Krimchi Temples

The Krimchi temples are a group of seven ancient Hindu temples beside the Birunala stream in Krimachi village, 12 km from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, locally known as the Pandava Temples. The Archaeological Survey of India dates them to the 8th–9th centuries, built in stages; temples 6 and 7 were damaged centuries ago. Local belief ties them to the heroes of the Mahabharata, and legend names Raja Kichak as the founder of Krimchi.

The group, four large temples and three smaller shrines, ranks among the oldest medieval Hindu temple groups still standing in the western Himalayas. Built in the Nagara style of the Gurjara-Pratihara tradition, they show latina spires, panchratha plans, chaitya-window ornament, raised platforms and pillared halls, adapted with restrained sculpture and heavy sandstone masonry. The main temple, about 15 m tall, is dedicated to several deities including Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu and Parvati, and the group's style closely resembles the classical temples of Kashmir.