5 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Kashmir’s Forgotten Temple? Shivlings and Ancient Idols Found Beneath Sacred Spring

A routine restoration of the Karkoot Nag spring in the Salia area of Aishmuqam, Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir, has yielded a cache of ancient Hindu idols, including 11 intricately carved Shivlings.

Unearthed by Public Works Department labourers, the find has swiftly been hailed as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in the Valley in decades. Preliminary assessments by the Department of Archives, Archaeology & Museums (DAAM) suggest the stone artefacts date back to the Karkota dynasty (c. 625 – 855 CE)—a period revered for its flourishing temple architecture and scholarship.

As scholars rush to the Shri Pratap Singh (SPS) Museum in Srinagar to study the newly recovered treasures, locals are calling for the reconstruction of a shrine on the historic site.

What Is a Shivling?

Before delving deeper into the discovery, it is vital to understand the artefact at its heart—the Shivling (also written Shivalinga or Lingam). In Hinduism, a Shivling is a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities of the Trimurti (the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

Iconography: Typically crafted from stone, crystal or metal, the Shivling consists of a smooth, rounded pillar (linga) resting in a circular base (yoni). Together they symbolize the union of cosmic masculine and feminine energies, embodying creation, preservation and dissolution.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Ritual significance: Devotees pour water, milk, honey or ghee over the linga in daily worship known as abhishekam, invoking purification and divine blessings.

Ancient stone idols, including intricately carved Shivlings, unearthed during spring restoration work at Karkoot Nag in Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir. | Credit: PTI Photo
Ancient stone idols, including intricately carved Shivlings, unearthed during spring restoration work at Karkoot Nag in Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir. | Credit: PTI Photo

Historical reach: Archaeological records trace Shivling worship back more than 2,000 years; however, artistic depictions flourished during early medieval dynasties such as the Karkotas and later the Cholas, often featuring elaborate panchayatana (five-shrine) temple layouts.

Understanding the Shivling’s spiritual weight underscores why its discovery in situ—rather than in a museum display case—resonates so deeply with Kashmiri Pandits and wider Hindu communities.

Details of the Karkoot Nag Excavation

The spring restoration began under a government-funded heritage-revival programme aimed at reclaiming neglected water bodies across Jammu & Kashmir. While desilting the spring’s bed, labourers hit a stone slab that concealed 15 artefacts: 11 intact Shivlings, a partially broken temple-pillar sculpture and three deity panels thought to depict multi-armed forms of Shiva, Vishnu and possibly Shakti. Work halted immediately as DAAM officials secured the site.

Initial visual analysis indicates the idols were deliberately buried, likely to protect them during waves of conflict that swept the Valley between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. Carbon-dating and petrographic tests scheduled at the SPS Museum will refine their chronology and pinpoint the quarry sources of the stone.

Historical Context: The Karkota Dynasty

The Karkota rulers transformed Kashmir into a cosmopolitan hub of art and Tantra-inspired theology. King Lalitaditya Muktapida (r. c. 724–760 CE) erected monumental temples, including Martand Sun Temple, and promoted Sanskrit scholarship. The stylistic motifs on the newly found idols—fluted pedestals, lotus medallions and elongated jaṭāmukuṭa (matted-hair crowns)—mirror Karkota aesthetics, strengthening the hypothesis of an eighth-century origin.

Ancient stone idols, including intricately carved Shivlings, unearthed during spring restoration work at Karkoot Nag in Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir. | Credit: PTI Photo
Ancient stone idols, including intricately carved Shivlings, unearthed during spring restoration work at Karkoot Nag in Anantnag district, Jammu & Kashmir. | Credit: PTI Photo

Preservation and Community Response

All artefacts have been transferred to SPS Museum’s climate-controlled conservation wing, where curators will document, photograph and 3-D scan each piece. Once stabilized, the Shivlings will form the centrepiece of a new permanent gallery on Kashmir’s early medieval period. Local Kashmiri Pandit associations have petitioned the government to rebuild a modest temple near the spring, proposing that replicas—rather than the originals—be installed for worship to balance religious sentiment with heritage conservation.

