{{Short description|Hindu temple in Srinagar, India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox temple | name = Shankaracharya Temple | image = The Ancient Shankaracharya Temple (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir) (cropped).jpg | alt = Shankaracharya temple | caption = The Shankaracharya temple in 2013 | map_type = India Jammu and Kashmir#India | map_caption = Location in [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]], India | coordinates = {{coord|34|4|44|N|74|50|37|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}} | country = India | district = [[Srinagar district|Srinagar]] | location = Kothi Bagh, Durganag, [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]], India | elevation_m = 1852.16 | deity = [[Shiva]] }}
'''Shankaracharya Temple''' or '''Jyeshteshwara Temple''' is a [[Hindu temple]] situated on top of the [[Zabarwan Range]] in [[Srinagar]] in the [[Kashmir Valley]] of the [[union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India. It is dedicated to [[Shiva]]. The temple is at a height of {{convert|1000|ft|m}} above the valley floor and overlooks the city of [[Srinagar]]. The temple is accessible via a road that emerges off Boulevard road near Gagribal.
On festivals such as Herath, as [[Maha Shivaratri]] is known as in the region, the temple is visited by Kashmiri Hindus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yaqoob |first=Mudasir |date=28 February 2022 |title=Herath to be celebrated with religious fervour today |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/city/herath-to-be-celebrated-with-religious-fervour-today |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Greater Kashmir |language=en}}</ref>
The temple and adjacent land is a [[Monument of National Importance]], centrally protected under the [[Archaeological Survey of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=ASI Protected Monuments|url=http://jkarchives.nic.in/Arch_ASI_Protected_Monuments.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722120251/http://jkarchives.nic.in/Arch_ASI_Protected_Monuments.htm|archive-date=22 July 2020|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Directorate of Archives, Archaeology & Museums, Government of Jammu and Kashmir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Centrally Protected Monuments / Sites under the jurisdiction of Jammu & Kashmir (U.T.) (Srinagar Circle)|url=https://asi.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Jammu-Kashmir-U.T.-Srinagar-Circle.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103175644/https://asi.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Jammu-Kashmir-U.T.-Srinagar-Circle.pdf|archive-date=3 January 2022|website=Archaeological Survey of India}}</ref> [[Dharmarth Trust]] has managed the temple since the 19th century, along with others in the region.<ref name=":4" /> [[Karan Singh]] is the sole chairperson trustee.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |department=[[Alt News]]|date=7 March 2020|title=Fact Check: Was Srinagar's Shankaracharya Temple Lit up for Maha Shivratri After Decades?|url=https://thewire.in/politics/bjp-srinagar-shankaracharya-maha-shivratri|access-date=2022-01-27|work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]}}</ref>
== History == {{multiple image | align = left | image1 = Kashmir. Temple of Jyeshteswara -Shankaracharya-, on the Takht-i-Suliman Hill, near Srinagar. Probable date 220 B.C. 1.jpg | width1 = | alt1 = | caption1 = Figures present for scale | image2 = Shankaracharya temple.jpg | width2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = Photographed by [[John Burke (photographer)|John Burke]] 1868 | footer = | direction = vertical | total_width = | image3 = Shankaracharya Temple summer view.jpg | caption3 = Present day during summer }} The structure is considered as the oldest temple in Kashmir, historically and traditionally.{{Sfn|Cunningham|1848|p=7}} It is situated on a hill that is a well preserved Panjal [[Trap rock|trap]] formed by volcanic activity during the [[Permian]] period.<ref name="rocks">{{Cite book|last=Wadhawan|first=Sudesh Kumar|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnkGEAAAQBAJ&dq=Shankaracharya+Temple&pg=PA264|title=Global Geographical Heritage, Geoparks and Geotourism: Geoconservation and Development|date=2021|publisher=Springer Nature|isbn=978-981-15-4956-4|editor-last=Singh|editor-first=RB|page=264|language=en|chapter=15. Geoheritage and Potential Geotourism in Geoparks - Indian Perspective|editor2-last=Wei|editor2-first=Dongying|editor3-last=Anand|editor3-first=Subhash}}</ref> There is no consensus with regard to an exact date of construction.
