SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU Excelsiordaily Established 1965 Emperor Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Autar Mota MARTAND SUN TEMPLE Lalitaditya established many cities and towns . " If I had sent against you the King of King Lalitaditya built the Martand Sun These could be listed as under:- Kashmir on whose royal threshold the other Celebrations at CRPF alitaditya Muktapida (r.c. 724 CE-760 Temple in Kashmir on the plateau near Mattan 1. Sunishchita-pura. rulers of Hind had placed their heads, who sways CE) was a powerful Kayastha ruler of the town in South Kashmir. The location of the tem- 2. Darpita-pura. the whole of Hind, even the countries of Makran LKarkota dynasty of Kashmir . Kalhana , ple proves the skill and expertise of Kashmiri 3. Phala-pura. and Turan, whose chains a great many noblemen commando's house the 12th century chronicler ,calls him universal artisans of the period. It is said that from this M. A. Stein has identified this place with near and grandees have willingly placed on their monarch or the conqueror of the world, crediting on of the soil and a courageous CoBRA com- temple, one could see the entire Lidder valley present-day Shadipura town in Kashmir. knees." him with far-reaching conquests from Central and the Shikhara of the demolished 4. Parnotsa. The king of Kashmir referred to here is none mando of the CRPF, constable Rakeshwar Asia to shores of Arbian sea in India. According Vijeyshawara Shrine near the present-day M. A. Stein has identified this place as pres- other than Lalitaditya. SSingh Manhas was released by Naxal insur- to Kalhana, Lalitaditya defeated King Bijbihara town. The Martand Sun Temple is ent-day Poonch town. In her book ' The Penguin History of Early gents from their captivity. The happy news has not Yashovarman of Kannauj, and then marched to enclosed in a courtyard of columns and arches 5. Lokapunya. India ', Romila Thapar writes this :- only given a respite and relief to the countrymen eastern and southern parts of India. Art historian , forming the covered passage all round it. The M. A. Stein has identified this place as pres- " Kashmir had come into prominence with Hermann Goetz writes that Lalitaditya's kingdom temple has 84 carved pillars many of which lie ent-day Lokabhavana town in the Kashmir valley. Lalitaditya of the Karkota dynasty in the eighth who otherwise are indignantly shocked at the mar- stretched from the Hindu Kush mountains in broken. Exquisite images carved on stones were Apart from this, Lalitaditya also built the century , and through gradual expansion and con- tyrdom of our 22 brave hearts on account of three modern day Afghanistan to Assam, Rajasthan, used in the construction of this imposing Sun Muktasvamin shrine at Hushkapura ( present-day quest it had come to control part of north-western pronged treacherous attack in ambush on a patrol Gujarat, and parts of Central India and even to Temple. King Lalitaditya was a sun worshipper Ushkur ). The shrine had many idols of Vishnu India and the Punjab.Lalitaditya , ruling Kashmir party of the CRPF by Naxals at Tekalgura - some parts of southern India. Lalitaditya went up and a follower of the Vaishnava cult devoted to made of gold and silver. He also built a large in the eighth century , took his armies briefly into Junagadha village in Chattisgarh but has provided to the shores of the Caspian sea and crossed the worship of Keshva Vishnu. Accordingly, Vihara with Stupa at Hushkapura (present day the Ganges Plain, and also stopped Arabs forces Pamirs. He marched to Tibet and China. many three-faced Vishnu and some Chaturbhuja Ushkur ) . The remains of this Stupa and Shiva from overrunning the Punjab." a tremendous reason of joy and relief to his family Wherever he went, he proved victorious. Vishnu figures were prominently carved on the shrine have also been discovered by archaeolo- Unfortunately, history books have ignored members amidst an element of uncertainty and The art historian , Hermann Goetz writes:- walls of this temple. Most of these images are gists. Kashmir's glorious emperor Lalitaditya even fears in respect of the safety of Rakeshwar " Lalitaditya had to make use of artists from disfigured due to neglect and weathering. A cen- Lalitaditya's queen, Kamalavati established Muktapida. He does not find proper and much- Singh. In the attack by the heavily armed Naxals, wherever he could find them, and in an empire tral water tank with narrow water channels can be Kamalhatta where she built a shrine that had idols deserved space in our history books. Lalitaditya extending from Bengal to the borders of Arab seen on the ground to this day. In the right panel of Kamala-Keshava. Kalhana mentions that brought many