Why the Discovery Matters

Academic value: The find offers rare, datable material to study regional variations in Shivling iconography.

Cultural reconnection: It rekindles interest among displaced Kashmiri Pandits eager to revive pilgrimage circuits.

Tourism potential: Coupled with Baramulla’s recent river-bed Shivling recovery, Anantnag could anchor a heritage trail linking multiple archaeological sites.

Conservation spotlight: The event underscores the importance of preventive archaeology during every infrastructure project in a heritage-rich landscape.

The unearthing of Shivlings and associated idols at Karkoot Nag spring is more than an archaeological headline; it is a bridge between Kashmir’s storied past and its contemporary quest for cultural revival.

As experts decode the stones’ secrets and policymakers weigh restoration proposals, the discovery stands as a timeless reminder of the Valley’s pluralistic legacy—one that, like the Shivling itself, unites creation and continuity in a single, enduring form.

Related Articles

Beer remains that are 9,000 years old have been discovered in China’s unique Hu pots

3 September 2021

3 September 2021

Archaeologists in southeast China have discovered evidence of beer consumption in ceramic vessels at the burial site called Qiaotou. The...

Rare Celtic Helmet Unearthed in Poland, the Oldest Ancient Helmet Ever Uncovered in the Country

9 September 2024

9 September 2024

Archaeologists have discovered a rare Bronze helmet from the 4th century BC, along with 300 Celtic treasures, including axes, spearheads,...

A sanctuary for Cult God Mithras discovered in Germany

13 April 2023

13 April 2023

A place of worship for the Roman god of light, Mithras, was discovered during archaeological excavations in Trier, in southwestern...

This summer, a 2,000-year-old “thermopolium” fast-food restaurant in Pompeii will reopen to the public

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

Archaeologists excavated a 2000-year-old fast food and drink counter “termopolium” on the streets of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii...

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Table Discovered in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

7 September 2024

7 September 2024

A strip of wood discovered in the ruins of Fujiwara Palace in Nara Prefecture turned out to be part of...

Rare 832 copper coins from the Portuguese era unearthed in Goa, India

11 November 2023

11 November 2023

In Sattari, Nanoda, in the state of Goa on the west coast of India, 832 copper coins that are believed...

Secrets of the Galloway Hoard Revealed

27 May 2021

27 May 2021

Experts have uncovered fascinating secrets of a Viking Age hoard discovered by a metal detector to be presented to the...

New research determines portable toilets of the ancient Roman world

11 February 2022

11 February 2022

New research published today reveals how archeologists can determine when a pot was used by Romans as a portable toilet,...

A rare 3,300-year-old wooden yoke found in northern Italy

30 October 2023

30 October 2023

After eight years of complex excavation, recovery, and restoration, a rare 3,300-year-old wooden yoke discovered in a Late Bronze Age...

A Sunken Land of Life and Intelligence: The Lost World of Homo Erectus Resurfaces After 140,000 Years

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

Archaeologists discover ancient human fossils and extinct megafauna on the seafloor of the Madura Strait, revealing that Homo erectus once...

Underneath an Illegal Excavation House, a Subterranean City Is Revealed!

25 June 2021

25 June 2021

Upon the information that illegal excavations were carried out in a house in the İscehisar district of Afyonkarahisar in western...

Excavations of Aççana Mound, the Capital of the Mukish Kingdom, Continue

16 July 2021

16 July 2021

2021 excavations have started at Aççana Höyük, the old city of Alalah, in Hatay’s Reyhanlı district. The ancient city of...

Roman-era Pottery Workshop discovered in Alexandria

29 April 2022

29 April 2022

The Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a Roman-era pottery workshop at the site of Tibet Mutawah, west of Alexandria. The researchers...

Extraordinary discovery for the Western Baltic Sea region: a 400-year-old shipwreck Found at Bottom of German River

3 August 2022

3 August 2022

During a routine measurement at Trave, near Lübeck, in the northern part of Germany,  Kiel-Holtenau Waterways and Shipping Authority (Wasserstraßen-...

World’s Smallest Stegosaurus Track Found

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The smallest trace of stegosaurus in the world that lived 155 million years ago was found. Stegosaurus, a herbivorous dinosaur,...