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The Kashmir Timeline

Avantipora Temples

Two ruined temples built by King Avantivarman.

Avantipora Temples photograph

Photo: Harvinder Chandigarh · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Avantivarman founded the town of Avantipura and built two temples there: Avantiswami, dedicated to Vishnu, and Avantishvara, dedicated to Shiva. For centuries the ruins lay buried under silt, which protected much of their carving until they were excavated in the early 20th century.

Facts

  • Kalhana says the king built the Vishnu temple before he took the throne and the Shiva temple after.
  • The gateway of Avantiswami is carved with Vishnu and his consorts.
  • The temples stand in paved courtyards surrounded by colonnades and small cells.