Temple

Temple

Subject: History

Section: Art and Culture

Context: After prayers were held at the ruins of the eighth-century Martand Sun Temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag last week, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has expressed its concern to the district administration.

More about issue:

• Puja was conducted on the temple complex of Martand Sun Temple twice last week first by a group of devotees and then in the presence of J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha.
• It was a violation of ASI norms since the temple is considered a non-living monument.

ASI rules that disallow worship at some monuments:

• No religious rituals can be conducted at non-living monuments where there has been no continuity of worship when it became an ASI-protected site.
• No protected monument shall be used for the purpose of holding any meeting, reception, party, conference or entertainment except under and in accordance with a permission in writing granted by the Central Government
• While religious rituals are allowed at some other sites – living ASI monument like the Taj Mahal in Agra, where namaz is held every Friday.

About Archaeological Survey of India

https://optimizeias.com/protection-of-ancient-monuments-archaeological-sites/

AboutMartand Sun Temple

• The Martand Sun Temple also known as PandouLaidan is a Hindu temple dedicated to Surya, located five miles from Anantnag in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Martand Sun Temple was built by the third ruler of the Karkota Dynasty, LalitadityaMuktapida, in the 8th century CE.
• It is now in ruins, as it was destroyed by the orders of Muslim ruler Sikandar Shah Miri.
• From the ruins and related archaeological findings, it can be said it was an excellent specimen of Kashmiri architecture, which had blended the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of architecture.
• The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the Martand Sun Temple as a site of national importance in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • at the time the ASI took over the temple ruins in the 20th century for conservation, no puja or Hindu ritual was being held there.
• The temple appears in the list of centrally protected monuments as Kartanda (Sun Temple).