Martand Sun temple

In news– Recently the Union Minister of Commerce visited the Sun temple at Martand.

About Martand Sun temple-

- It is situated 8 Kilometers from Anantnag town in Mattan area (originally called Martand or Bhawan) in the southern part of Kashmir.

The temple is one of the earliest known sun temples much older than Konark (Odisha) and Modhera (Gujarat).
The temple was built by King Lalitaditya during the 8th century and is considered to be a mirror of the art and skill of Kashmiri Hindus.
As per Tareekh-e-Hassan (the oldest History of Kashmir) there was a city named Babul in the Karewas of south Kashmir built by Raja Ranadatiya.
In front of his Royal palace he built Martandeshwari temple around 370 to 400 C.E.
The same temple was later architectured by Lalitadatiya Muktapida and was dedicated to Surya Bhagwan.
According to historians the temple was completely destroyed by Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15th century CE.
The architects built this magnificent edifice in a unique way so that the sunlight would fall on the idol (idol of Sun God) throughout the day.
The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the Martand Sun Temple as a site of national importance in Jammu and Kashmir.

Some of the important Sun temples in India-

King Lalitaditya-

Lalitaditya alias Muktapida was a powerful ruler of the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir region in the Indian subcontinent.
He is mentioned in the Chinese Tang Dynasty Chronicles.
According to 12th-century chronicler Kalhana, the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir was founded in 625 CE by king Durlabh Vardhana.
The Karkota rulers were Vaishnavas and constructed several Vishnu shrines in their dominions.
Avanti Varman ascended the throne of Kashmir in 855 A.D., establishing the Utpala dynasty and ending the rule of the Karkota dynasty.

Source: PIB