The Martand Mandir is an ancient temple situated in the Anantnag district of Kashmir.
It is devoted to the Sun deity (surya dev).
(One of the synonyms of the Sun is ‘martand’).
According to Kalhana – the renowned Kashmiri chronicler and scholar – the Martand Sun Temple was built by King Lalitaditya in the eighth century AD.
It is the oldest known Sun temple in India and was also one of the biggest temple complexes of the time.
(The Konark Surya Mandir and the one at Modhera in Gujarat were constructed later).
The temple is one of the three holiest sites of pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits, along with the Sharada Peeth and the Amarnath Temple.
[ It happens to be a Centrally protected monument, in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) ].
We can see it by travelling nine and a half kilometers from the city of Anantnag (which is the second largest in Kashmir today).
The distance from Srinagar is 64 kilometres. Those staying in Srinagar can make a ‘day-trip’ here.
Tourists who visit popular destinations like Pahalgam and Aru Valley could make a point of visiting the Sun Temple of Martand.
It can be reached via NH 501 from Anantnag. The temple is situated in a locality which in the common speech today, is called Mattan.
However, as we know, security may be an issue in some regions. The reader must ensure his/her own safety, and do the necessary research before deciding whether to go.
Puja used to be offered here in the times when it was active as a religious institution. It must have been the seat of a few purohits, and visited by devotees from the locality and other parts of Kashmir. One can imagine the priests, functionaries (sevaks) and perhaps students walking up to this place from their residences in the nearby valley. –Some, with thalis and vessels of articles necessary for puja, and offerings to God.
It was a prominent place of worship of the day.
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The temple rests on a ground covered with grass, which can be called the courtyard. This is rectangular. The main shrine is situated in the middle of the courtyard. It is tall, of a plain appearance, and gives the impression of being made of straight outlines. It can be entered by ascending a flight of stairs.
-It is surrounded by a peristyle i.e. a roofed, pillared passage-way on all sides.
The shrine at the centre had the statue (vigrah) of Surya. Martand is also said to mean the sphere of rays emanating from the Sun in the dawn.
The shrine is present in front of the main entrance to the complex. In front of the shrine, is a reservoir/paved pond, a kund.
The principal shrine consists of a garbh-grih (sanctum), an antaral (vestibule) and a spacious mandap. On the eastern wall of the ante-chamber, is carved an image of Arun. He is the charioteer of Surya, holding the reins of his seven horses.
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The temple is present over a high plateau or hilly spot, and from its campus, a beautiful and far-ranging view of the surrounding region can be enjoyed. The valley spreads out in front of one’s eyes below.
You may also see the temple in snow, for which you would have to visit in winter.
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Plentiful greenery surrounds the temple.
The temple is made up of grey limestone. (– the kind found commonly in these parts, called devri stone. Many ancient temples of Kashmir are built of this).
It gives a fair appearance upon carving.
The blocks of stone are large; lime mortar was used to bind them together or they were interlocked.
Some believe the courtyard was filled up with water (or perhaps at periods of time, only the kund in the middle was) brought in by paved channels, from a nearby river. This water may have been a foot deep and submerged the base of the ring of columns around the temple.
At places, the temple is donned by carvings of Brahma, the rivers Ganga and Yamuna as divinities. And other figures from the purans and tradition.
Upon some of the walls, there are carvings of abstract or geometric designs.
The reliefs and carvings upon some of the walls are relatively straight-cut and ‘angular’. ‘Plain’, simple. It is this kind of a constitution that appeals to this author, feels like his own. (They are not too ornate – with all respect toward such designs).
The top of the main shrine is believed to have been tall, of a square base with a pointed apex or peak. This is also called a shikhar or viman in temple construction.
This top portion is now lost.
The Martand Sun Temple is a Sanatan Dharmic (i.e. Hindu) temple. Its architectural style is traditional hindu and also with an eclectic aspect. It appears there are some Greek elements in its construction, decoration. Perhaps Sino-Tibetan too.
The spacious premise of the temple contained smaller shrines along the periphery.
These smaller temples no longer have the statues (pratima/vigrah) of their deities.
The colonnade is about 220 feet long and 142 feet wide. It is in a quadrilateral shape and extends about the central building (devalay). It has eighty-four columns.
The stone gateway to the temple square or courtyard, is located to the west. (In the days when it was intact, it may have been similar to a toran, though the remnant today looks wider and more substantial). In fact, one could enter the courtyard by passing through three gateways.
The grounds of the temple premise, and the courtyard is covered in grass.
Many structures and articles of this old temple may still be lying within the earth, beneath the surface. Excavation work is desirable.
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The temple was destroyed in the 15th century, out of bigotry and malice.
The temple is said to have been so large and well-built that it is supposed to have taken more than a year for a team of men to affect the deed.
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Today we see the remains of the temple.
It is a place of bhakti (devotion) and heritage for us.
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References and Suggested Reading –
1. The blog post : https://asoulwindow.com/martand-sun-temple-guide-the-lost-hindu-temple-of-kashmir/ is highly recommended on this topic. The pictures are beautiful, and the writing often engaging.
2. https://www.apnisanskriti.com/temple/martand-sun-temple-anantnag-jammu-kashmir-3949
The above website has some good books and other sources in the ‘References and Readings’ section at the base.
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martand_Sun_Temple
5. https://www.kamakoti.org/kamakoti/articles/Martand.html
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Footnotes :
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A more specific period for the building of the temple is from 725 to 756 CE. Lalitaditya reigned between 724 CE and 760 CE.
It is also said that the foundation of this temple was laid during the period of 370 to 500 CE, or earlier – in the first quarter of the third century, by Ranaditya the legendary king.
The construction of the smaller panels around the main shrine in attributed to Queen Amritprabha, his wife.
According to some traditional accounts, it was Raja Ramdev of Pandva dynasty who built the original Martand temple in 3007 BC, devoted to the Sun God. Many subsequent kings and monarchs renovated and added to the temple complex. However, it is of course Raja Lalitaditya who built the temple as we see today.
There is also the modern Martand Temple which comes a little before the original one, along the road.
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Lalitaditya was vaishnav, and the sun-deity abiding here, was of the rup / character of ‘surya-narayan’ or ‘vishnu-surya’.
(In one puranic account, Vishnu and Surya are considered to be born of the same parents – Kashyap and Aditi; – the divine cosmic beings who gave rise to seven deities.
Aditya or Surya in time gave birth to Manu (that is, Vaivaswat Manu; there are other ‘Manu’s corresponding to other Ages). Manu’s mother was Sangya. Manu is the ancestor of all human beings.
(Vaivasvat means born of or arising from Vivasvan, which is a name for the Sun).
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It is said that the design of the main shrine is such that it caused sunlight to fall on the idol of the Sun Deity all day long.
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The Anantnag region is known for its good quality saffron.
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This temple is situated on the highest point of the lofty Karewa plateau, overlooking the Mattan village.
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The main temple is 63 feet in length, and 36 feet in width.
