Valley. It was an exceptional instance of Kashmiri architecture, which had integrated the Gandharan, Gupta, and Chinese types of building, according to the ruins and associated archaeological finds.

The Martand Sun Temple in Jammu and Kashmir has been designated as a site of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. Kartanda is the name of the temple on the list of officially protected sites (Sun Temple).

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Martand Sun Temple Kashmir History, Complex, Plan Images,

Surya Temple in Kashmir is the world’s biggest example of a peristyle. The temple includes a collonaded courtyard with its main shrine in the centre and 84 lesser shrines surrounding it. It is considered to have had a pyramidal top, which is a frequent characteristic of Kashmiri temples.

Other gods, such as Vishnu, and river goddesses, such as Ganga and Yamuna, are depicted in the antechamber of the temple main, in addition to the sun deity Surya.

Who Built It?

The Martand Sun Temple was established in the 8th century AD by Lalitaditya Muktapida, the third maharaja of Kashmir under the Karkota dynasty.

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While the temple was supposed to have been completed between 725 and 756, the foundation dates back to roughly 370โ€“500 AD, with some crediting Ranaditya with starting the work. Now, it has turned into ruins but efforts are being made to fix it again.

Who Destroyed It?

Several invaders attempted to vandalise the temple, but it was only until Sikandar Shah’s invasion that the temple was demolished. The temple vandalism was motivated by two factors for Sikandar. First if the templeโ€™s wealth and second is the Islamization of society.

At the command of the erstwhile Muslim ruler of Kashmir, Sikandar Shah Miri, the Shah Miri dynasty demolished the temple in the 15th century.

Reconstruction And Restoration Of Martand Sun Temple

Despite the passage of centuries and decades, the government has taken no steps to rebuild the edifice. The Archaeological Survey of India has now taken possession of the structure with restoration now underway. Swami Samyamindra has already laid the foundations by visiting the temple and performing ritual at the Surya Mandir which was subjected to the heinous crimes of Islamic invaders in India.

The Mathadhish of Shri Kashi Math Samsthan, Varanasi, Shrimad Samyamindra Tirtha Swamiji visited Kashmir and became the first Saraswat brahmin to visit the valley in decades. During his visit, Swamiji visited the Martand temple, where he also chanted surya mantra after Article 370 was abrogated.

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