The earliest historical reference to the hill comes from [[Kalhana]]. He called the mountain 'Gopadri' or 'Gopa Hill'. Kalhana says that King Gopaditya granted the land at the foot of the hill to the Brahmins that had come from the "Aryadesa". The land grant, an ''[[agraharam]]'', was called 'Gopa Agraharas'. This area at the base is now called [[Gupkar]]. Kalhana mentions another village in the vicinity of the hill where King Gopaditya housed some of the Brahmins to a village{{Efn|Kalhana names this village as Bhuksiravatika (later Buch'vore, [[Buchwara]])}} next door in present-day Dalgate. Kalhana also mentions that King Gopaditya built the temple on the top of the hill as a shrine to Jyesthesvara (Shiva Jyestharuda) around 371 BCE.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Stein|first=Aurel|url=https://archive.org/details/RajataranginiVol2/page/n457/mode/2up|title=Kalhana's Rajatarangini, A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir|publisher=Archibald Constable and Company, Rivington|year=1900|volume=2|location=Westminster|pages=453–454|author-link=Aurel Stein|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
The [[Alchon Hun]] king, [[Mihirakula]] is said to have been the founder of the temple, dedicated to [[Shiva]],<ref>"He is credited with the building of the temple named Jyeshteswara on the Gopa (Sankaracharya) hill in Srinagar" in {{cite book |last1=Bamzai, Prithivi Nath Kaul |title=Kashmir and Central Asia |date=1980 |publisher=Light & Life Publishers |page=63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=COgeAAAAMAAJ |language=en |author1-link=P.N.K. Bamzai }}</ref><ref name="ROTS112">{{cite book |last1=Rezakhani |first1=Khodadad |title=ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity |date=2017 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-1-4744-0030-5 |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjRWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105 |language=en}}</ref> a shrine named Mihiresvara in Halada, and a large city called Mihirapura.<ref name="ROTS112"/>
In 1899 [[James Fergusson (architect)|James Fergusson]] placed the temple construction to the 17th to 18th century. Fergusson disputes claims that structures on the basis of which he makes this claim are from repairs.{{Sfn|Fergusson|1899|p=282}} [[Aurel Stein]] while agreeing that the superstructures are from a more recent date, places the base and the stairs as much older.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stein|first=Aurel|url=https://archive.org/details/RajataranginiVol1/page/n223/mode/2up?q=Gopadri|title=Kalhana's Rajatarangini, A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir|publisher=Archibald Constable and Company, Rivington|year=1900|volume=1|pages=1.345|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Historical figures associated with the monument include [[Jalauka|Jaloka]], one of the sons of [[Ashoka (Gonandiya)]], according to the Rajatarangini.{{Sfn|Cunningham|1848|p=7}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Thapar|first=Romila|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwJuAAAAMAAJ&q=Jalauka|title=Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas|date=1961|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=30, 188|language=en|author-link=Romila Thapar|url-access=limited}}</ref> [[File:The Ancient Shankaracharya Temple (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir) (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|208x208px|Front profile.<br /><small>(Graffiti on monuments is commonplace throughout India<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mantri|first=Geetika|date=2019-02-04|title='Raju was here': Why in the world do Indians vandalise heritage monuments?|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/raju-was-here-why-world-do-indians-vandalise-heritage-monuments-96202|access-date=2022-02-04|website=[[The News Minute]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Subramanian|first1=T. S.|last2=Ganesan|first2=K.|date=17 July 2009|title=History vandalised|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/heritage/article30187641.ece|url-access=limited|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Frontline|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Shanker|first=C. R. Gowri|date=2016-09-09|title=Archaeological Survey of India winning battle against wall vandals in Hyderabad|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/090916/archaeological-survey-of-india-winning-battle-against-wall-vandals-in-hyderabad.html|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kulkarni|first=Dhaval|date=7 October 2017|title=Now, monumental fines for graffiti|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-now-monumental-fines-for-graffiti-2551043|access-date=2022-02-04|website=DNA India|language=en}}</ref>)</small>]] Kashmiri Hindus strongly believe the temple was visited by [[Adi Shankara]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Comans|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sx12hxoFVqwC|title=The Method of Early Advaita Vedānta: A Study of Gauḍapāda, Śaṅkara, Sureśvara, and Padmapāda|date=2000|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-1722-7|page=163}}</ref> and has ever since been associated with him; this is how the temple and hill got the name Shankaracharya.