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Martand Temple

08 Nov 2022 Martand Temple

Posted at 12:26h in Daily current-affairs by
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Significance for Prelims: Facts about Martand Temple

Significance for Mains: Architectural features of Martand temple

News:  In May this year, the Archaeological Survey of India-protected (ASI) objected to  ‘Navgrah Ashtamangalam Puja’ on the premise of the Martand temple even though Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha participated in it.

About Martand Temple:

  • King Lalitaditya of the Karkota dynasty who ruled Kashmir from 725 AD to 753 AD built the Martand Temple. 
  • Capital of King Lalitaditya was Parihaspora.
  • Deities to whom Martand Temple is dedicated: Vishnu-Surya. 
  • Unique feature of Martand Temple: It is the only three-chambered temple in Kashmir. The temple has three distinct chambers i.e. the mandapa, the garbhagriha, and the antralaya.
  • Architectural style of the temple: Unique Kashmiri style with definite Gandhar influences. But, the structure shows the typical Hindu work of the late Gupta period,
  • Descriptions of Martand’s grandeur are also mentioned in Rajatarangini. 

Architectural features of Martand temple: 

  • The original Complex consists of a principal shrine at the centre of a quadrangular courtyard circumscribed by two small structures towards the north and south. 
  • The Central Courtyard was filled with water supplied through a canal by the Lidar river that immersed almost one foot of the base of the columns.
  • Further, this central courtyard was enclosed by a colonnade consisting of 84 pillars.
  • Use of Lime mortar to build Temple walls of evenly dressed grey limestone. 
  • Architectural influence on Martand Temple: Classical Greco-Roman, Buddhist-Gandhara, and North Indian styles.
  • Lalitaditya may have applied the services of architects from other empires such as Gandhar, and Greece. He may have also employed immigrant Byzantine architects, this can be established from the usage of lime mortar in architecture.
  • Today, the temple’s roof is missing. But, Alexander Cunningham assumes that a two-tiered pyramidal roof must have covered not only the central shrine but the other two smaller shrines in stone.
Key facts: 

  • Rajatarangini written by Kalhana in the 12th century is a major historical source of Kashmir’s history. 
  • After the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century, architects start using lime mortar for buildings. 

Further Readings: Other important temples in Kashmir

  • Shankaracharya temple
  • Pandrethan temple
  • Sankara Guruvaram (Sugandesha) temple
  • Naranag Temple
  • Avantiswami (Avantipur) Temple
  • Loduv Temple
  • Mamaleshwar Temple
  • Lidar river

Source: The Indian Express

Article: Martand Temple in Kashmir: Its grandeur survives, and so do its controversies

Article Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/martand-temple-kashmir-history-controversies-explained-8129852/

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