Shankaracharya Temple Explained

Shankaracharya Temple
Map Type:India Jammu and Kashmir#India
Coordinates:34.0789°N 74.8436°W
Country:India
District:Srinagar
Union Territory:Jammu & Kashmir
Location:Kothi Bagh / Durganag, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Elevation M:1852.16
Deity:Shiva
Image Upright:1.15

The Shankaracharya Temple or Jyeshteshwara Temple is a Hindu temple situated on top of the Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Range in Srinagar in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva. The temple is at a height of 1000feet above the valley floor and overlooks the city of Srinagar.

On festivals such as Herath, as Maha Shivaratri is known as in the region, the temple is visited by Kashmiri Hindus.[1]

The temple and adjacent land is a Monument of National Importance, centrally protected under the Archaeological Survey of India.[2] [3] Dharmarth Trust has managed the temple since the 19th century, along with others in the region. Karan Singh is the sole chairperson trustee.[4]

History

The structure is considered as the oldest temple in Kashmir, historically and traditionally. It is situated on a hill that is a well preserved Panjal trap formed by Permian era volcanic activity.[5] There is no consensus with regard to an exact date of construction.

The earliest historical reference to the hill comes from Kalhana. He called the mountain 'Gopadri' or 'Gopa Hill'. Kalhana says that King Gopaditya granted the land at the foot of the hill to the Brahmins that had come from the "Aryadesa". The land grant, an agraharam, was called 'Gopa Agraharas'. This area at the base is now called Gupkar. Kalhana mentions another village in the vicinity of the hill where King Gopaditya housed some of the Brahmins to a village next door in present-day Dalgate. Kalhana also mentions that King Gopaditya built the temple on the top of the hill as a shrine to Jyesthesvara (Shiva Jyestharuda) around 371 BCE.[6]

The Alchon Hun king, Mihirakula is said to have been the founder of the temple, dedicated to Shiva,[7] [8] a shrine named Mihiresvara in Halada, and a large city called Mihirapura.[8]

In 1899 James Fergusson placed the temple construction to the 17th to 18th century. Fergusson disputes claims that structures on the basis of which he makes this claim are from repairs. Aurel Stein while agreeing that the superstructures are from a more recent date, places the base and the stairs as much older.[9] Historical figures associated with the monument include Jaloka, one of the sons of Ashoka (Gonandiya), according to the Rajatarangini.[10] Kashmiri Hindus strongly believe the temple was visited by Adi Shankara[11] and has ever since been associated with him; this is how the temple and hill got the name Shankaracharya.[12] It is here that the literary work Saundarya Lahari was composed. It was composed by Adi Shankara after accepting the major faith in the region at the time, that of Shakti, and that the union of Shiva and Shakti, as in Shaktism, transpired into the symbolism of the Sri Yantra.[13] [14]

Hill
Elevation M:1880
Prominence M:295
Other Name:Shankaracharya Hill, Sandhimana-parvata, Koh-e-Suleman, Takht-i-Sulaiman (Takht Hill), Gopadri (Gopa Hill)
Range:Zabarwan Range
Location:UT of Jammu and Kashmir
Country:India
Area Km2:1.4
Geology:Igneous
Age:Permian
Coordinates:34.08°N 74.843°W

Names associated with the hill include Sandhimana-parvata, Koh-e-Suleman, Takht-i-Sulaiman or simply Takht Hill, Gopadri or Gopa Hill. The Dogra King Gulab Singh (1792–1857 CE) constructed the steps to the hill from Durga Naag temple side. Steps existed before as well, leading further, to the Jhelum. Nur Jahan used the stones of the steps in the construction of Pathar Mosque.[15] [16]

The Maharaja of Mysore came to Kashmir in 1925 and made the electrical search light installations at the temple, five around it and one on the top.[17] The Maharaja left an endowment to fund the cost of electricity. In 1961 Shankaracharaya of Dwarkapeetham put the statue of Adi Shankaracharaya in the temple.[18] Sri Aurobindo visited the temple area in 1903.[19] Vinoba Bhave visited it in August 1959.[20]

