Where is ‘Pandrethan Temple’?

March 12, 2022

Pandrethan temple is a heritage site located in Badamibagh, Srinagar.

About the Pandrethan temple

Pandrethan temple is an 8^th Century temple built by Meru, a minister of King Partha, ruler of Kashmir. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is situated near the river Jhelum. It is believed that a great fire destroyed the city of Pandrethan in 960 CE. Pandrethan temple is the only surviving structure in the city. It hosts several excavated sculptures dating back to the 2nd century, they include:

Two large monolithic rock Shiva lingams
Seven Gandhara-style sculptures
Huge rock carving of the feet of a monolithic statue.

Role of Chinar corps

Recently, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army was accorded recognition by the National Monuments Authority (NMA) for preserving and rejuvenating the Pandrethan temple. In 2021, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army restored excavated sculptures and created a themed heritage park to display them.
They also recreated scaled replicas of seven stone figurines excavated from the site in 1926, with technical assistance from Shri Pratap Singh (SPS) Museum, Srinagar. After restoration, they renamed the excavation site of Pandrethan to ‘Dharohar’.

About NMA

National Monuments Authority (NMA) has been set up as per provisions of The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains AMASR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010. It is under the Ministry of Culture. NMA has a Chairperson and up to 5 full-time and 5 Part-time members each and a member secretary. The Director-General of ASI is an ex officio Member.

Kashmir is home to several ancient temples, Buddhist stupas, and chaityas, which are being preserved by state and central units of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

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