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Warikoo |first=Kulbhushan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfF1pTv0PgkC&pg=PA109 |title=Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits |date=2009 |publisher=Pentagon Press |isbn=978-81-8274-398-4 |editor-last=Toshkhani |editor-first=S. S. |pages=109–110 |editor2-last=Warikoo |editor2-first=K.}}</ref> It is here that the literary work ''[[Saundarya Lahari]]'' was composed.<ref name=":9" /> It was composed by Adi Shankara after accepting the major faith in the region at the time, that of [[Shakti]], and that the union of Shiva and Shakti, as in [[Shaktism]], transpired into the symbolism of the [[Sri Yantra]].<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Vidyaranya|first=Madhava|title=Sankara-Dig-Vijaya. The Traditional Life of Sri Sankaracharya|publisher=[[Ramakrishna Mission|Sri Ramakrishna Math]]|year=2013|location=Chennai|translator-last=Tapasyananda|translator-first=Swami|orig-date=1999}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Aima|first=Onkar|others=Kashmir Sentinel|title=Adi Shankracharya's Visit to Kashmir|url=http://www.ikashmir.net/saints/shankracharyavisittokashmir.html|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Kashmiri Pandit Network}}</ref>
{{Infobox mountain | name = Hill | elevation_m = 1880 | prominence_m = 295 | other_name = Shankaracharya Hill, Sandhimana-parvata, Koh-e-Suleman, Takht-i-Sulaiman (Takht Hill), Gopadri (Gopa Hill) | range = Zabarwan Range<ref name="FloraFull" /> | location = [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|UT of Jammu and Kashmir]] | country = India | area_km2 = 1.4 | geology = Igneous<ref name="rocks" /> | age = [[Permian]]<ref name="rocks" /> | coordinates = {{coord|34.080|74.843}} | map = }}
Names associated with the hill include Sandhimana-parvata, Koh-e-Suleman, Takht-i-Sulaiman or simply Takht Hill, Gopadri or Gopa Hill.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />{{Sfn|Cunningham|1848|p=9}} The Dogra King [[Gulab Singh]] (1792–1857 CE) constructed the steps to the hill from Durga Naag temple{{Efn|Durga Nag temple, maintained by the J&K Shri Durga Nag Trust (JKSDNT), or simply the Durga Nag Trust.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{Cite web|date=21 November 2015|title=Some facts about Durganag|url=http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=163732|access-date=2022-01-30|website=Early Times}}
|2={{Cite web|last=Hamdani|first=Syed Imran Ali|date=14 March 2015|title=Durga Nag temple hosts Mahanavami Puja|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/srinagar/durga-nag-temple-hosts-mahanavami-puja|access-date=2022-01-30|website=Greater Kashmir}}
|3={{Cite news|last=|first=|date=2013-10-13|title=Shiv Lingam installed at Durga Nag temple|work=Business Standard India|agency=PTI|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/shiv-lingam-installed-at-durga-nag-temple-113101300553_1.html|access-date=2022-01-30}}
|4={{Cite news |date=24 October 2020|agency=PTI|title=J&K: Farooq Abdullah prays for peace, wellbeing of humankind at Dugra Nag temple|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jk-farooq-abdullah-prays-for-peace-wellbeing-of-humankind-at-dugra-nag-temple/articleshow/78844624.cms|access-date=2022-01-30|newspaper=The Times of India}}
|5={{Cite news |date=3 June 2013|agency=PTI|title=Gold ornaments missing from Kashmir temple|url=https://english.newsnationtv.com/cities/jammu/gold-ornaments-missing-from-kashmir-temple-9631.html|access-date=2022-01-30|work=[[News Nation]]}}}}</ref>}} side.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}} Steps existed before as well, leading further, to the Jhelum. [[Nur Jahan]] used the stones of the steps in the construction of [[Pathar Mosque]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bhatt|first=Saligram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=It1LePnN2LsC&dq=Shankaracharya+temple+kashmir&pg=PA146|title=Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace: Proceedings of National Seminar by Kashmir Education Culture & Science Society (K.E.C.S.S.), New Delhi|date=2008|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=978-81-313-0402-0|page=146|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bhat|first=R L|title=Hindu Shrines Of Kashmir|publisher=Substance Publishers|year=2014|pages=140–141}}</ref>
The [[Maharaja of Mysore]] came to Kashmir in 1925 and made the electrical search light installations at the temple, five around it and one on the top.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Koul |first=Pandit Anand |url=https://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/4554.pdf |title=Archaeological remains in Kashmir |date=1935 |publisher=Mercantile Press |others=Foreword by [[Tej Bahadur Sapru]] |location=Lahore |pages=17–22}}</ref> The Maharaja left an endowment to fund the cost of electricity.<ref name=":10" /> In 1961 Shankaracharaya of [[Dwarka Sharada Peetham|Dwarkapeetham]] put the statue of Adi Shankaracharaya in the temple.<ref>Kashur Encyclopedia Volume one Published by [[Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages]], Srinagar 1986 Page 302</ref> [[Sri Aurobindo]] visited the temple area in 1903.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Heehs|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlasAgAAQBAJ|title=The Lives of Sri Aurobindo|date=2008|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-14098-0|page=72}}</ref> [[Vinoba Bhave]] visited it in August 1959.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Narayan|first1=Shriman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VNXt00vBew0C|title=Vinoba: His Life and Work|last2=Vinobā|date=1970|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-483-7|page=274|language=en}}</ref>