A 3.5miles road to the temple was constructed by Border Roads Organisation in 1969.[21] While this was road construction was primarily to aid the setting up of a communications tower, and part of the road would be closed to the public, the road would also be used for those going to the temple.[21] There are around 240 steps to reach the presiding deity.[22] [23] The Dharmarth Trust has built two small shelters here for sadhus.[24] The hill has a large range of flora.[25] There is very limited human activity on the hill other than religious tourism.[26] From the top of the hill, Justine Hardy, a British writer, counted over 1350 boats on the Dal Lake.[27] Jhelum is visible.[28] The wide panorama covers major landmarks such as Dal Lake, Jhelum, and Hari Parbat.

Architecture and design

The temple rests on a solid rock. A 20feet tall octagonal base supports a square building on top. Each side of the octagon is 15feet feet. The front, back and flanks are plain while the other four sides have minimal design but noticeable angles. The center is made up of a circle 21.5feet in diameter with an entrance 3.5feet wide. The walls are 8feet.

The terrace around the square temple is reached by a stone staircase enclosed between two walls. A doorway on the opposite side of the staircase leads to the interior, which is a small and dark chamber, circular in plan. The ceiling is supported by four octagonal columns, which surround a Basin containing a Lingam encircled by a snake.

Current status

The temple is used for regular worship and pilgrims visit the temple during the Amarnath Yatra.[29] During the yatra, on the lunar phase of the new moon, the associated tradition of bringing Shiva's holy mace to the temple is carried out.[30] [31] The temple is part of the governments' tourist circuits.[32] On occasions such as Maha Shivaratri, Herath, the temple is lit up.[33] [34] To ensure adequate preparations during festivals, as is the procedure with other religious and cultural centers in the city such as Hazratbal Shrine, the district administration reviews arrangements.[35] [36] The temple was one of hundred Archaeological Survey of India monuments lit up in 2021 to mark the administration of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in India.[37]

In popular culture

In 1948 Sheikh Abdullah wrote a letter to the Madras weekly Swatantra. Abdullah directed his message to south India at a time when India had sent someone from the south to defend its case in the United Nations,[38] He wrote that Shankaracharya, someone from the south, came to Kashmir where his dialogue with a Kashmiri Hindu lady, in which he was outwitted, led to the development of Shaivism.[38] Abdullah wrote that "a memorial to the great Shankaracharya in Kashmir stands prominent on the top of the Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar" and that the temple contained an idol of Shiva.[38]

The 2000 Bollywood films Mission Kashmir and Pukar feature the temple.[39] [40] The temple also briefly features in the 1974 song Jai Jai Shiv Shankar.

References

NotesIn 2012, government figures placed 438 temples in the valley.[41] [42] According to the chairperson of Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, there are 1,842 sites associated with Hinduism in Kashmir including big and small temples, springs, caves and trees.[43]
Citations

