Zeashta Devi Shrine or Zeathyar () is a Hindu shrine located in
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 ...
in the Indian
union territory
Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...
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 ...
.
Primarily dedicated to a form of Shakti, Jyeshta/Zeashta Devi (not to be confused with
Jyeshta
Jyeshtha or Jyēṣṭha (; ''jēṭ''; ''zeth''; ''Jyeṣṭha'') is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Jyestha is the third month of the year. Known as ''Joishtho'' ( ''Jyôishţhô'') in Bengali, it is the s ...
), this temple has been held in high reverence by Kashmiri Pandits since ancient times.
History
According to British archaeologist
M.A. Stein, a shrine dedicated to Shiva was constructed on Gopadri hill by King Gopaditya, known as the
Jyeshtarudra Temple. While referring to Kalhana's Rajatarangini and archaeological evidences, he explains that one mile from the east foot of the hill lay the related tirtha of Jyeshteshvara, which in Kashmiri is now known as ''Zeathyar''. It was in this vicinity where King
Jalauka
Jalauka (also known as Jaluka) was, according to the 12th century Kashmiri chronicle, the Rajatarangini, a King of Kashmir, who cleared the valley of oppressing Mleccha. Jaluka was reputed to have been an active and vigorous king of Kashmir, who ...
might have founded the city of ''
Srinagari'', though there is no strong archaeological evidence to prove it. He further mentions, "This Tirtha which undoubtedly derives its name from ''Jyeṣṭeśvara'', lies in a glen of the hill-side, a short distance from the east shore of the Gagri Bal portion of the
Dal
Dal is a term in the Indian subcontinent for dried, split pulses.
Dal or DAL may also refer to:
Places
Cambodia
*Dal, Ke Chong
Finland
* Laakso, a neighbourhood of Helsinki
India
* Dal Lake, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
* Dal ...
."
Fragments of ancient Lingas in the vicinity of the shrine point towards the temple originally being a Shiva shrine, gradually transforming into a prime Shakti peeth.
Gallery
File:Mountains seen from Zaethyar.jpg
File:Shiv Lingam in Zaethyar.jpg
File:Forest seen from Zeashta Devi Shrine.jpg
File:Ganesha Idol in Zeashta Devi Shrine.jpg
See also
*
History of Kashmir
The history of Kashmir is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent in South Asia with influences from the surrounding regions of Central, and East Asia. Historically, Kashmir referred to only the Kashmir Valley of the w ...
*
Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus
The Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency. Of a total Pandit popula ...
References
External links
Official website of Zeashta Devi Shrine
Buildings and structures in Srinagar
Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir
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