A {{Convert|3.5|mi|km}} road to the temple was constructed by [[Border Roads Organisation]] in 1969.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|date=14 June 1970|title=Shankaracharya Road Project|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdohlIUDakUC&dq=Shankaracharya+Temple&pg=RA21-PA9|journal=[[Sainik Samachar]]|volume=XVII|issue=24|pages=9–10|via=Google Books}}</ref> While this was road construction was primarily to aid the setting up of a communications tower, and part of the road would be closed to the public, the road would also be used for those going to the temple.<ref name=":0"/> There are around 240 steps to reach the presiding deity.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Khare|first=Harish|author-link=Harish Khare|date=11 October 2015|title=238 steps to solitude in Shiva's sanctum...|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/column/238-steps-to-solitude-in-shiva-s-sanctum-144336|access-date=2022-01-27|website=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Acharekar|first=Janhavi|author-link=Janhavi Acharekar|date=12 September 2018|title=Could the salve to Kashmir's wounds lie in its centuries of pluralism?|url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/trail-kashmirs-shrines/|access-date=27 January 2022|publisher=[[Condé Nast Traveler]]}}</ref> The [[Dharmarth Trust]] has built two small shelters here for sadhus.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|date=2021-06-15|title=Shankaracharya Temple|url=https://www.radiochinar.in/shankaracharya-temple-2/|access-date=2022-01-31|publisher=Radio Chinar}}</ref> The hill has a large range of flora.<ref name="FloraFull">{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Kewal |last2=Sharma |first2=Yash Pal |last3=Manhas |first3=R.K. |last4=Bhatia |first4=Harpreet |title=Ethnomedicinal plants of Shankaracharya Hill, Srinagar, J&K, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=July 2015 |volume=170 |pages=255–274 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.021 |pmid=26008867 }}</ref> There is very limited human activity on the hill other than religious tourism.<ref name="Flora">{{Cite journal|last1=Kumar|first1=Kewal|last2=Manhas|first2=Rajesh K|last3=Magotra|first3=Rani|date=August 2011|title=The Shankaracharya sacred grove of Srinagar, Kashmir, India|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289032426|journal=Current Science|volume=101|issue=3|page=262|via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> From the top of the hill, [[Justine Hardy]], a British writer, counted over 1350 boats on the Dal Lake.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book|last=Hardy|first=Justine|url=|title=In the valley of mist|date=2009|publisher=Rider|isbn=978-1-84604-146-4|page=183|author-link=Justine Hardy}}</ref> Jhelum is visible.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book|last=Dhar|first=S N|title=Kashmir in Stories|publisher=Jaykay Books|year=2012|isbn=978-81-87221-74-6|page=112}}</ref> The wide panorama covers major landmarks such as [[Dal Lake]], [[Jhelum]], and [[Hari Parbat]].
<gallery caption="View from/with Shankaracharya Hill"> File:Sketch of Kashmir Valley from Soleiman's Seat to the Nishat Bagh.jpg|1862 File:Shankaracharya Temple and the view.jpg|1874 File:Shankaracharya Temple and the view from the hill.jpg|1887 File:Jammu and Kashmir WV banner.jpg|2010 </gallery>
== Architecture and design == {{Multiple image | image1 = Shankaracharya Temple Plan by HH Cole (1869) annotated with Cunningham's dimensions (1848).jpg | image2 = Annotated illustration of Shankaracharya Temple.png | footer = H. H. Cole's sketches of the temple (1869) annotated with Cunningham's dimensions (1848). The temple's width with enclosing wall is 60ft. | total_width = 400 }}
The temple rests on a solid rock. A {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall octagonal base supports a square building on top. Each side of the octagon is {{convert|15|ft|m|abbr=on}} feet.{{Clarify|reason=Walter Lawrence in 'The Valley of Kashmír' has figures which seem to be somewhat different. However in some cases he does use words like "about". Quote (pg 177) – The cone, which is about 25 feet in height... rests upon an raised octagonal platform, whose wall is about 10 or 12 feet...|date=March 2022}} The front, back and flanks are plain while the other four sides have minimal design but noticeable angles.{{Sfn|Cunningham|1848|p=9}} The center is made up of a circle {{convert|21.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} in diameter with an entrance {{convert|3.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide. The walls are {{convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{Sfn|Cunningham|1848|p=9}}
The terrace around the square temple is reached by a stone staircase enclosed between two walls. A doorway on the opposite side of the staircase leads to the interior, which is a small and dark chamber, circular in plan. The ceiling is supported by four octagonal columns, which surround a Basin containing a [[Lingam]] encircled by a snake.
