BUNIYAR TEMPLE
Buniyar Temple is situated on the left bank of Jhelum River on Baramulla-Uri Highway.The temple proper is below the road level and probably it was excavated sometime in the early 1920s. The temple stands in the middle of an oblong courtyard and is surrounded by fully developed perstyles having filty-three cells, two of which have openings on the Nothern side, probably enshrining subsidiary Vaishnavite deities. This prehistoric temple was built under the patronage of Lalitaditya Muktapida.
Boniyar Temple is the only exclusive temple built in granite stone of whitish colour. However, due to age and neglect, the Shrine has almost reduced down to dilapidation. The temple has a double-chambered gateway facing both sides with lintels on the closed arches. The entrance and exit ways are formed by the flight of steps on the Eastern and Western sides of the Buniyar temple.The original deity, who seems to have been Lord Vishnu, has now been replaced by a small Shivling .The stone used to construct the ceiling was known as Kanait, analogous to Kanjur of Taxilla. The evidence on a Sharada inscription of Ramadeva bring out the description of the stone structures. It is undoubtedly the best conserved of all the larger Kashmir temples Buniyar temple is about 2 kms from Rampur in Baramulla.
