Hari Parbat (), also called Koh-i-Maran (), is a hill overlooking Srinagar, the largest city and the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the site of a fort, built by the Durrani Empire, and of a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s, and

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

. The Indian government on 15 August 2021 (the 75th independence day) hoisted a 100 feet tall

Indian flag The national flag of India, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of India saffron, white and India green; with the ', a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form ...

on the top of the fort.

Durrani Fort

The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Akbar in 1590 who built an outer wall for the fort as part of his plans for a new capital at the site of modern-day Srinagar city in Kashmir. The project, however, was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the reign of the Governor of Kashmir Province of the Durrani Empire, Atta Mohammed Khan. The fort can be reached via two sides of the city, (a) via Rainawari through Kathi Darwaza Gate and (b) via Hawal through the Sangin Darwaza Gate. The fort was closed for almost 2 decades and thrown open to the public in 2007.

Hindu temple

Hari Parbat is considered sacred by some

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region l ...

s. According to Brahmin Mythology, the area of Hari Parbat was occupied by Asura Jalobhava. The local Hindus prayed to Parvati (Shiva's consort) for help. She took the form of a bird and dropped a pebble on the Asura's head, which grew larger and larger until it crushed the demon. Hari Parbat is revered as that pebble, and Parvati is worshipped as Sharika (as cosmic energy pervading the universe) occupying the middle part of the western slope of the hill where there is a temple of

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and r ...

, who is worshipped there under the name Jagadamba Sharika Bhagawati (or, simply, Sharika). She is depicted as having 18 arms and sitting in Shri Chakra.

Muslim shrines

The southern side of Hari Parbat features Makhdoom Sahib, the shrine of

Hamza Makhdoom Hamza Makhdoom, popularly known as Makhdoom Sahib (c. 1494 – c. 1576), was a Sufi mystic living in Kashmir. He is sometimes referred to as Mehboob-ul-Alam (literally, "beloved of the world") and Sultan-ul-Aarifeen (literally, "king among tho ...

, a 16th-century Kashmiri Sufi saint locally known as Hazrat Sultan and Sultan-ul-Arifeen. Built below the fort is a mosque dedicated to

Shah Badakhshi Mullah Shah Badakhshi, popularly known as Mullah Shah was a 17th-century Muslim Sufi, and spiritual successor of the famous Sufi saint Mian Mir (1550 – 1635). He was born to a Qazi in the village of Araska in the Rustaq area of Badakhshan ( ...

, a 17th-century

Qadiri The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

Sufi saint. The mosque was built by Mughal princess

Jahanara Begum Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal Empire, Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child o ...

Gurdwaras

Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi at Kathi Darwaza, Rainwari, is believed to be the place where

Guru Har Gobind Gurū Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644), revered as the ''sixth Nānak'', was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of ...

, the sixth

Sikh guru The Sikh gurus ( Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the found ...

, stayed for few days while travelling through Kashmir. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev is a place where

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated w ...

sat and had discourse with people in early sixteenth century. It was earmarked with a pedestal by Mohammad Ata Khan, a general of Akbar who built the Durrani Fort. A small Gurdwara was later built at the place by Guru Har Gobind.

Gallery

HariParbat.jpg, Hari Parbat from Dal Lake, Srinagar. Hari Parbat, Srinagar, J&K.jpg, Hari Parbat as seen from downtown Srinagar, Kashmir. Ancient Temple-Hari Parbat.JPG, Sharika Temple Ancient Temple-Hari Parbat-2.JPG, Sharika Temple Wooden windows of Hari Parbat Temple.JPG, Wooden windows of Hari Parbat Temple Sheikh Hamza Makhdum Shrine2.JPG, Shrine of Hamza Makhdoom, Srinagar. Kathi Darwaza rainawari.jpg, Kathi Darwaza – Main outer entrance to Fort View of the Hari Parbat Temple from the Stairs.jpg, View of the temple from the stairs Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi.jpg, Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi, Rainawari Hari Parvat.jpg, Hari Parvat Hari parbat1.jpg, Mata Temple WLM@J%26K-Kathi Darwaza.jpg, Kathi Darwaza

References

External links

A Video Presentation on Hari Parbat Temple
{{Hindu Temples in Jammu and Kashmir Hills of India Hills of Jammu and Kashmir Hindu temples in India Hindu temples in Jammu and Kashmir Forts in India Forts in Jammu and Kashmir Tourist attractions in India Tourist attractions in Srinagar Buildings and structures in India Buildings and structures in Srinagar