The Lost Heritage! A Photoessay on the Monuments of Kashmir by Naira Yaqoob

Photo Essay
The Lost Heritage! – 4

Martand Temple,
Mattan, Islamabad

This Sun temple lies 6 miles north of Islamabad, 39 miles (or 64 km) from Srinagar. It was built in the middle of the 8th century by King Lalitaditya Mukhtapida of Karkota Dynasty and is commonly called as the ‘House of the Pandus’. This temple is situated on the highest part of the lofty plateau karewa, overlooking the Mattan village.

Mattan derives its name from the presiding deity Martanda (sun).

There is a controversy regarding the date of the construction of this temple. Cunningham attributes the central edifice to King Ranaditya and the colonnade to Lalityaditya. According to him, these structures were built between 370 to 500 AD. The excavation of this temple brought to light an interesting finding; that previous to the construction of the present temple there existed another temple of smaller dimensions. Probably, this smaller temple was built by King Ranaditya. The image of Martanda was worshipped till the end of 14th century AD, when it was destroyed by Sultan Sikander (Butshikan).

This is the largest example of its kind in the Kashmir Valley, being the best preserved stone temple. There are various shrines built around the temple. Like most mediaeval temples of Kashmir, Martand consists of a courtyard with the principal shrine in the middle. The main temple contains 3 distinct chambers, of which the outermost is named ardkamandapa or 'half temple’; the middle one is called antarala or 'mid temple’ and the innermost is named garbhagriha, or 'womb of the edifice'.

– Continued