Land of Kashyapa - Page#14 - New Martanda temple

New Martanda temple
Nearly 3.5 kilometers before the Martand Surya Temple there is a Sri Martanda Temple which is called New Martand temple. It is built beside a holy spring that brings forth refreshingly fresh cold water. Nor far away flows the Martand canal which Lalitaditya Muktapida had dug to bring the waters of the Lidder river to his magnum opus.
Many I hear confuse this with the Majestic National Monument in Martand. The temple has marble icons of Lord Vishnu, Hanuman & Shani. "The place is also sacred to the Sikhs as Guru Nanak Devji came here & stayed for 13 days". I read that the pandas / pandita (learned men) who serve at the abode of Lord Amarnath stay here when the cave temple is closed for winter.


Outside the temple and under iron grills over the flowing stream is a lingam which you should not miss. It is on the roadside and disrespectful to Bholenath!
Many were taking baths in the stream inside the complex and I wished I had brought a pair of spare clothes as well!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Land of Kashyapa - Page#13 - Bumzua Cave

Image
Bumzua Cave The Bumzuva Cave and Temple north of Mattan in Anantnag is on the list of monuments of national importance in Jammu and Kashmir maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Bumzua cave is carved out of a limestone cliff. Bumzua cave is reached via a narrow pathway from an unremarkable road. There is Zero respect for an ASI property that belongs to the 12th century. I suspect it is more so because it belongs to a "kafir". At the foot of the caves, are two temples that have been converted into Muslim Ziarats (tombs).  There is not one ruin that we went to and did not find an intrusive building of another faith. Cunningham the historian notes that..."The history of Martand or Mattan is incomplete without any mention of Bumzua, a sleepy hamlet at a distance of one Kilometer and situated at the mouth of the Lidder, more known for the cave temple, dedicated to the Kaldeva that stands at the far end of a natural, but artificially enlarged fissure in the lim...
Read more

Land of Kashyapa - Page#16 - Awantipora

Image
Awantipora Wherever we went in Kashmir I saw copper utensils that were tastefully decorated in floral motifs and geometrical patterns. The most beautiful thing I saw was a copper Samovar that served delicious "Kahwah" tea. The mountains of this place have copper deposits which have been mined since ancient times by Kings to mint currency. Much before Islam came to this place, Kings had been minting coins in silver and copper. Successful Kings were able to keep prices of essentials low and affordable for the masses. The currency of Kashmir in ancient India was complex and structured. Currencies were graded as Kowri, Bahagain, Punsu, and Hath. I read that even Dinar was a currency - only that its value was ridiculously very small. The need to mention the coinage and currency is to help the reader understand why history gives great importance to the lowering of prices of grain when it talks about kings like Avantivarman. It is said that during his time the price of paddy showed ...
Read more

Land of Kashyapa - Page#12 - Martand Sun Temple

Image
Martand Sun Temple Traveling 60 kilometers south of Srinagar along the path of river Jhelum, one would arrive in the city of Anantnag. I was surprised to learn that some locals still call it Islamabad. The name Anantnag comes from Ananta, the great serpent of Vishnu and the emblem of eternity. 10 kilometers east of the city and on the road to Pahalgam, are the ruins of the once magnificent Sun temple built by Lalitaditya Muktapida. The location is now called Mattan - perhaps from the name Marthand. From a distance, the 75 feet high temple ruins standing on a modest platform looked as if they were torn down by the hands of fate. Every possible piece of rock has been moved out of its place. If you look at the picture of the main structure, two outer walls (which I believe are retaining walls to the main columns) have been pulled equally outside of the plinth. The main structure is magically being held on by the arches and its keystones. The outer corridor presents a picture of wanton de...
Read more