Martand Surya Temple

Must visit & see the proof of golden history of Kashmir. This is situated on a hill outside from main city named Mattan & many local taxi drivers also did not know about this, pls take help of Google map to avoid any confusion before visiting.

This amazing piece of an architectural marvel — dedicated to the worship of the sun god — was bought to life during the rule of Lalitaditya Muktapida at around 740-780 AD. By this date it precedes the Sun temple in konark by a couple of centuries. The temple is in ruins presently due to its destruction in the hands of Sikander Shah Miri at around 1400 AD. The location of the temple is staggering and makes you wonder at the hard work of the builders who had somehow bought those huge stones up above the steep incline without any machinery. Some of the intricate carvings are still visible even after 1500 years. An amazing place to surely visit on the way to Pahalgam. Take 1 hour out of your travel itinerary to be transported back in the past and gain humility under the monumental achievements of our ancestors.

Must visit place in Anantnag district kashmir, the sun temple is the oldest sun temple in india and monument of national importance built by lalitadithya muktapida in 8th century CE, and destroyed by sikander Shah of Shah mir sultanate in 15th century.
While going to pahalgam u can visit the temple , which is 8km off the route from Anantnag.
The new temple is built in the Anantnag town, but the one in martand has good spiritual vibes.

Really nice place, the ruins seem really nice, our guide Mr.Singh was really good at explaining and we could see his enthusiasm and sorrow-ness everytime he explained about the temple and the deities. Overall we had a great time at this ruined temple.

A must visit place for history freaks . Temple dates 📅 back to 8 th century which has faced wrath of Islamic terror for centuries and vagaries of weather and natural disasters.

It is a wonderful heritage site in Kashmir, thoughin ruins but still standing tall. There's no entry fee but a record is maintained for number of visitors.
It's situated in the interiors of Mattan, well tucked at the base of a hill which also houses a jail.

It's a place worth visiting.

Located in hinterland of South Kashmir. Visit this place to get the glimpse of great ancient history of hindu architecture. First sun temple in world

People who are coming to Kashmir and visiting Pahalgam should definitely take a stop here… situated in Mattan very close to Srinagar pahalgam highway.

Now temple is in ruins but still telling the glory of past… just by looking into the ruins you can guess how beautiful and grand this temple was at it’s peak.

Now well maintained, guide is available to walk you through the history and restrooms are neat and clean.

Must Visit. Situated near Anantnag city, in Martand town. No entry fee. Huge temple. After watching ruins, You can get an idea about the beauty of this temple in the past when it was not ruined.

Marvelous sun temple around 1400 yrs old temple. These kinds of places need more preservation and conservation.

I had a peaceful experience here. Please don't litter here and there. Dustbin & washroom available.

It is the site to get a glimpse of our culture and heritage. What are ancestors have faced and how they resisted the invaders and their atrocities. The majestic surya temple was built by one of the greatest Kings of Kashmir, Maharaja Lalitaditya Muktapida. It is the only Sun Temple of the North India.

Slightly off the beaten track, but doable as a day trip from Srinagar, together with other sightseeing along the way. This has to be the most serene of all tourist spots in the country - two thumbs up for having the place almost to ourselves.

The ruins are in good condition and a sense of grandeur is palpable as one approaches the temple. Large stone steps lead up to what was the garbha griha, where some larger than life sculptures are still intact. Several pillars and smaller inbuilt sculptures on the outside of the main temple have also been well preserved.

A direct consequence of being the quietest tourist spot is having the cleanest public loos!

Martand sun temple ruins

1400 yr old sun temple
Built by 3 kings

Single entrance and main temple surrounded by 35 small temple and boundary by 84 small temples

It’s built with a special interlocking system between stones ( some thing like Lego).

Had some really tall steps for ascending but it is manageable !!

Sarada lipi text is seen in one of the tiles

Destroyed by Egyptian king in three phased manner

There is a pond where
Water is procured from Pahalgam 12-14 km away by a water system ( now renovated as mart and canal system)

The main idol of sun god was made of silver.
( we don’t see idol now )

This temple is situated in the Mattan town of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. This temple was constructed by Lalitaditya . During Mughals times they destroyed the temple but still it is a beautiful temple and the architecture of this temple is marvelous. For reaching there you have to hire a local sumo or by own car . You don't have to pay any tickets to go inside the temple .

The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir. One can visit this place on their journey to/from Pahelgam. It dates back to the eighth century AD and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity in Hinduism; Surya is also known by the Sanskrit-language synonym Martand.

The Martand temple was built on top of a plateau from where one can view whole of the Kashmir Valley. The way to reach the temple is also beautiful with a zigzag road. 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 beauty even exists in ruins and you can think about how beautiful it was when it was fully practiced temple! Built in 8th century AD, it is senior to the Konark Sun Temple of Odisha (13th century) and Modera Sun Temple of Gujarat (11th Century). The impressive Martand Sun Temple was built during reign of one of the mightiest emperors of north India, Lalitaditya Muktapida. The Martand Sun Temple stands as his most magnificent creation.

There are no entry fees for this place. It will take 30-45 minutes minimum to visit the whole place, see the sculptures and photography. Many Bollywood films like Aandhi, Hyder etc was shot here.

Most tourists do not visit this still beautiful heritage of our rich history. Many of the local drivers are also unaware about this place. So, tell your driver in advance that you want to go there and you may have to use google maps to reach there.

A must visit place during Kashmir trip.

A very very ancient temple. It's similar to Avantipura on the way. Take a guide, so you will get good information, than just seeing. After all we go by spending so many days and thousands of rupees..better spen a few on guide..it's also helpful for their livelihood. Ofcourse, there are various types of guides and their stories about one place also differs..but we have to have.our own study beforehand ready, that's always better. We got good guide .
MeherBaba and Martand Pahadi:
Near from this Sun Temple is an old **CAVE* on the hill of MARTAND PAHADI. IN WHICH, AVATAR MEHERBABA, THE AVATAR OF THE AGE, HAD DONE STRICT SECLUSION FOR 7 DAYS. He had taken Abdulla Pakarwan with Him , who too did seclusion. There was a stream flowing from pahadi. Baba Himself took handful of water from this zarna and distributed to all mandali while coming down from Martand Pahadi , after seclusion.

Awesome place. Old sun temple ruin in the middle of apple cherry almond trees with a backdrop of snow capped himalayas and fields of saffron. The beauty of the place is stunning.

A site that is still not visited as much as it ought to be. Do make it a point to visit it during your Kashmir trip, especially if you go to Pahalgam, as the temple can be covered en route. The amazing thing is that as much of of the temple lies under the ground as above it, which speaks of the magnificence of the temple during its prime. There are guides on site who inform you about the history and significance of the temple for a fee of Rs 200, though I've also heard from others that there aren't supposed to be additional charges for the tours. Hence, a little more clarification and organization can go a long way.

This temple complex was built in the 8th century but now lies in ruins, waiting for its certain revival. A very similar temple (ruins), also in Kashmiri architecture is found at Naranag in Kashmir. A must visit place for visitors to Kashmir.