While returning from Pahalgam to Srinagar, a quick detour was taken to Awantipora (or Avantipur) to explore the Awantiswami temple. Approximately 30 kilometres from the capital, it sits in the region of Anantnag, another famous town in Kashmir. The shrine was built by an Utpala king, Avantivarman in the 800AD. The king built two temples, one for Vishnu named as Awantiswami temple, and the second one for Shiva called as Awantisvara temple, built at a kilometre's distance.

Awantiswami Temple

The weather was beginning to get moody again as we stopped outside the Awantiswami Vishnu temple entrance. Nature was hinting a downpour soon. That put a clock on my time to explore the temple. I entered the gate, and the temple now lying in ruins welcomed me. Stones of all kinds, big, small, carved, gravelled, structured, etc. were scattered around. They were now taken in by nature that grew around them, and some, on them. I looked up, even the sky was taken over by clouds.

I made my way to what once must have been the main shrine. The facade seemed a little asymmetric. There was a tall pillar still on one side. While attempting to imagine its original appearance, my thoughts were interrupted by a voice. The words were lost in the wind, but I turned around to a group of uncles sitting at the temple's verandah. The same person to whom the voice belonged to spoke again, "you see this pillar?", I nodded, "it is the only pillar in the temple that is still standing." I looked around the temple and realized what he meant.

The most common reason for invaders to go for the temples first when vandalizing a town was the availability of treasure. Awantipur temples were no different. But before that could happen, the earthquake vandalized the temples first, leaving it in the rubble. However, the narrative has miraculously survived on the surface of these stones. Reliefs of Vishnu, the king and the queen, the dancers, musicians and many other stories have made it to today. These stories have very graciously contributed to give us a clue about life in the time of King Awantivarman. I was now standing at the centre, and it was beginning to fill up with visitors.

This Vaishnava temple is based on a two-tiered construction in the centre of the paved courtyard collonaded peristyle. The entrance located in the middle of the west wall is approached by a flight of steps. The walls are adorned with sculptured reliefs both, internally and externally. Every sculpture was carved with precision and skill. The pilasters of the stairs of the main temple are also decorated with beautiful sculptures. The courtyard also has a subsidiary shrine in all four corners. The Vaikuntha Vishnu that once illustrated as frontispiece is believed to be around in this temple.

I was trying to gather the memory of this exclusive temple in my camera when the drizzle started. It was time to leave. The temple was a monument of intrigue and my trip's major highlight. There is so much to learn about Awantipora ruins, the king lost in history, the time forgotten, and the stories buried underneath. Unfortunately due to bad weather, I had to miss Awanitsvara Shiv temple, but making a note to self to return once again in the future and explore the extraordinary ruins of Awantipora.