Further reading

Books
Think-tanks
News and articles
Journals

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yaqoob . Mudasir . 28 February 2022 . Herath to be celebrated with religious fervour today . 2022-02-28 . Greater Kashmir . en.
  2. Web site: ASI Protected Monuments. https://web.archive.org/web/20200722120251/http://jkarchives.nic.in/Arch_ASI_Protected_Monuments.htm. 22 July 2020. 2022-01-26. Directorate of Archives, Archaeology & Museums, Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
  3. Web site: List of Centrally Protected Monuments / Sites under the jurisdiction of Jammu & Kashmir (U.T.) (Srinagar Circle). live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220103175644/https://asi.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Jammu-Kashmir-U.T.-Srinagar-Circle.pdf. 3 January 2022. Archaeological Survey of India.
  4. News: Alt News. 7 March 2020. Fact Check: Was Srinagar's Shankaracharya Temple Lit up for Maha Shivratri After Decades?. 2022-01-27. The Wire.
  5. Book: Wadhawan, Sudesh Kumar. https://books.google.com/books?id=dnkGEAAAQBAJ&dq=Shankaracharya+Temple&pg=PA264. Global Geographical Heritage, Geoparks and Geotourism: Geoconservation and Development. 2021. Springer Nature. 978-981-15-4956-4. Singh. RB. 264. en. 15. Geoheritage and Potential Geotourism in Geoparks - Indian Perspective. Wei. Dongying. Anand. Subhash.
  6. Book: Stein, Aurel. Kalhana's Rajatarangini, A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir. Archibald Constable and Company, Rivington. 1900. 2. Westminster. 453–454. Aurel Stein. Internet Archive.
  7. "He is credited with the building of the temple named Jyeshteswara on the Gopa (Sankaracharya) hill in Srinagar" in Book: Bamzai, Prithivi Nath Kaul . Kashmir and Central Asia . 1980 . Light & Life Publishers . 63 . en . P.N.K. Bamzai .
  8. Book: Rezakhani . Khodadad . ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity . 2017 . Edinburgh University Press . 978-1-4744-0030-5 . 112 . en.
  9. Book: Stein, Aurel. Kalhana's Rajatarangini, A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir. Archibald Constable and Company, Rivington. 1900. 1. 1.345. Internet Archive.
  10. Book: Thapar, Romila. Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas. 1961. Oxford University Press. 30, 188. en. Romila Thapar. limited.
  11. Book: Comans, Michael. The Method of Early Advaita Vedānta: A Study of Gauḍapāda, Śaṅkara, Sureśvara, and Padmapāda. 2000. Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. 978-81-208-1722-7. 163.
  12. Book: Warikoo, Kulbhushan . Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits . 2009 . Pentagon Press . 978-81-8274-398-4 . Toshkhani . S. S. . 109–110 . Warikoo . K..
  13. Book: Vidyaranya, Madhava. Sankara-Dig-Vijaya. The Traditional Life of Sri Sankaracharya. Sri Ramakrishna Math. 2013. Chennai. Tapasyananda. Swami. 1999.
  14. Web site: Aima. Onkar. Kashmir Sentinel. Adi Shankracharya's Visit to Kashmir. 26 January 2022. Kashmiri Pandit Network.
  15. Book: Bhatt, Saligram. Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace: Proceedings of National Seminar by Kashmir Education Culture & Science Society (K.E.C.S.S.), New Delhi. 2008. APH Publishing. 978-81-313-0402-0. 146. en.
  16. Book: Bhat, R L. Hindu Shrines Of Kashmir. Substance Publishers. 2014. 140–141.
  17. Book: Koul, Pandit Anand . Archaeological remains in Kashmir . 1935 . Mercantile Press . . Lahore . 17–22.
  18. Kashur Encyclopedia Volume one Published by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Srinagar 1986 Page 302
  19. Book: Heehs, Peter. The Lives of Sri Aurobindo. 2008. Columbia University Press. 978-0-231-14098-0. 72.
  20. Book: Narayan. Shriman. Vinoba: His Life and Work. Vinobā. 1970. Popular Prakashan. 978-81-7154-483-7. 274. en.
  21. 14 June 1970. Shankaracharya Road Project. Sainik Samachar. XVII. 24. 9–10. Google Books.
  22. Web site: Khare. Harish. Harish Khare. 11 October 2015. 238 steps to solitude in Shiva's sanctum.... 2022-01-27. The Tribune.