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== Current status == [[File:Inside Adi Shankara's Gufa at Shankaracharya Temple (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir).jpg|thumb|The memorial to the [[Adi Shankaracharya|Adi Shankara]] inside the temple|left]] The temple is used for regular worship and pilgrims visit the temple during the [[Amarnath Yatra]].<ref>{{cite news |agency=PTI|date=22 July 2009|title=Amarnath Pilgrims reach Shankaracharya Temple|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amarnath-pilgrims-reach-shankaracharya-temple/article1-435007.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223032525/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/amarnath-pilgrims-reach-shankaracharya-temple/article1-435007.aspx|archive-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=Hindustan Times|access-date=7 December 2013}}</ref> During the yatra, on the lunar phase of the [[new moon]], the associated tradition of bringing Shiva's holy mace to the temple is carried out.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2016-08-03|title='Chhari Mubarak' taken to Shankaracharya temple|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/%E2%80%98Chhari-Mubarak%E2%80%99-taken-to-Shankaracharya-temple/article14548359.ece|url-access=limited|access-date=2022-01-28|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharma|first=SP|date=2021-08-08|title=Chhari Mubarak of Lord Shiva brought to Srinagar's Shankaracharya temple for prayers|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/chhari-mubarak-of-lord-shiva-brought-to-srinagars-shankaracharya-temple-for-prayers-1502991636.html|access-date=2022-01-28|website=The Statesman|language=en-US}}</ref> The temple is part of the governments' tourist circuits.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sofi|first=Jahangir|date=2022-01-25|title=After a Gap of 28-year, Tourism Dept Kashmir relaunches Heritage Tour Srinagar City Bus Service|url=https://www.risingkashmir.com/After-a-Gap-of-28-year--Tourism-Dept-Kashmir-relaunches-Heritage-Tour-Srinagar-City-Bus-Service-99603|access-date=2022-01-28|website=[[Rising Kashmir]]|archive-date=28 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128134005/https://www.risingkashmir.com/After-a-Gap-of-28-year--Tourism-Dept-Kashmir-relaunches-Heritage-Tour-Srinagar-City-Bus-Service-99603|url-status=dead}}</ref> On occasions such as Maha Shivaratri, Herath, the temple is lit up.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=21 February 2020 |title=KPs throng temples on Herath |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/kps-throng-temples-on-herath-45349 |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Tribune India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=12 Mar 2021|title=Kashmiri Hindus celebrate 'Mahashivaratri' by decorating Shankaracharya Temple with lights and flowers|publisher=Times Now|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/herath-celebrations-in-srinagars-shankaracharya-temple-shrine-decorated-with-lights-for-maha-shivratri/730932|access-date=12 Mar 2021}}</ref> To ensure adequate preparations during festivals, as is the procedure with other religious and cultural centers in the city such as [[Hazratbal Shrine]], the district administration reviews arrangements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2022 |title=DC Srinagar visits Shankaracharya Temple, inspects arrangements for Maha Shivratri Festival |url=http://brighterkashmir.com//news/dc-srinagar-visits-shankaracharya-temple-inspects-arrangements-for-maha-shivratri-festival |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Brighter Kashmir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-26 |title=DC Srinagar visits Dargah Hazratbal to oversee arrangements for Meraj-un-Nabi (SAW), Maha Shivratri festival |url=https://www.risingkashmir.com/-DC-Srinagar-visits-Dargah-Hazratbal-to-oversee-arrangements-for-Meraj-un-Nabi--SAW---Maha-Shivratri-festival-101430 |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Rising Kashmir |language=en-GB |archive-date=28 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228024640/https://www.risingkashmir.com/-DC-Srinagar-visits-Dargah-Hazratbal-to-oversee-arrangements-for-Meraj-un-Nabi--SAW---Maha-Shivratri-festival-101430 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The temple was one of hundred [[Archaeological Survey of India]] monuments lit up in 2021 to mark the administration of one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in India.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=21 October 2021|title=J-K's Shankaracharya temple, Capitol Complex in Chandigarh among ASI monuments lit up to mark 1 billion vaccine doses|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/j-ks-shankaracharya-temple-capitol-complex-in-chandigarh-among-asi-monuments-lit-up-to-mark-1-billion-vaccine-doses-327615|access-date=2022-01-28|website=Tribune India}}</ref>
