Avanti Swami Temple, Awantipora: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Avanti Swami Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

The temple was built by King Avantivarman in the year 853–855 CE. Originally known as Viswasara, the ancient town was also a capital city. Avantivarman was also the founder of Avantipur and of the Utpala dynasty in the 9th century CE. He built many Hindu temples in Kashmir during his reign, which were largely destroyed due to Muslim conquests. During the reign of Avantivarman, the region prospered. The Avantiswami Temple is an example of the stone temple architecture of Kashmir during that era.

Prior to the Muslim conquests, Kashmir was a center of Shaivism and Hindu philosophy, and a seat of Sanskrit learning and literature. By the 14th century, Kashmir had come under Muslim rule, and most of its early temples were deserted or sacked by the early 15th century. Two temples here are attributed to him: the Avantiswami Temple dedicated to Vishnu and the Avantishwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. The Avantiswami is smaller, but similar in planning to the earlier Martand Sun Temple.