"
"Ferishta" attributed to Sikander the demolition of all the Kashmirian
temples save one, which was dedicated to Mahadeo, and which only
escaped "in consequence of its foundations being below the surface
of the neighbouring water."
In A.D. 1580, "Abul Fazl" mentions that some of the idolatrous
temples were in "perfect preservation;" and Ferishta describes many
of these temples as having been in existence in his own time, or
about A.D. 1600.
As several are still standing, though more or less injured, it is
certain that Sikander could not have destroyed them all. He most likely
gave orders that they should be overturned; and I have no doubt that
many of the principal temples were thrown down during his reign.
But, besides the ruthless hand of the destroyer, another agency,
less immediate, but equally certain in its ultimate effects, must have
been at work upon the large temples of Kashmir. The silent ravages of
the destroyer, who carries away pillars and stone, for the erection
of other edifices, has been going on for centuries.
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