== In popular culture == [[File:Shankaracharya Temple, Srinagar.jpg|thumb|View of the temple]] In 1948 [[Sheikh Abdullah]] wrote a letter to the Madras weekly ''Swatantra''. Abdullah directed his message to south India at a time when India had sent someone from the south to defend its case in the United Nations,<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Guha|first=Ramachandra|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AW4sDwAAQBAJ&dq=Shankaracharya&pg=RA1-PR4|title=India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy|date=2017-07-13|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=978-1-5098-8328-8|language=en|chapter=4. A Valley Bloody and Beautiful|author-link=Ramachandra Guha}}</ref> He wrote that Shankaracharya, someone from the south, came to Kashmir where his dialogue with a Kashmiri Hindu lady, in which he was outwitted, led to the development of Shaivism.<ref name=":3"/> Abdullah wrote that "a memorial to the great Shankaracharya in Kashmir stands prominent on the top of the Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar" and that the temple contained an idol of Shiva.<ref name=":3"/>
The 2000 [[Bollywood]] films ''[[Mission Kashmir]]''{{Efn| In Mission Kashmir, starring [[Hrithik Roshan]], a plan is hatched to attack the temple along with another sacred site.<ref name=":RoshanKashmir" /> }} and [[Pukar (2000 film)|''Pukar'']]{{Efn|In Pukar, which stars Anil Kapoor, opens with a militarised Shankracharya hill and a looming threat of an attack on the temple.<ref name=":PukarKapoor" />}} feature the temple.<ref name=":RoshanKashmir">{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Sujala|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLW1CgAAQBAJ|title=Terror and the Postcolonial: A Concise Companion|date=2015-10-09|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-119-14358-1|editor-last=Boehmer|editor-first=Elleke|pages=356, 358|chapter=14. Terror, Spectacle, and the Secular State in Bombay Cinema|editor2-last=Morton|editor2-first=Stephen}}</ref><ref name=":PukarKapoor">{{Cite book|last=Bharat|first=Meenakshi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F73RDwAAQBAJ&dq=Shankaracharya+Temple&pg=PT24|title=Shooting Terror: Terrorism in Hindi Films|date=2020-02-20|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-000-02493-7|language=en}}</ref> The temple also briefly features in the 1974 song ''Jai Jai Shiv Shankar.'' of [[Aap Ki Kasam]]{{Efn|The 1974 song ''Jai Jai Shiv Shankar'' features actors [[Rajesh Khanna]] and [[Mumtaz (Indian actress)|Mumtaz]] along with others including [[Sanjeev Kumar]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Rao|first=Gayatri|date=2017-02-24|title=Jai jai Shiv Shankar – Kishore/Lata – R D Burman – Rajesh/Mumtaz {{!}} Aap Ki Kasam (1974)|url=https://lemonwire.com/2017/02/24/jai-jai-shiv-shankar-kishorelata-r-d-burman-rajeshmumtaz-aap-ki-kasam-1974/|access-date=2022-01-31|website=LemonWire|language=en-US}}</ref> The song is from the film ''[[Aap Ki Kasam]]'' and is sung by [[Lata Mangeshkar]] and [[Kishore Kumar]].<ref name=":5"/><ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Premchand|first=Manek|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UyZXEAAAQBAJ&dq=Jai+Jai+Shiv+Shankar&pg=PT127|title=Windows to the Soul: And Other Essays on Music|date=2021-12-30|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=979-8-88503-153-0|language=en|chapter=31}}</ref> The actors are visiting the temple on [[Maha Shivaratri]] and are dancing supposedly under the influence of [[bhang]] which is traditionally associated with the festival.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> The [[Shiv Temple, Gulmarg]] is also featured in the song.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lone|first=Idrees|date=1 June 2021|title=Army renovates temple which featured in "Jai Jai Shiv Shankar" Bollywood song with Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-army-renovates-temple-which-featured-in-jai-jai-shiv-shankar-bollywood-song-with-rajesh-khanna-mumtaz-2892932|access-date=2022-01-31|website=DNA India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lone|first=Idrees|date=1 June 2021|editor-last=Pandey|editor-first=Nikhil|title=Indian Army renovates Gulmarg's Shiv Temple which featured in Rajesh Khanna-Mumtaz song 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar'|url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-army-renovates-gulmargs-shiv-temple-which-featured-in-rajesh-khanna-mumtaz-song-jai-jai-shiv-shankar-388775|access-date=2022-01-31|website=WION}}</ref> The song has had an enduring legacy.