Controversy over worship program at ASI protected Martand temple in Kashmir

Tags: State News

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has caused controversy over two worship ceremonies held at the ruins of the ancient Martand Sun Temple at Mattan in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.

• ASI officials questioned the worship saying that no religious prayer is performed at ASI protected sites across India.

• Rule 7(1) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1959 states that meetings, receptions, feasts, entertainments or conferences cannot be held in a protected monument without the written permission of the Central Government.

• About Martand Sun Temple

• The Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.

• The temple is said to have been built in the 8th century, but several attempts were made to destroy it between 1389 and 1413.

• The Hindu ruler Lalitaditya is believed to have built the Martand Sun Temple in honour of the Sun God or Bhaskara in the 8th century AD.

• Lalitaditya was a Surya (Sun) Dynasty Kshatriya. 

• The style of construction of the temple and the expertise displayed therein was unprecedented in world history.

• The temple is built on a plateau from where the entire Kashmir valley can be seen.