Awantipora () or Avantipur or Aavantipur, known as Woontpor () in

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

, is a town, just opposite of

Pulwama city Pulwama (known as Panwangam in antiquity, and later as Pulgam) is a City and notified area council in the Pulwama district of the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located approximately south of the summer capital of ...

, on the banks of the river Jhelum in the

Pulwama district The Pulwama district is located to the south of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Its district headquarters are situated in the city of Pulwama. It is located in the central part of the Kashmir Valley. Administration In 1979 Anantna ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

n union territory of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. It is on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (now called the NH 44), south of Srinagar and north of

Anantnag Anantnag (/ə'nʌntna:g/ or /-nɑːg/ ), also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of the Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of 53 kilometres (33 miles) from the u ...

. Awantipora was named after the Kashmiri king Avantivarman and has the ruins of two 9th century Hindu temples built by him. Awantipora tehsil is a subdistrict of

History

It is said that the town was founded by Avantivarman who was the first king of the Utpala dynasty, and ruled Kashmir from 855 to 883 AD.
This web-page spells the town ''Avantipur'', and says that it is in

Anantnag district Anantnag district is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of ten districts which make up the Kashmir Valley. The district headquarters is Anantnag city. As of 2011, it was the third most populous distr ...

, which it was before the creation of

in 1979. Avantivarman built a Hindu temple in Awantipora dedicated to

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

called " Avantisvamin" before he became king, and during his reign he built a second Hindu temple in Awantipora called "Avantisvara" dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

. Both temples were built in spacious rectangular paved courtyards. They were destroyed in the middle ages. They were excavated by the archeologist Daya Ram Sahni in the early 20th century. The Avantisvamin temple is located at and Avantisvara is at . They are protected and maintained by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

. File:Avantipura 1.jpg, The Avantisvamin temple File:Avantisvara_Temple.JPG, The Avantisvara temple

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Awantipora has an average literacy rate of 69.41%, lower than the national average of 74%. Male literacy was 80.17%, and female literacy was 43.03% 9% of the population is under 6 years of age. Awantipora has a population of 12,647 people.

Villages in Awantipora tehsil

The villages along with their patwar halqa (revenue circle) in Awantipora tehsil are listed below. There is a branch of

Axis Bank Axis Bank Limited, formerly known as UTI Bank (1993–2007), is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It sells financial services to large and mid-size companies, SMEs and retail businesses. A ...

in the village of Larkipora.

IUST Awantipora

Awantipora is home to Islamic University of Science and Technology(IUST) dating back to 2005. The university has been set up as a centre for higher learning for the people of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its neighbouring regions.

AIIMS Awantipora

The first batch of MBBS at the upcoming AIIMS at Awantipora in south Kashmir will start in August 2021. The temporary accommodation is in Srinagar.

Air Force Station

Awantipur Air Force Station is situated near Awantipora at Malangpora about 5 km from Pulwama town.

External links

Ruins of Ancient Temples of Awantipora

References

{{Pulwama district Cities and towns in Pulwama district 9th-century Hindu temples