imported>पाटलिपुत्र: A bit misleading as an illustration. This is a statue from Bihar

2021-03-19T08:47:02Z

A bit misleading as an illustration. This is a statue from Bihar

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{{short description|Archaeological site in Jammu and Kashmir, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Parihaspore
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = archaeological site
| image_skyline = Ancient Ruins at Parihaspora 01.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Parihaspur Stupa
| pushpin_map = India Jammu and Kashmir#India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India
| coordinates = {{coord|34|08|N|74|38|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = India
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|Union territory]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Baramulla district|Baramulla]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Tehsil]]
| subdivision_name3 = Pattan
| established_title = Established
| established_date = ~700 CE
| founder = [[Lalitaditya Muktapida]]
| named_for = City of Laughter
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
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| elevation_m =
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
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| population_footnotes =
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
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| footnotes =
}}
'''Parihaspora''' or '''Parihaspur''' or '''Paraspore''' or '''Paraspur ''' was a small town {{convert|22|km}} northwest of [[Srinagar]] in the [[Kashmir]] Valley.<ref name="Kak">{{Cite journal|author=Kak, Ram Chanfra |year=1933 |title=Ancient Monuments of Kashmir |edition=reprint 2002|journal=Indian Art and Letters |publisher=[[Royal India Society|India Society]] |location=London |url=http://ikashmir.net/monuments/doc/monuments.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828155313/http://ikashmir.net/monuments/doc/monuments.pdf |archivedate=28 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was built on a plateau above the [[Jhelum River]].<ref name="Kak" /> It was built by [[Lalitaditya Muktapida]] (695–731) and served as the capital of Kashmir during his reign.

==Name==
The present name of the place, Paraspore,<ref>{{Cite web|author=Jasrotia, Sonia |title=New Discovered Buddhist Heritage of Baramulla District (Kashmir) |url=http://www.saarcculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828153345/http://www.saarcculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202 |archivedate=28 August 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> is a variation of the original Sanskrit name of the city, Parihaspur, which loosely translated would mean a city of laughs or a smiling city. "Parihas" means laughter and "pur" means city.

== History==
It was built by [[Lalitaditya Muktapida]] (695–731) of the Karkota dynasty. He moved his capital from Srinagar to Parihaspur. [[Kalhana]] mentions the construction of the city in his Book 4 cantos 194–204. [[Lalitaditya Muktapida|Lalitaditya]] according to [[Kalhana]] built his residence and four temples in this area. The temples included one for [[Vishnu]] (Muktakeshva) where according to [[Kalhana]] the emperor used 84,000 [[Tola (unit)|tolas]] of gold to make the image of Vishnu. In another temple he used as many Palas of silver for the image of Parihaskesana. He also had made a statue of [[Buddha]] in copper that according to Kalhana "reached up to the sky." The main temple was larger than the famous temple that Lalitaditya built in [[Martand]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Stein, Mark Aurel |author-link=Aurel Stein |year=1879 |title=Kalhana's Rajtarangini: A chronicle of the kings of Kaśmīr |edition=reprint 1979 |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass |location= Delhi |oclc=611093094}} [https://archive.org/stream/RajataranginiOfKalhana-English-JogeshChunderDuttVolumes12/Rajatarangini-JogeshChunderDuttVol2_djvu.txt online version of Kalhana's Rajatarangini in English]</ref>

Parihaspur lost its status as a capital after [[Lalitaditya Muktapida|Lalitaditya's]] death. His son moved the royal residence. The [[Jhelum River]] is to the northeast of Parihaspur as it meets the Sind Nallah at Shadpur sangam. In the past this confluence of the rivers occurred closer to Parihaspur. The change in the course of the river is not natural but was engineered by famous Soya Pandit during Raja Avanti Varman's time (855–883 AD). With the river access gone, the city suffered greatly.

The real destruction occurred when Avanti Varman's son Shankar Varman moved his capital to the new city of Shankarpur.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} According to Kalhana he cannibalized all the "good material" from these temples and palaces to build his city of Shankarpur ([[Pattan]]). Parihaspur however survived the pillage because Kalhana mentions that during the war between King Harsha and Uccala (1089–1101 AD), Uccala took refuge in Parihaspur. King Harsha believing that Uccala was in one of the buildings set the place on fire. He broke and melted down the statues of Parihaspur.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} The final blow to the temples came when [[Sultan Sikandar]] destroyed them completely in the fourteenth century.<ref>Peer Hassan Khoihami ''[[Tarikh-i-Kashmir]]'' Srinagar, 1960</ref><ref>Cunningham A. ''Ancient Geography Of India'' Delhi-1969</ref>

==Present ruins==
[[File:parihaspora.jpg|thumb|Latest picture of Parihaspora ruins]]

Only ruins in the form of large boulders, some ornately carved, and ''in situ'' carved footings are left of the old city now, and the place is commonly known as "Kani Shahar" (City of Stones) to local residents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kashur Encyclopedia (کا۶شر انسیکلو پیڈ یا) Volume One |pages=98–101 |publisher=Jammu And Kashmir Academy Of Art Culture And Languages |location=Srinagar |year=1986}}</ref> Some of the finest examples of the carved figures of seated and standing
[[Atlas (architecture)|atlantes]] have been taken to the Srinagar Museum.<ref name="Kak" /> [[Aurel Stein|M.A.Stein]] first visited the place in 1892 and was able to place each of these constructions based on ruins that he found at that time. Stein also thinks that the village Gurdan near Parihaspur comes from Govardhana. Govardhana dhara is one of the names of [[Vishnu]]. He visited the place again in 1892 and found that many stones that he had seen in 1892 were gone. Apparently Maharaja of [[Kashmir]] was building the Jhelum cart road and using the Parihaspur ruins as road material. Stein approached the British resident at that time for help. He was able to convince the [[Dogra]] king to stop further desecration of the historic temple ruins.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

== Notable people ==
* [[Kalhana]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{-}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Baramulla district]]
[[Category:Medieval cities]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in India]]
[[Category:8th-century Buddhist temples]]

Parihaspore - Revision history

imported>पाटलिपुत्र: A bit misleading as an illustration. This is a statue from Bihar