KASHMIR, INDIA, October 12, 2005: Kashmir’s earthquake smashed a region dotted with centuries-old Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist monuments, but most survived without major damage, archaeological officials say. One famed Hindu temples is the 200 B.C. Shankaracharya temple. The stone temple, dedicated to Siva, suffered no damage. “There has been no major damage reported to monuments around the state,” said a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India. The bulk of Kashmir’s cultural and religious heritage is the Indian held part, around the Srinagar Valley, which for centuries was the most populous and influential part of the region. There are relatively few monuments in the Pakistani side, and their fate was not immediately known because of lack of communications following widespread devastation there.
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