Wangath Temple Complex – History
Kalhana notes
in Rajatarangini that Ashoka built
the city of Srinagar in the 3rd century BC. His son Jaluka, 220 BC,
built the Shaivite temples Bhuteshvara, Jyestarudra, and Muthas in
the Wangath valley around the holy spring of Naranag.
The Wangath temples were built in three groups, around the same time as
the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar and
the Bumazuv temple near Mattan. King Jaluka built a stone temple at the site of
the spring Naranag around 137 BC.
King Jayendra (61 BC) used to
worship Shiva Bhutesha at the shrine. Lalitaditya Muktapida (713-735 AD)
donated a good sum of money to the shrine after his victorious expedition. King
Avantivarman (855-883 AD) built a stone pedestal with a silver conduit at this
shrine for the bathing of sacred images. Kalhana's father Champaka and uncle
Kanka also frequented the site.
As per Kalhana, the treasury of
this shrine was plundered by King Sangramraja of Kashmir (1003-28 AD), during
King Uchala's time (1101 – 1111 AD) and later by the rebel baron Hayavadana. This
Temple Complex was built by Lalitaditya Muktipada one of the most celebrated
Kings of Kashmir of the Karkota Dynasty.
The current structure was built
around the 8th Century CE. The Archaeological Survey of India has
declared the Wangath Temple complex at Naranag as centrally protected monuments
of India. The temple appears in the list of "centrally protected
monuments" as "Group of Ancient Temples" at Naranag, Kangan.
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