A temple in ruins,
buried or something else built over is something that hurts our hearts ! –
Sadly, here is another instance – not so many centuries ago ! – not in some far
hinterland !!
The valley of
Kashmir is famed around the world for its mystical and magical beauty.
Christened as "Paradise on Earth", Kashmir is admired for its lush green valleys, rolling woods ringed
by snow-capped mountains, crisscrossed by rivers and studded with
lakes, its rich profusion of trees and flowers and fruits. The mystical beauty of Kashmir can be
attributed to the story of its creation which has an air of fantasy typical of
Indian mythology and folklore. Once upon a time, the valley was a lake, deep as
the sea, and the playground of the Gods.
It was haunted by a demon that plundered the valley and tortured its
people. The miserable inhabitants appealed to Rishi Kashyap to save them. Rishi
Kashyap struck a depression and drained the lake of its waters. The demon was
slain, and the valley was named after its saviour, Kashyapa-mar or Kashmir.
IT once possessed glorious temples - Martand
Sun Temple, the Awantipora temples, the Sankara-Gauresvara temple, temple of
Sugandhesa at Patan, the Pandrethan temples, the Shiva Bhutesa and Siva
Jeyshthesa temples at Vangath, the Parihasakesva, Muktakesva, Mahavarha and
Goverdhanadhara temples in Parihasapura, and the famous Mameswara Siva temple
at Mamalaka are some specimens of great archaeological value. Today, all of the temples lie in various stages of ruin not
exuding any evidence of their glorious past.
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The Avantiswami
Temple pictured here was once such ancient ruined Hindu temple located on the
banks of the Jhelum River, 28 km away from Srinagar in Awantipora, Jammu and
Kashmir, India. Its ruins once consisted of two temples dedicated to Shiva and
Vishnu, and were built under king Avantivarman of the Utpala dynasty in the 9th
century CE. Locals call the temple Pandav Lari, meaning
"house of the Pandavas”.
Pic
credit : Varun Shiv Kapur from New
Delhi, India, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons
A post on
temple that came to light recently, not in KaShmir but in Uttar Pradesh !!
The
district was announced on 28 September 2011, created by the state government
(Ms Mayawati / then Akilesh Yadav regime) out of Moradabad district as one of
three new districts in the state. At the time of its creation, the state
government decided to name the new district "Bhimnagar" in honour of
the social reformer, Bhimrao Ambedkar. However, massive protests broke out in
Sambhal town and the adjoining rural areas against the move to rename to the
ancient town. Sambhal had been known by
the same name for over 500 years, had been an important town in medieval India,
and had never had any connection with Bhimrao Ambedkar, a Dalit icon. The
protests were successful and the government retained the name of Sambhal.
Iqbal Mehmood is
the MLA of Sambhal Assembly constituency for seven times, first from 1991 to 1992, and then
for six consecutive terms starting in 1996 for which he is now the incumbent.
He is a member of the Samajwadi Party.
In
Sambhal, where demographics has changed has many temples. There is a famous temple dedicated to Goddess
Kailadevi worshipped as Mahalakshmi and as Mahayogini. She is the manifestation of the divine who
was born as daughter of Nandha and Yasodha.
She
was exchanged with the infant Lord Krishna. When King Kansa attempted to harm
the child, she revealed her divine form and proclaimed that the one he sought
to destroy was already beyond his reach, safe and protected. Another famous
temple of Kaila Devi Temple exists in Kailadevi
village of Karauli district, in Rajasthan.
Sambhal
is
a city located in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh approximately 158 km
(98 mi) east of New Delhi and 355 km (220 mi) north-west of the state capital
Lucknow. It also falls within the Rohilkhand region in the Moradabad division
of the state. This place is considered
sacred as ‘to be the birthplace of Kalki’ – 10th incarnation of
Sriman Narayana
Sambhal is
identified as Shambhala, a village mentioned in Mahabharata text. Tibetan Buddhism describes a mythological
kingdom and a pure land beyond the Himalayas where the future Maitreya will
emerge from. According to Ibn Battuta, Toghon Temür the last Yuan dynasty
emperor of China had sent an embassy to the Sultan of Delhi Muhammad bin
Tughluq, requesting permission to rebuild a Buddhist temple at Sambhal, which
at the time attracted pilgrims from Tibet. Two
legendary battles between Prithviraj Chauhan and Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud are
claimed to have taken place here. At the time under local rulers, in the 13th
and 14th-centuries it would go on to become a part of the Delhi Sultanate,
first under Qutb ud-Din Aibak and later under Firuz Shah Tughlaq. Later it became capital of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi
Sultanate under Sikandar Lodi for four years. After the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate, the
city fell to the Mughals under Babur, briefly serving as the capital of the new
empire. Babuis also claimed to have built a mosque here which is still extant.
