Hari Parbat (), also called Koh-i-Maran (), is a hill overlooking

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

, the largest city and the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the site of the Hari Parbat fort, built by the

Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...

, and of a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, and

gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

Hari Parbat Fort

The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

in 1590 who built an outer wall for the fort as part of his plans for a new capital at the site of modern-day

city in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

. The project, however, was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the reign of the Governor of Kashmir Province of the

, Atta Mohammed Khan. The fort can be reached via two sides of the city, (a) via Rainawari through Kathi Darwaza Gate and (b) via Hawal through the Sangin Darwaza Gate. The fort was closed for almost 2 decades and thrown open to the public in 2007. The Indian government on 15 August 2021 (the 75th independence day) hoisted a 100 feet tall Indian flag on the top of the fort.

Shrines

Hindu temple

Hari Parbat is considered sacred by some Kashmiri Pandits. According to Hindu Mythology, the area of Hari Parbat was inhabited by an

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

named Jalodbhava. People went on to pray to goddess

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

for help. She took the form of a bird and dropped a pebble on the asura's head. The pebble grew larger and larger until it crushed the asura. Hari Parbat is revered as that pebble, and Parvati is worshipped under the name Sharika, its temple occupying the middle part of the western slope of the hill. She is depicted as having 18 arms and sitting in Shri Chakra.

Muslim shrines

The southern side of Hari Parbat features Makhdoom Sahib, the shrine of Hamza Makhdoom, a 16th-century Kashmiri

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint locally. Built below the fort is a mosque dedicated to Shah Badakhshi, a 17th-century Qadiri

saint. The mosque was built by Mughal princess Jahanara Begum.

Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi at Kathi Darwaza, Rainawari, is believed to be the place where Guru Har Gobind, the sixth

Sikh guru The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

, stayed for few days while travelling through Kashmir. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev is a place where

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

sat and had discourse with people in early sixteenth century. It was earmarked with a pedestal by Mohammad Ata Khan, a general of Akbar who built the Durrani Fort. A small Gurdwara was later built at the place by Guru Har Gobind.

Gallery

File:HariParbat.jpg, Hari Parbat from Dal Lake, Srinagar. File:Hari Parbat, Srinagar, J&K.jpg, Hari Parbat as seen from downtown Srinagar, Kashmir. File:Ancient Temple-Hari Parbat.JPG, Sharika Temple File:Ancient Temple-Hari Parbat-2.JPG, Sharika Temple File:Wooden windows of Hari Parbat Temple.JPG, Wooden windows of Hari Parbat Temple File:Sheikh Hamza Makhdum Shrine2.JPG, Shrine of Hamza Makhdoom, Srinagar. File:Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi.jpg, Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi, Rainawari File:Hari Parvat.jpg, Hari Parvat File:WLM@J&K-Kathi Darwaza.jpg, Kathi Darwaza

References

External links

A Video Presentation on Hari Parbat Temple
{{Hindu Temples in Jammu and Kashmir Hills of Jammu and Kashmir Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir Tourist attractions in Srinagar