It
is located at 1100 ft. above surface level of the main
city on the Shankaracharya hill. The Shiva temple, as
Kalhana believes, was constructed by Raja Gopadatya
in 371 B.C. and, as such, is the oldest shrine in Kashmir,
though it is not certain if the temple exists in the
same form as it had been built more than two thousands
years ago.
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The
first repair of the temple is believed to have been undertaken
during the reign of Lalitaditya in the eighth century
A.D. According to the historian Shrivara, Zain-ul-Abideen
conducted second repairs of the temple after it had been
damaged in an earthquake. The third time repair was undertaken
during the Governorship of Sheikh Mohi-ud-Din when the
temple is believed to have been named as Shankaracharya.
Dogra ruler, Maharaja Gulab Singh, constructed stone stairs
upto the temple. In 1925, the temple was electrified.
The temple, besides a prominent Hindu religious place,
is of great archaeological importance. The temple commands
a magnificient panoramic view of the Srinagar City. |