The city would later be governed by his son Humayun.
On 24
November 2024, violence erupted during a court-ordered Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, a 500-year old mosque in Sambhal,
protected by ASI, in Uttar Pradesh. The survey was initiated following claims
that the mosque was constructed on the ruins of a Hindu temple allegedly
demolished during the Mughal period. While the first survey had proceeded
peacefully, tension escalated during the second survey when the wuzu khana
(ablution tank) used before prayer in the mosque, had been drained, allegedly
to check the depth, leading to rumours of the mosque being dug up. There was rioting by a community.
In 1978, one temple was abandoned by Rastogi family, the owner of the temple following
riots. News18 spoke to the Rastogi family uncovering their struggles and the
temple’s forgotten legacy. The temple, which was recently unearthed by the
district administration, found its mention during Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath’s speech during the winter session of UP Assembly. As many as 184 Hindus were allegedly burnt
alive during the 1978 riots. Locals say that there were 45 families of Hindus
in the locality of Deepa Sarai and Khaggu Sarai who left their homes gradually.
Some reports even suggest that the population of Hindus significantly reduced
from 45 per cent to 15 per cent after the 1978 communal riots.
Recently,
three damaged idols were found inside the well of the Bhasma Shankar temple in
Sambhal which was reopened recently after being shut for 46 years, officials
said. The Shri Kartik Mahadev temple (Bhasma Shankar temple) was reopened on
December 13 after the authorities said they stumbled upon the covered structure
during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple housed an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling. It had remained locked
since 1978. The temple also has a well
nearby which the authorities had planned to reopen.
District Magistrate
of Sambhal, Rajender Pensiya, told media that the ancient temple and the well
were being excavated. The ancient
temple, which is almost 40 feet high, is in a dilapidated condition and filled
with debris currently. The temple was found along with the house where a Muslim
family resided. The family members have agreed to open the temple, as per media
reports. Sanatan Raksha Dal state president said that the temple is known as the
Siddheshwar Mahadev temple and a well-known holy place Siddhatirtha exists near
the temple. Kirtans and bhajans echoed through the Shiv-Hanuman temple in
Sambhal two days after its reopening on December 14, which had remained
abandoned for 46 years following the 1978 riots.
The temple, located
in Khaggu Sarai, had remained locked since 1978, following riots that forced
many Hindus to flee the area. Vishnu Sharan Rastogi, 82, whose family was
responsible for the temple's upkeep, recounted how his family had to leave the
area. "In 1978, riots broke out, and we had to abandon the temple. My
nephew locked the doors, and we left to ensure our safety. Rastogi added that his family sold their
ancestral home after moving to a safer locality. "At that time, there were
25 to 30 Hindu families here, all of whom left after the riots. It is a relief
to see the temple reopening," he added. Authorities deployed a priest to
conduct daily rituals at the temple. Shashikant Shukla, the priest who
performed the first aarti, said, "Regular rituals will be conducted to
restore the spiritual essence of this temple." Mohd Haneef, an 88-year-old
resident, said, "I remember the temple from my childhood. It was left
abandoned in the 1980s but has always been a part of this area's
heritage."
On Monday, the
district administration officially renamed the temple "Sambhaleshwar
Mahadev" and announced plans for its restoration following the
discovery of idols of Parvati, Lakshmi, and Ganesha in an ancient well. District
magistrate Rajender Pensiya said, "The temple will undergo restoration and
get a complete makeover. Efforts are being made to protect the site and its
surroundings." Sambhal ASP Shrish Chandra said broken idols of Lord
Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya were found during the excavation of an ancient well.
"The excavation is ongoing, and investigations are being carried out to
determine the condition and origin of the idols," he said.
Three idols of
around four to six inches were found
during the digging of a well near the Bhasma Shankar temple in UP's Sambhal. The idols, of which two appear to be of
Goddesses Parvati and Lakshmi, were found in a damaged condition by workers who
had dug to a depth of 15 to 20 feet.
This
Sambhal is entirely different than the Chambal known for its dacoit background. The Chambal region
lies in north-central India, along the Chambal and Yamuna river valleys, in
southeastern Rajasthan, southwestern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh.
The ravines of Chambal were infamously known in India as a region favored by
the lawless. Many dacoits, or bandits, including Phoolan Devi maintained
hideouts in the ravines of Chambal.
Regards – S
Sampathkumar
19.12.2024
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