Avantiswami Temple

Avantiswami Temple was a Hindu temple located in Awantipora in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. There were two temples, one each for Shiva and Vishnu. The temples were built by king Avantivarman of the Utpala dynasty in the 9th century A.D. on the banks of river Jhelum. The temples were destroyed by earthquakes and the site is maintained by Archeological Survey of India.
History.
This aesthetic temple was built by King Awantivarman in the year 853-855 CE. Originally known as Viswasara, the ancient town which was then a capital as well, was founded by King Avantivarman. King Avantivarman was also the founder of the Utpala Dynasty in the 9th century CE. He had built many grand Hindu temples in this region during his reign, only some of which exist today due to vandalism by Islamic invaders. During the reign of King Avantivarman, the region prospered. It gives a glimpse of the impressive stone temple architecture of Kashmir in that era. The temples of Kashmir do look very different from many ancient temples in Kashmir and elsewhere in India.
Kashmir was a centre of the Shaiva religion and philosophy and a seat of Sanskrit learning and literature before Islamic invasions. By the 14th century Kashmir came under Islamic rule. Most of its early temples were deserted or sacked in the early 15th century. Avantipur was established by Avantivarman (ruled 855-83), the founder of Kashmir's Utpala dynasty. Two temples here are attributed to him, the Avantiswami Temple dedicated to Vishnu and the Avantishwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. The Avantiswami is smaller in size but similar in plan to the earlier sun temple at Martand.