The Great Temple Complex at Naranag
The Great Temple complex ruins at Naranag in Kashmir. Probably one of the finest set of Temples built in Kashmir. Mostly lost and forgotten.
The Main temple Complex which still Houses the Idol.
The Great Temple Complex at Naranag
The Wangath Temple ruins located near Naranag near Kangan above the Sindh Valley. This Temple Complex was built Lalitaaditya Muktipada one of the most celebrated Kings of Kashmir of the Karkota Dynasty. The current structure was built around the 8th Century.
The Secondary Temple Remains
Kalhana notes in Rajatarangini that Ashoka built the city of Srinagari in the 3rd century BC. His son Jaluka, 220 BC, built the Shaivite temples Bhuteshvara, Jyestarudra, and Muthas in the Wangath valley around the holy spring of Naranag.
A view of the Main Temple from a distance
The Wangath temples were built in three groups, around the same time as the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar and the Bumazuv temple near Mattan. King Jaluka built a stone temple at the site of the spring Naranag around 137BC. King Jayendra (61 BC) used to worship Shiva Bhutesha at the shrine. Lalitaditya Muktapida (713-735 AD) donated a good sum of money to the shrine after his victorious expedition. King Avantivarman (855-883 AD) built a stone pedestal with a silver conduit at this shrine for the bathing of sacred images. Kalhana’s father Canpaka and uncle Kanka also frequented the site.
Another view of the Naranag Temple Ruins
As per Kalhana, the treasury of this shrine was plundered by King Sangramraja of Kashmir (1003-28 AD), during King Uccala’s time (1101 – 1111 AD) and later by the rebel baron Hayavadana. (Wiki)
The Naranag Temple Ruins in the Winters
Auriel Stein did a lot of work on these Temples and identified a number of them along with other Western Archeologists.
The Naranag Temple Sarovar in the Winters
It was in the Meadow of Mohanmarg that Auriel Stein stayed and translated the Rajtarangani from Sanskrit to English.
The Naranag Temple with a Shiva Ling
One thing surprising about this Temple is that all the main Temple Complexes in Kashmir were usually on the Valley floor itself or in case of the Shankaracharya Temple on top of a very prominent Hill. But this complex lies high above the Sind Valley by the Naranag Nallah. And it surely is a large Complex. Not to be missed and there are a lot of trekking / hiking opportunities around.
The Naranag Temple sarovar again
A very interesting place to say the least.
Kiki’s Blog
Stories from the Himalayas
Five years ago the Galwan Valley was in the News for the wrong reasons after a deadly clash between the Indian and Chinese Armies in the Valley located in Ladakh lead to many deaths on the contentious Border between the two countries in wake of continued Chinese intrusions into Indian territory.
This area along the Shyok River, of which the Galwan Nallah or the Galwan River which forms the Galwan Valley has been off limits to Civilians since long but now the Indian Government has decided to open up the area for Civilians and we were amongst the First Civilians to venture into this beautifully desolate part of the Eastern Karakorams in Ladakh. Earlier Civilians could only venture upto the Village of Shyok from where the Shyok River takes a U turn and flows in a Northerly direction.