<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 July 2021|title=Viral: Madhuri Dixit And Anil Kapoor Recreate Jai Jai Shiv Shankar Moment On Dance Deewane 3|url=https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/viral-madhuri-dixit-and-anil-kapoor-recreate-jai-jai-shiv-shankar-moment-on-dance-deewane-3-2483526|access-date=2022-01-31|website=NDTV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Khanna|first=Twinkle|date=2019-09-20|title=War Song Jai Jai Shiv Shankar Out Tomorrow: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff to reprise old track with Holi vibes|url=https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/war-song-jai-jai-shiv-shankar-out-tomorrow-hrithik-roshan-tiger-shroff-reprise-old-track-holi-vibes-475089|access-date=2022-01-31|website=[[Pinkvilla]]|language=en|archive-date=31 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131071334/https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/war-song-jai-jai-shiv-shankar-out-tomorrow-hrithik-roshan-tiger-shroff-reprise-old-track-holi-vibes-475089|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Basu|first=Mohar|date=2018-10-09|title=Preity turns to Mumtaz for inspiration for Bhaiaji Superhit song|url=https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/preity-zinta-turns-to-mumtaz-for-inspiration-for-bhaiaji-superhit-song-19878185|access-date=2022-01-31|website=Mid Day}}</ref>}}<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />
==References== ;Notes {{Notelist}} In 2012, government figures placed 438 temples in the valley.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ashiq|first=Peerzada|date=2012-10-04|title=208 temples damaged in Kashmir in last two decades: Kashmir govt|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/208-temples-damaged-in-kashmir-in-last-two-decades-kashmir-govt/story-s5dlIY9G8cM373tMK1S9GN.html|access-date=2022-01-30|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author1=[[Rahul Pandita]] |author2=Ashish Sharma |date=2019-10-11|title=The Valley of Abandoned Gods|url=https://openthemagazine.com/cover-story/the-valley-of-abandoned-gods/|access-date=2022-01-30|website=Open The Magazine}}</ref> According to the chairperson of Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, there are 1,842 sites associated with Hinduism in Kashmir including big and small temples, springs, caves and trees.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ahmad|first=Mudasir|date=5 October 2019|title='How Can Centre Reopen 50,000 Temples in Valley, When There Are Only 4,000 in J&K?'|url=https://thewire.in/rights/how-can-centre-reopen-50000-temples-in-valley-when-there-are-only-4000-in-jk|access-date=2022-01-30|website=The Wire}}</ref>
;Citations {{reflist}}
== Further reading == {{refbegin|35em}} ;Books * {{Cite book|last=Cunningham|first=Alexander|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cqw5AAAAcAAJ|title=An Essay on the Arian Order of Architecture, as Exhibited in the Temples of Kashmir|date=1848|publisher=J. Thomas, Baptist Mission Press|location=Calcutta|language=en|author-link=Alexander Cunningham}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Knight|first=William Henry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7kRAAAAYAAJ|title=Diary of a Pedestrian in Cashmere and Thibet|date=1863|publisher=R. Bentley|language=en}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Cole|first=Henry Hardy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-Ejl6b78I8C|title=Illustrations of Ancient Buildings in Kashmir|date=1869|publisher=[[W. H. Allen & Co.]]|others=Prepared Under the Authority of the Secretary of State for India in Council; from Photographs, Plans, and Drawings Taken by Order of the Government of India|pages=7–10|location=London: India Museum|language=en|via=Google Books}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Temple|first=Richard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWsTAAAAQAAJ|title=Journals Kept in Hyderabad, Kashmir, Sikkim, and Nepal|date=1887|publisher=W.H. Allen|language=en|author-link=Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Walter R. |title=The Valley of Kashmír |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1895 |pages=176–178}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Fergusson|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TvwsAQAAIAAJ|title=History of Indian and Eastern Architecture|date=1899|publisher=Dodd, Mead|volume=1|page=282|language=en|author-link=James