Temple traditions of Jammu and Kashmir: A historical, postcolonial and heritage perspective

The temple traditions of Jammu and Kashmir constitute one of the most distinctive yet comparatively underrepresented corpora within the broader historiography of South Asian sacred architecture. Located at a geopolitical crossroads linking the Indo-Gangetic plains with Central Asia, Tibet, and the Himalayan highlands, the region historically developed as a zone of intense cultural interaction, artistic synthesis, and political transformation. This article examines the architectural and ideological development of temples in Jammu and Kashmir from the early medieval period through the Dogra era, focusing on monumental complexes such as the Martand Sun Temple, regional temple networks including Avantipur and Krimchi, and the syncretic mural traditions of nineteenth-century Vaishnava shrines at Sui Simbli and Burj. The paper argues that temple architecture in this frontier region functioned not merely as devotional infrastructure but as an instrument of dynastic legitimacy, spatial sovereignty, and plural cultural negotiation. Through the integration of architectural analysis, iconographic interpretation, and postcolonial heritage theory, this study demonstrates how sacred monuments became sites where kingship, identity, and coexistence were continuously articulated and contested. In the contemporary moment, these temples also emerge as fragile and politically charged heritage sites, demanding ethical historiography and inclusive preservation frameworks.