The Shankaragaurishvara Temple is a 9th century

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 ...

attributed to the

Utpala dynasty The Utpala Dynasty was a medieval Kashmiri Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kashmir from the 9th to 10th centuries. Founded by Avantivarman in 855 CE, it replaced the Karkota dynasty. It came into existence in the northern region of the Indian su ...

. The temple is dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god,

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and located in

Pattan Pattan, is a sub-district town and a municipal community in Baramulla district within the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Location Pattan is surrounded by Breng Block towards North, Kunzer block towards the south, Narbal bloc ...

, in the

Baramulla district Baramulla district (or Varmul, in Kashmiri) is one of the 20 districts in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

, India. The temple was built by king Shankaravarman of the Utpala dynasty of

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 ...

, who ruled between 883 and 902 AD. The temple is in a dilapidated condition and worship is no longer conducted. It is built in a style similar to the Shankaracharya Temple. It is listed as one of the more than 15 important temples for promotion of tourism in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

History

The temple was built by king Shankaravarman (883–902). His father Avantivarman had established the

and after his death in 883 his son succeeded him. He built the temple in his capital city, then known as Shankarapattana, which is the present-day Patan, away from

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 ...

city, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. He dedicated the temple to Lord Shiva. It is named after the king himself. His religious affiliation was of

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

. Apart from this temple, he also built another temple, next to it, in honour of his wife and named it the Sugandhesha Temple, which was also dedicated to Lord Shiva; built to the same plan and with intricate carvings. But it is of a much smaller size. Both the temples are seen in a dilapidated condition. Pattan Monument

Features

The temple's entrance

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

, facing east, exhibits intricately sculpted carvings both on its exterior fascia as well as in the interior surfaces, and appears as if they are freshly chiseled and carved though built in late ninth century. The

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s are stacked symmetrically one above the other. The columns at the entrance are also elaborately sculpted in an architectural style which is akin to Kashmiri architecture, particularly in relation to the detailing. The plinth of the temple, and of the shrine next to it, is built in a

peristyle In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...

, an open

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

d pattern, within a walled enclosure, which is in the form of a cellular passage, remnants of which are still visible.

References

External links

{{Hindu Temples in Jammu and Kashmir Shiva temples in Jammu and Kashmir Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir Archaeological sites in Jammu and Kashmir Baramulla district