Payar (Payach) Shiva Temple

Payar Shiva Temple, also known as Payach Temple, is a remarkable 10th-century monolithic stone shrine situated in Payar village, Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir. Famous among historians as the 'Ten-Stoned Temple', the entire miniature structure is crafted out of just ten colossal carved stones fitted together seamlessly. Built in the Sarvatobhadra style (open on four sides) with trefoil arches and a double-pyramidal roof, the temple sanctum houses a fine Shiva Lingam. The doorway tympanums feature exquisitely carved reliefs of Shiva as Nataraja, Lakulisa, and Gajantaka. It is an ASI-protected Monument of National Importance.