Krimchi temples

Krimchi temples is a complex of seven ancient temples in Udhampur District in Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on bank of a stream Birunala in village Krimchi ,12 km from Udhampur . This group of temples is locally known as the Pandava Temples.

Krimchi temples

History

The temple is believed to be over a thousand years old. According to the Archaeological Survey of India these temples were constructed during 8th or 9th century AD. (inscribed on a board near the entrance of the complex). The temples were constructed in stages. It appears that temples No. 6 and 7 were damaged several centuries ago.[1]

Architecture of a Krimchi Temple's spire
Krimchi Temples as seen from the Krimchi Fort

Local belief holds that they go back to the protagonists of the Mahabharata War,[2] or a late Pandava dynasty that ruled in Jammu and Kashmir (speculated by Alexander Cunningham).[3]According to legendary accounts , Raja Kichak was said to be creator of the town Krimchi and the kingdom. It is also said pandavas in exile remained there for a long period.

Complex

The complex consists of four large and three small temples. The main temple is 50 feet tall and is dedicated to Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu and Parvati. The architecture resembles classical Kashmir temples.[4]

Pillared Mandapa in Krimchi temples

References
  1. "Krimchi temple complex". Dailyexcelsior.com. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. "The LOST Temples of Krimchi..." Sid-thewanderer.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. Razdan, Vinayak. "Martand, House of Pandavs, Pandav Lar'rey". Searchkashmir.org. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.