Historic
Places and Monuments
The Kashmir region abounds in places of historical
and archaeological significance, important
among which are :
Hazratbal
Shrine : The Hazratbal Shrine, which
is situated on the left bank of the famous
Dal
Lake in Srinagar. This unmatched reverence
is anchored in the love and respect for
the Prophet Mohammad(peace be upon him),
whose Moi-e-Muqqadas, (the sacred hair)
is preserved here. The shirne is known by
many names including Hazrathbal , Assar-e-Sharief,
madinat-us-Sani,Dargah Sharief and Dargah.Sadiq
Khan,laid out a garden here and constructed
a palacial building,Ishrat mahal or Pleasure
House, in 1623. The construction of the
present marble structure was started by
the Muslim Aquaf Trust headed by Sheikh
Mohammad Abdullah in 1968 and completed
in 1979.The Moi-e-Muqqadas is displayed
on various occasions related with the life
of the Prophet and his four holy companions.
Shankarcharya
Temple : It is located at 1100ft.above
surface level of the main city on the Shankaracharya
hill, also known as Takht-e-Suleiman. The
shiva temple, as Kalhana belives, was constructed
by Raja Gopadatya in 371 B.C.and as such
is the oldest shirne in Kashmir. Dogra ruler,Maharaja
Gulab Singh, constructed stone stairs upto
the temple. In 1925,the temple was electrifed.
The temple, besides a prominent religious
place of Hindus, is of great archaeological
importance. The temple commands a magnificient
panoramic view of the Srinagar city.
Khanqah-e-Moulla
: The shrine of Shah-e-Hamdan or
Khanqah-e-Moulla is one of the oldest muslim
shrines in kashmir situated on the bank
of the river Jhelum in the old city.
Jamia Masjid
: It is one of the oldest and
the most spacious of all the mosques in
Kashmir, situated in the heart of the city.The
foundation of the mosque, an architectural
wonder was laid by Sultan Sikander in 1398
A.D.The area of the mosque is 384ftX381ft.
spacious enough for over thirty thousand
people to offer prayers at a time.
Badshuhnun Dumat
: The tomb of the mother of Sultan
Zain-Ul-Abideen(1420-70) popularly known
as Badshah is a splendid representative
piece of the Shahmiri architecture. The
monument,situated on the right bank of the
river Jehlum near Zaina Kadal is the only
one of its kind in and around kashmir which,
compared to the wooden structures of the
shahmiri period,is a wholly brick structure.
Hari Parbat Fort
: Another historical monument of
Srinagar is the Hari Parbat Fort constructed
by the Afghan Governer,Atta Mohammad Khan(1808-10),on
the top of the Hari Parbat or Koh-e-Maraan
hill. The architecture of the Fort is similar
to that of the forts in Central Asia.
Khir Bhawani
Temple : Situated at Tullamula in
the Srinagar district,is an important hindu
shrine .The
temple is associated with the hindu goddess,Ragnya
Devi.An annual festival is held here on
Jesht Ashtami(May-June) when hindus visit
the place in large numbers to offer prayers
and seek the blessings of the diety. In
addition ,there are umpteen places of religious
importance in Srinagar.
Mattan : The
temples of Mattan are located midway between
Anantnag and Pahalgam. There is a Shiva
Temple in the centre of a deep pond.
Martand : This
is a significant Archaelogical site. Its
impressive Architecture reveals the glorious
past of the area. All that remains of the
temple is a central rectangular building
surrounded by a court and rectangular colonnade.
Shrines : The
most important shrine is of Amarnath
cave situated about 48 KMs from Pahalgam
which attracts devotees from all over the
world. It is located in the upper reaches
of the Distt at an altitude of about 13000ft.
from the sea level. Shrine is believed to
be an abode of lord Shiva.
There are famous
temples at Anantnag,Deviangan,Bijbehara,
Akingam,Lukbhavan, and Goswami Gund,Nagdandi
Ashram.
The famous shrines of Bab-Zain-Ud-Din Wali
is existing at Aishmuqam.
The shrine of Baba-Hyder Rishi is located
at Anantnag. He is the last giant of Rishi
order of saints. |
Bandipore
: This town lies on the east bank
of Wullar lake and is also called the "Port
of Wullar". The roads to Gurez and
Gilgit lead from this town. A beautiful
park at the pattern of Famous Nishat Bagh
exists there.
