Payer Temple is situated at
Payer, about 3 km south of
Pulwama - the administrative headquarters of
Pulwama District. This temple was called Payech temple, by Vigne, Cunningham and other travelers. It is believed that this temple was carved out of a single stone. The temple is dedicated to
Lord Shiva. It has a
shivling with an octagonal base.
Situated at the foot of Karewa, the historical evidences reveal that the temple is built in the 11th century architectural style. This temple is one of the best preserved examples of a medieval Kashmiri shrine. It is 8 ft square internally and 21 ft high, including the base. With a rectangular doorway, the temple is surmounted by a trefoil arch. It has a ring-shaped surface at the top. The bulls with scarves tied to their humps are carved on the trefoil arch springs. Lord Shiva is seated cross-legged on a throne under the canopy of an overhanging tree in the eastern side of the relief. To the northern side there is an idol of Bhairava, the terrible manifestation of Lord Shiva, positioned in front of a long elephant's trunk. The six armed dancing Shiva image is on the western side. A three-headed Shiva along with his consort, Parvati, is seated cross- legged on a wicker-work pedestal on the southern side.
The pyramidal roof is divided into two sections by an ornamental band. The four pediments as well as the apex of the roof are crowned by ribbed melon-like ornaments, two of which are still in existence. This superstructure was built of ten stones only. A resemblance of this on a larger scale is seen in the ceiling of the Pandrethan temple. The specialty of the temple is that it is open on all sides, but is reached only by a single flight of steps on the eastern side.
The Payer temple can be approached from Malangpura, about 3 km away. One can reach Payar from Avantipur by road. The nearest railway station is Jammu Tawi Railway Station and the airport is Srinagar Airport.
