PATTAN IN HISTORY

Sankaragaurisvar Temple Pattan

Pattan is a small town located on Srinagar Muzafarabad national highway and it is some 27 KMTR’S north of Srinagar .In Kalhana’s Rajtarangni town Pattan is written as “Shankarpora Pattan”. Later Shanankarpora Pattan came to known as “Pattan”. In Sanscrit ‘Pattan’ means ‘water body’. During the kingdom of King Sankarverman, Pattan was the capital of Kashmir.

Pattan was a business centre for wool, livestock and grains. There was a lack of ground routes. So, maximum transportation took place through the water. As Pattan was situated near a water body, it was considered an important business centre.

Parihaspora Pattan

The Sugandesh and Sankaragaurisvar temples located in Pattan (locally known as Paandav Larie) were constructed by King Sankerverman. The temples are about 300 meters apart; both are declared as protected monuments by Archaeological survey of India. King Sankerverman demolished some old temples at Parihaspora and constructed two new temples at Pattan. King Sankerverman copied his father King Avantivarman, who had constructed similar temples at Awantipora.  An interesting point about the temples is that, how they (Pandav) managed to move these massive stones from one place to another? Perhaps they used large logs of wood within water to shift these stones to their respective locations for the construction of temples.

Ruins of   Sugandesh Temple Pattan

Sugandesh temple is at the entry point of town Pattan and Sankaragaurisvar is in the centre of town surrounded by chinars. These temples have a base of about ten feet below the ground. The big stones used in the construction of these temples might have been brought from Manasbal or some adjoining areas.

The Sikh-Nag Pattan

In the northern part of these temples, there was a lake known as “Pumbe Sar” (Lotus Lake). Today there now stands a residential area.

Within the foot-steps of higher secondary Pattan is an ancient spring, designed mysteriously containing some old sculptures, known as “Sikh Naag”. It was discovered during the regime of Maharaja Pratap Singh.

These historical monuments should not only be protected but they should be maintained from time to time. But unfortunately these monuments are a victim of negligence by the archaeological departments of India.  If these buildings are not repaired, there destruction is not away.

Zahid Qayoom Bhat