Dera Babor Shiva Temple- I- Jammu and Kashmir

Address

Dera Babor Shiva Temple- I Bador, Manwal District, Udhampur Division, Jammu and Kashmir- 182127

Diety

Shiva Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Babor temples house the ruins of 6-temple architecture within a radius of 1km is an imposing site of immense archaeological importance in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple complex of Babor- I, is located at Manwal, District Udhampur of Jammu Division, on Dhar Road, 12 kms from the Lake Mansar towards Udhampur.

Puranic Significance

The construction of Babor temple dates back to 10th and 11th century. These temples have intricately carved figures of god. The carving and sculpting of statutes of gods and goddesses are in ruins. There are other sculptures and statutes like elephant and lions head carved on the pillars of the temple. The most interesting sculptures, sculpted are of Shiva and Parvati. Shiva is shown crowned and three-headed. The statute of Goddess Ganga is the most exquisite of all the statutes in the Babor temple. According to historians the temple complex of Babor is a six stone temple in modern size. Raja Babharvan and his regime constructed the complex of Babor temple. This beautiful temple is a replica of Greeko-Roman influence. The captivating temple of Babor, which was built in the 11th century, recorded the visit of Kirtidhara in Rajtarangini. Kalhana gave the detailed exposition of the visit. Kirtidhara was a ruler of Babhapura, which is now known as Babor. It was in the year of 1087 to 88 A.D. when the rulers of eight principalities of the adjoining areas were invited to Srinagar. The local folktales state that these temples belong to the times of Mahabharata. During those times a powerful state had Babor as its capital. King Baboruvahan was the ruler of this powerful state and also a grandson of the Pandu brothers. As Babor temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva therefore Maha Shivratri is celebrated here. The manner in which the festival is celebrated has attracted many followers of Lord Shiva to the temple every year. People of the region believe that the temple has divine and supernatural powers gifted by Lord Shiva. Every year pilgrims come to visit the temple to seek blessings of Lord Shiva and also to pay tribute to him. It is also a popular belief of the local people that people offering puja and arti to Lord Shiva in this temple get rid of their diseases and are showered with wealth and prosperity.