skilled artisans , artists philoso- thirty jawans too had been injured besides in search of the eastern wall of the ante-chamber of this Lalitaditya also built the present temple structures phers and scholars to Kashmir wherever he could operations, Rakeshwar Singh was found missing. caliphate and from Central India to the borders of China proper, these artists had needs to be of temple, an image of Aruna ( sun god) carved ele- at Wangath and made huge offerings at the shrine. find them. The ancestors of Abhinavgupta , a For the release of the constable, the insurgents had many nations and traditions. This possibly was gantly was faintly visible when I saw it in 1998. In Kashmir, some more ancient shrines, temples renowned philosopher and Shiaivacharya, came laid the condition of a mediator by the Government the reason behind heterogeneous styles and ele- PARIHASAPURA and Viharas are also believed to have been built to Kashmir at the invitation of this illustrious Lalitaditya founded the township of during the rule of Lalitaditya Muktapida. king. Al-Biruni mentions a Kashmiri King Muttai ments in Kashmiri art assimilating elements of which was done hence the release without any Parihasapura on a plateau near Srinagar city . LALITADITYA IN CHACHNAMA OF having defeated Momin, the governor of Gandharan, Gupta, Chinese, and even Syrian- delay. Safe release of the constable, therefore, has This township had many temples with images of SINDH Bukhara. Muttai is most probably Lalitaditya Byzantine origin." turned the otherwise gloomy and apprehensive fam- Vishnu, Shiva, and Buddha. According to the Chach-nama also known as the Fateh-nama Muktapida. Muttai appears to be the Lalitaditya is now accepted as the most pow- verses, 136 to 216 from Taranga fourth of Sindh (story of the conquest of Sindh), and in Apabhramsha form of the word "Muktapida". I ily members into a sort of festivities and celebrat- erful king of his dynasty. He built the largest ing the event. Not only the family members, relatives Kalhana's Rajtarangini (R. S. Pandit 's transla- Arabic as Tareekh al-Hind wa a's-Sind (History of end this brief write up on Lalitaditya with lines empire after Ashoka. He is believed to have driv- tion), the temples in this township complex had India and Sindh) is one of the main sources for the from the poem ' History ' composed by well of the family and neighbours were seen rejoicing en away the Arabs from north-western India and images of Parihaskeshwa, Mukta Keshwa, and history of Sindh in the seventh to eighth centuries known Bulgarian poet , Nikola Vaptsarov. I quote but for that matter, everyone would go in for jubi- conquered 'Tokharistan (North Hindukush) to Goverdhanadhara all done in shining silver and C.E. Written in Arabic and later translated into some lines from the poem:- lation for getting our jawan back, safe and control the international trade routes from gold with a Garuda (an emblem of Vishnu). Persian, the Chach-nama takes its name from Raja "History, will you mention us in your faded Tokharistan to China by repeatedly defeating the unharmed. Further,Verses 201 and 202 from the fourth Chach of Sindh, whose son Raja Dahir stood against scroll? then powerful Tibet. He checkmated China with Taranga of Kalhana's Rajtaringini explicitly men- the Arabs under Mohammad bin Qasim. Chach- For the hardship and affliction The family members who not only were increas- his diplomacy A conqueror, builder , lover of fine tion that 84000 Tolas of gold were used for the nama narrates the Arab incursions into Sindh of the we do not seek rewards, ingly worried and even had protested for his early arts , a tolerant king who commissioned a num- statue of Mukta Keshwa and an equal silver by 7th -8th centuries A.D. It chronicles the Chacha nor do we want our pictures release, perhaps nursing the notion that the ber of shrines in Kashmir, including the now- weight was used for the statue of Parihaskeshwa. Dynasty's period up to the Arab conquest of Sindh in the calendar of years. Government was not doing more for his release, ruined Martand Sun Temple . He also established The statue of Goverdhandhara was also cast in by Muhammad bin Qasim in 8th century A.D. A Just tell our story simply several towns, including a new capital at however, have thanked the Prime Minister, the pure silver. The flattened walls and ruins of the letter written by Raja Dahir of Sindh finds a place in to those we shall not see, Parihasapura. He constructed massive edifices Raj Vihara and the Buddhist Chaitya can be still Chach-nama. There is a passage in this letter that tell those who will replace us - Home Minister and the media. The issue is not what which have challenged the vagaries of time and identified on the ground.