Gurez : It
is a beautiful valley located 86Kms from
Bandipopre. River Kishenganga flows through
it.
Pattan :
This is an old town and remained capital
of Kashmir during Shankervarman regime.
It is 26 Kms from Srinagar.
Tomb of Sheikh
Noor-ud-din-Noorani : The tomb of
Alamdar-e-Kashmir is situated 28 Kms in
southwest of Srinagar at Chrar-e- Sharif
in Budgam District. The shrine on the burial
site was constructed by the then ruler of
Kashmir Zain ul Abideen. Sheikh Noor-ud-din
was born in Kaimoh and his ancestors belonged
to Kishtwar. He was a pious soul and travelled
throughout Kashmir to spread the message
of his religion. He meditated for 12 years
inside a cave. Four centuries after his
death Afghan governor Atta Mohd. Khan issued
coins in his name. The shrine alongwith
Khanqah was gutted in a devatating fire
in 1995. A new shrine is planned to be constructed
in its place.
The Shrine of
Khan Saheb : It is situated in the
Khan saheb block of the District.It is associated
with famous saint Hazrat Saleh Khan who
belonged to village Pakhla of Pakistan.
Syed Saleh Khan also meditated inside a
cave for 12 years and stayed in Srinagar
for some time.He was also a fine calligrapher.
ImamBara Budgam
: The Imambara is a holy place for
Shiiete Muslims of Kashmir. This building
was constructed in the year 1857. The present
imambara is octagonal and has five main
enterances each of 12ft width. One of the
doors is reserved for women. The Imambara
is a piece of indo-Iranian architectureand
commands great reverence among Shia masses.
Ziarat Alamdar-E-Kashmir
: The land of Khag was fortunate
enough to have Sheikh noor-Ud-Din as a visitor.
Sheikh selected a rock a Khag for meditation
and this bears the imprints of his feet.
This rock is known as shah Kaen. A shrine
is built there in the memory of the saint.
The Tomb of Sham
Ded : Sham ded was a daughter of
a Iron smith in Poshker village and was
initiated into sprituality by Sheikh-ul-Alam.
The pious lady after his death was laid
to rest in Poshker village and a shrine
was construted there. Other shrines of various
pious saints abound in Budgam. These are
shrines of : Baba Latif-ud-Din, Syed Mohd.
Samri, Hazrat Ganga Baba Rishi, Zia -ud-Din
Bukhari.
Muqam-e-Shahwali
: Mazar-e- sharief of Zattishah at
Village Mugamnear Drugmullafour Kms from
Kupwara Town.Urs is celebrated in the month
of May.
Ziarat -i- Baba
Abdullah Gazi : Situated at Kralpora
guzrail about 20 Kms from Kupwara town in
the northwest.
Shrine of Prakash
Akhoon : Located at Gushi 3 Kms from
Kupwara town. Prakash pandit was a prominent
scholar of Arabic,Persian, Urdu and Sanskrit
languages.
Kheer Bhawani
Asthapan : Located at Tikker on chowkibal
road about 1 Km from Kupwara town. Anniversary
is celebrated in the month of April-May.
The Avantishwar
Temple : The Awantishwar temple at
Jawbrari is the significant monuments present
in the district. The temple was built by
Raja AwantiVarma in the 9th Century A.D
when he chose as his capital instead of
Srinagar.
The Payer Temple
: Payer temple is situated about
3 Kms in the south of Pulwama district.
The temple is known after the village,Payer,
where it is situated. Vigne, Cunningham
and some other travellers call it Payech
temple.
Asar Sharief
Pintoora : The shrine is the most
revered religious place in the district
situated 12 Kms. from Pulwama. The shirne
houses the holy relic of Prophet Mohammed
(Peace Be Upon Him) which is displayed on
special occasions associated with the life
of the Prophet(PBUH).
The Shrine of
Shah Hamdan : Situated in Tral town,
the shrine is believed to have been built
by Mir Syed Ali Hamdani. People in large
numbers throng the shrine on annual festivals
associated with the saint.
Jama Masjid Shopian
: The mosque is said to have been
built during the Mughal period. Shopian
was an important stopover on the Mughal
road across the Pir Panjal used by the Mughals
to visit Kashmir. The other important muslim
shrines are situated at Awantipora and Pampore.
These are the shrines of Syed Hussan Mantaqui,Mir
Mohammad Hamdani and Namat Ullah Shog Baba
Sahab. |