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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