Shankaracharya Temple also known as the Jyesteshwara temple. The sacred temple of Shankaracharya occupies the top of the hills known as Takht-I-Sulaiman in the southeast of Srinagar.
Shankaracharya Temple, assumed to be built by Jaluka, the son of Emperor Ashoka around 200 BC, is an ancient shrine located on the mount Shankaracharya Hill (Takht-e-Suleiman) in Srinagar. This site, situated at a height of about 1100 feet above the city, is believed to be a sacred one and offers splendid view of the down valley and the snowy mountains of the Pir Panjal range. Local folks tell a story that saint Shankaracharya spent some of his time at this site during his visit to Kashmir to revitalize Sanatan Dharma. Shankaracharya Temple, constructed on an elevated octagonal plane, can be reached through a flight of steps bounded by side-walls. The inner sanctum adorns a modern ceiling and many inscriptions in Persian.
Before this date, the temple was known as Gopadri, as an earlier edifice on the same site was built by king Lalitaditya in the 6th century AD. In fact, the road below the hill, with residences of high- ranking State Government officials, is still known as Gupkar road. Built on a high octagonal plinth and approached by a flight of steps with sidewalls that once bore inscriptions, the main surviving shrine consists of a circular cell. It overlooks the Valley and can be approached by a motorable road. A modern ceiling covers the inner sanctum and an inscription in Persian traces its origin to the reign of Emperor Shah Jehan. The original ceiling was dome- shaped and the brick roof, it appears, is not more than a century old.