{{Short description|10th century CE temple in Punjab, Pakistan}} {{Infobox building | name = Malot Temple | image = Malot temple, Jhelum, Punjab.jpg | caption = A view of Malot Temple | location = Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan | coordinates = {{coord|32|41|0|N|72|48|0|E|region:PK|display=inline, title}} | completion_date = 10th century CE }} '''Malot''' ({{langx|ur|ملوٹ }}; Tibetan: malakoṭa, maloṭṭa)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tucci |first=Giuseppe |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.282455 |title=Travels Of Tibetan Pilgrims In The Swat Valley |date= |publisher=The Greater India Society |year=1940 |location=Calcutta |pages=34-36}}</ref> is a temple located in the Salt Range of Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed in Gandhara Nagara style by the Odi Shahi dynasty in the 10th century CE.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Meister |first=Michael W. |author-link=Michael W. Meister |title=Temples of the Indus: Studies in the Hindu architecture of Ancient Pakistan |date=2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-19011-5 |series=Brill's Indological Library |location=Leiden Boston}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=57}}
== Location == Malot is located in the Kallar Kahar Tehsil of Chakwal District,<ref>{{Cite web |title=سالٹ رینج میں واقع قدیم ملوٹ قلعہ |url=https://jang.com.pk/news/1028961 |website=jang.com.pk}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=سالٹ رینج میں واقع ملوٹ قلعہ اورمندروں کی بحالی - ایکسپریس اردو |url=https://www.express.pk/story/2200215/1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Roznama Dunya: اسپیشل فیچرز :- قلعہ ملوٹ توڑ پھوڑکا شکار |url=https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/special-feature/2017-04-18/18338 |website=Roznama Dunya: اسپیشل فیچرز :-}}</ref> seven miles away from the Katas Raj Temples.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meister |first=Michael W. |author-link=Michael W. Meister |title=Temples of the Indus: Studies in the Hindu architecture of Ancient Pakistan |date=2010 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-19011-5 |series=Brill's Indological Library |location=Leiden Boston}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=57}}
== Architecture == thumb|Ruins of the temple at Malot Malot temple was constructed with the red sandstone from Salt Range, as were other temples in the region. It consists of a central shrine. On each side large fluted pillars are topped by ''āmalaka'' and block capitals, supported by a large trefoil vault. The smaller fluted columns besides the inner chambers support a kind of head-house, above a multi-lobed ''toraṇa'' and crowning ''kīrttimukha'' which adores the central vault of the trefoil entrance. Michael W. Meister suggests that the temple was once capped by a pyramidal roof with peaked dormers, now largely replaced by a watchtower.<ref name=":0" />{{Reference page|page=58}} The location and scale of the temple makes it a dominant feature of the surroundings.<ref name=":0" />{{Reference page|page=58}} thumb|The temple at Malot in 1897 Over the course of a millennium, the hill on which Malot resides has experienced geological alterations, resulting in the formation of narrow fissures.<ref name="DAWN">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/846090|title=Preserving Malot fort|date=April 18, 2010|website=Dawn}}</ref> The temple shows visible influences from the Kashmiri architecture, suggesting close relations of the Odi Shahis with the rulers of Kashmir.<ref name=":0" />{{Reference page|page=58}} thumb|The temple at Malot in 1897 In 2021, it was reported that the Punjab Government had initiated restoration of Malot and other archaeological sites in the province at a cost of Rs. 12 million.<ref name=":1" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Castles in Pakistan}}
Category:Chakwal District Category:Forts in Punjab, Pakistan Category:Hindu Shahi architecture