  23. Web site: Acharekar. Janhavi. Janhavi Acharekar. 12 September 2018. Could the salve to Kashmir's wounds lie in its centuries of pluralism?. 27 January 2022. Condé Nast Traveler.
  24. Web site: 2021-06-15. Shankaracharya Temple. 2022-01-31. Radio Chinar.
  25. Kumar . Kewal . Sharma . Yash Pal . Manhas . R.K. . Bhatia . Harpreet . Ethnomedicinal plants of Shankaracharya Hill, Srinagar, J&K, India . Journal of Ethnopharmacology . July 2015 . 170 . 255–274 . 10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.021 . 26008867 .
  26. Kumar. Kewal. Manhas. Rajesh K. Magotra. Rani. August 2011. The Shankaracharya sacred grove of Srinagar, Kashmir, India. Current Science. 101. 3. 262. ResearchGate.
  27. Book: Hardy, Justine. 2009. Rider. 978-1-84604-146-4. 183. Justine Hardy.
  28. Book: Dhar, S N. Kashmir in Stories. Jaykay Books. 2012. 978-81-87221-74-6. 112.
  29. News: PTI. 22 July 2009. Amarnath Pilgrims reach Shankaracharya Temple. https://web.archive.org/web/20131223032525/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amarnath-pilgrims-reach-shankaracharya-temple/article1-435007.aspx. 23 December 2013. Hindustan Times. 7 December 2013.
  30. News: 2016-08-03. 'Chhari Mubarak' taken to Shankaracharya temple. en-IN. The Hindu. limited. 2022-01-28. 0971-751X.
  31. Web site: Sharma. SP. 2021-08-08. Chhari Mubarak of Lord Shiva brought to Srinagar's Shankaracharya temple for prayers. 2022-01-28. The Statesman. en-US.
  32. Web site: Sofi. Jahangir. 2022-01-25. After a Gap of 28-year, Tourism Dept Kashmir relaunches Heritage Tour Srinagar City Bus Service. 2022-01-28. Rising Kashmir. 28 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128134005/https://www.risingkashmir.com/After-a-Gap-of-28-year--Tourism-Dept-Kashmir-relaunches-Heritage-Tour-Srinagar-City-Bus-Service-99603. dead.
  33. Web site: 21 February 2020 . KPs throng temples on Herath . 2022-02-28 . Tribune India.
  34. News: 12 Mar 2021. Kashmiri Hindus celebrate 'Mahashivaratri' by decorating Shankaracharya Temple with lights and flowers. Times Now. 12 Mar 2021.
  35. Web site: 25 February 2022 . DC Srinagar visits Shankaracharya Temple, inspects arrangements for Maha Shivratri Festival . 2022-02-28 . Brighter Kashmir.
  36. Web site: 2022-02-26 . DC Srinagar visits Dargah Hazratbal to oversee arrangements for Meraj-un-Nabi (SAW), Maha Shivratri festival . 2022-02-28 . Rising Kashmir . en-GB . 28 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220228024640/https://www.risingkashmir.com/-DC-Srinagar-visits-Dargah-Hazratbal-to-oversee-arrangements-for-Meraj-un-Nabi--SAW---Maha-Shivratri-festival-101430 . dead .
  37. Web site: 21 October 2021. J-K's Shankaracharya temple, Capitol Complex in Chandigarh among ASI monuments lit up to mark 1 billion vaccine doses. 2022-01-28. Tribune India.
  38. Book: Guha, Ramachandra. https://books.google.com/books?id=AW4sDwAAQBAJ&dq=Shankaracharya&pg=RA1-PR4. India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. 2017-07-13. Pan Macmillan. 978-1-5098-8328-8. en. 4. A Valley Bloody and Beautiful. Ramachandra Guha.
  39. Book: Singh, Sujala. Terror and the Postcolonial: A Concise Companion. 2015-10-09. John Wiley & Sons. 978-1-119-14358-1. Boehmer. Elleke. 356, 358. 14. Terror, Spectacle, and the Secular State in Bombay Cinema. Morton. Stephen.
  40. Book: Bharat, Meenakshi. Shooting Terror: Terrorism in Hindi Films. 2020-02-20. Taylor & Francis. 978-1-000-02493-7. en.
  41. Web site: Ashiq. Peerzada. 2012-10-04. 208 temples damaged in Kashmir in last two decades: Kashmir govt. 2022-01-30. Hindustan Times.
  42. Web site: . Ashish Sharma . 2019-10-11. The Valley of Abandoned Gods. 2022-01-30. Open The Magazine.
  43. Web site: Ahmad. Mudasir. 5 October 2019. 'How Can Centre Reopen 50,000 Temples in Valley, When There Are Only 4,000 in J&K?'. 2022-01-30. The Wire.

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