Shankaragaurishvara Temple, Patan, Jammu and Kashmir

Shankaragaurishvara Temple, Patan, Jammu and Kashmir

Shankaragaurishvara Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Pattan Town in Baramulla District in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 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 most important temples for promotion of tourism in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This site is one of the listed sites under Archeological survey of India.

History

Kalhana, author of Rajatarangini (River of Kings), an account of the history of Kashmir. He wrote the work in Sanskrit between 1148 and 1149. In his work, Kalhana wrote about King Avanti Varman (855 – 883 AD), the first king of the Utpala dynasty and his son Shankara Varman (883-902 AD). Shankara Varman founded a new town called Shankarapattana and built two temples at Shankarapattana dedicated to Lord Shiva. King Shankara Varman named one of the temples after his wife Sugandha as Sugandhesha.

After the demise of his husband and early death of her two boy kings, Sugandha got the opportunity to rule Kashmir from 904 to 906 A.D. Kalhana mentions that just like a bad poet steals material from other poets, a bad King, plunders other cities. Shankara Varman plundered the nearby Buddhist site of Parihaspora to build his new town. The stones used in the construction of the temples in his capital came from the ruins of Parihaspora.

Studies have shown that the temple first underwent significant damage in 10^th or 11^th century. However, the major damage was done in 1885. In 1847, the two temples at Pattan were identified by Alexander Cunningham (1814-93) as the ones mentioned in Rajatarangini. Based on the fact that one of the temples was smaller and less decorate that the other, he marked it as Sugandhesha temple. It is similar to Shankaragaurishvara Temple in plan. But it is of a much smaller size. Both the temples are seen in a dilapidated condition. 

The Temple

This is an east facing temple. It has a square a sanctum with a portico having a trefoiled niche and a number of carved figures. The exterior and interior surfaces exhibits intricately sculpted carvings. The pediments are stacked symmetrically one above the other. The columns at the entrance are heavily sculpted in a beautiful Kashmiri architectural style, especially in relation to the detailing.

The pedestal of the temple and of the shrine is built in a peristyle, an open colonnaded pattern, within a walled enclosure. The peristyle and plinth are buried underground. It is in the form of a cellular passage and remnants of which are still visible. The temple is now in ruins and hence no worship can be conducted. This site is one of the listed sites under Archeological survey of India. The complex has beautiful garden.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 2 Kms from Pattan Railway Station, 28 Kms from Baramulla, 27 Kms from Srinagar, 30 Kms from Srinagar Bus Stand, 36 Kms from Srinagar Railway Station, 35 Kms from Srinagar Airport and 290 Kms from Jammu. Pattan Town is situated on National Highway connecting Srinagar with Baramulla. It takes half an hour to reach Pattan from Srinagar. Buses and private taxis are available to access the temple.

Location