Fergusson (architect)}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Koul|first=Pandit Anand|url=https://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/4554.pdf|title=Archaeological remains in Kashmir|date=1935|publisher=Mercantile Press|others=Foreword by [[Tej Bahadur Sapru]]|location=Lahore|pages=17–22}} {{PD-notice}} * {{Cite book|last=Parashar|first=Parmanand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gylNFls7xxoC|title=Kashmir The Paradise Of Asia|date=2004|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-518-9|language=en}} * {{Cite book|last=Gadoo|first=Chaman Lal|url=https://archive.org/details/YdEZ_temples-of-kashmir-gadoo/mode/2up?q=%22Shankaracharya+temple%22|title=Temples of Kashmir|publisher=Vidya Gauri Gadoo Memorial Trust|year=2006}} * {{Cite book|last=|first=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfF1pTv0PgkC|title=Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits|last2=|first2=|date=2009|publisher=Pentagon Press|isbn=978-81-8274-398-4|editor-last=Toshkhani|editor-first=S. S.|language=en|editor2-last=Warikoo|editor2-first=K.}} * {{Cite book|last=Ahmad|first=Khalid Bashir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=txtBDwAAQBAJ|title=Kashmir: Exposing the Myth behind the Narrative|date=2017|publisher=SAGE Publishing India|isbn=978-93-86062-81-9|language=en}} * {{Cite book|last=Kaul|first=Suvir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuoZDgAAQBAJ|title=Of Gardens and Graves: Kashmir, Poetry, Politics|date=2017|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-7350-6|language=en}}
;Think-tanks * {{Cite web|last=Bukhari|first=Shujaat|author-link=Shujaat Bukhari|date=20 March 2014|title=Climbing the Wrong Hill|url=http://www.ipcs.org/comm_select.php?articleNo=4349|publisher=Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies}}
;News and articles * {{Cite web|last=Ahmad|first=Khalid Bashir|date=14 March 2015|title=The Hill And The History|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/gk-magazine/the-hill-and-the-history|website=[[Greater Kashmir]]}} * {{Cite news|last=Hakhoo|first=Sumit|date=23 September 2013|title=Pandits accuse ASI of distorting facts. Oppose renaming of Shankaracharya Hill as Throne of Solomon|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130924/j&k.htm#3}} * {{Cite web|last=Naqvi|first=Muneeza|date=27 January 2016|title=The Takht-i-Sulaiman—now Shankaracharya Hill—is still the most imposing object near Srinagar, surmounted as it is by the ancient Shankaracharya Temple.|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/45328/the-good-ol-shankaracharya-temple|website=Outlook Traveller|publisher=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India]]}} * {{Cite web|last=|date=7 May 2015|title=Stay away from temples under Dharmath Trust: Karan Singh to KPs|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/kashmir/stay-away-from-temples-under-dharmath-trust-karan-singh-to-kps|website=Greater Kashmir}}
;Journals * {{Cite journal|last=Kaul|first=M K|date=1971|title=Flowering Plants of Shankaracharya Hill, Srinagar, Kashmir|journal=Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India|volume=13|issue=3–4|pages=236–243}} * {{Cite journal|last1=Bhat|first1=Ashiq Hussain|last2=Sharma|first2=Jyoti|last3=Jaryan|first3=Vikrant|date=April 2019|title=Role of Sacred groves in carbon sequestration in Jammu and Kashmir|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342898814|journal=International Journal of Scientific Research and Review|volume=7|issue=4|pages=394–399|via=[[ResearchGate]]}} * {{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Kewal |last2=Sharma |first2=Yash Pal |last3=Manhas |first3=R.K. |last4=Bhatia |first4=Harpreet |title=Ethnomedicinal plants of Shankaracharya Hill, Srinagar, J&K, India |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=July 2015 |volume=170 |pages=255–274 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2015.05.021 |pmid=26008867 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Ahmad |first1=Bashir |last2=Shafi |first2=Muzamil |title=Some more earthquakes from medieval Kashmir |journal=Journal of Seismology |date=July 2014 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=681–686 |doi=10.1007/s10950-014-9427-2 |bibcode=2014JSeis..18..681A }} {{refend}}
==External links== * {{Commons-inline}}
{{Hindu Temples in Jammu and Kashmir}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankaracharya Temple}} [[Category:Shiva temples in Jammu and Kashmir]] [[Category:2nd-century BC Hindu temples]] [[Category:9th-century Hindu temples]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Srinagar]] [[Category:Kashmir Shaivism]]