Avantiswami Temple

The Avantiswami Temple is a Hindu temple located in Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its complex consisted of two temples, one each for Shiva and Vishnu, which were built under king Avantivarman of the Utpala dynasty in the 9th century CE on the banks of the Jhelum River. The site is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.[1][2] Locals call the temples Pandav Lari, meaning "house of the Pandavas".[3]

Avantiswami Temple
Ruins of the temple, 2012
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictPulwama
Deity
Governing bodyIndian Archaeological Survey
Location
LocationAwantipora
StateJammu and Kashmir
CountryIndia
Location within Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
Location within India
Geographic coordinates33.9232602°N 75.012846°E / 33.9232602; 75.012846
Architecture
TypeMedieval Indian
FounderAvantivarman
Date established9th century CE
Temple(s)2

History

The temple was built by king Awantivarman in the year 853–855 CE. Originally known as Viswasara, the ancient town which was then a capital as well. Avantivarman was also the founder of Avantipur and of the Utpala dynasty in the 9th century CE. He had built many Hindu temples in Kashmir during his reign, which were largely destroyed due to Muslim conquests. During the reign of Avantivarman, the region prospered. The Avantiswami Temple is an example of the stone temple architecture of Kashmir during that era.

Prior to the Muslim conquests, Kashmir was a centre of Shaivism and Hindu philosophy, and a seat of Sanskrit learning and literature. By the 14th century, Kashmir had come under Muslim rule, and most of its early temples were deserted or sacked by the early 15th century. Two temples here are attributed to him: the Avantiswami Temple dedicated to Vishnu and the Avantishwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. The Avantiswami is smaller in size, but similar in planning to the earlier Martand Sun Temple.[4][5]

  • Platform and pillars
  • Reliefs, Avantiswami Temple
  • Temple detail

References
  1. "Avantiswami Temple, Avantipur". Archeological Survey of India. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  2. Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 295. ISBN 978-8122-411-98-0.
  3. "The History Behind Avantipura". GK.
  4. "Lost in the rubble". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  5. "Kashmir. General view of ruins of Temple of Avantiswami at Avantipore. Probable date A.D. 852 to 854". British Library. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.