(This post is an excerpt from the Thread discussion we had in our Google Group Forums..)
"பன்னீராயிரம் சிரசறுத்த கலகம்"!!
Aaah!!.. This one reminds me of a similar incident in the history of 'Hindustan'.
Nay much distance from the past of Thiruvarangam, there stands another temple which shares more or less the same fate of Thiruvarangam. But this one has faced much more turmoil than Thiruvarangam has to offer.
It is the Somanatha Temple.
Most of you might have known it by the Ghazni fame.
This tale too is woven with mysterious facts/figures and fictions, that modern historians still find it difficult to cull out the real truth behind the telltale folklores.
Some little facts: ('மதன் பார்வை'யில் இருந்து கொஞ்சம் தள்ளி நின்னு பார்ப்போம்)
The Somanatha Temple is the most destructed temple of India, as far as history has known. It has been destructed/destroyed/desecrated a number of times and was reconstructed again and again. What we see now is the 7th Temple at the same original site. No temple of India has ever been destroyed so many times and rose again from ground.
The First Temple is said to have existed at/before the beginning of the Christian Era. References to this temple can be seen in Rig Veda, MahaBharatha, BhagavatGita, SkandaPurana, Siva Purana etc..
The Second Temple replaced the first one around 649 A.D. (built by the Yadava Kings)
It was destroyed by Junayad, the then Governor of Sind and his Arab army in 725 A.D.. The Third Temple was constructed around 815 A.D, at the same site by NagaBhatta II of Kanauj with large redsand stones.
It was again destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024-1025 A.D. (We shall peek into it in detail, later). The Fourth Temple was rebuilt between 1026 A.D. and 1042 A.D..
It was again destroyed by Allauddin Khilji's army in 1296 A.D. ("fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword", "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors" - was the recorded account). The Fifth Temple rose again in 1308 A.D., under the king of Sourashtra.
It was then again destroyed by Muzafar Shah I - the Sultan of Gujarat in 1375 A.D., then again by Mahmud Begda in 1451 A.D., and then again by Aurangazeb - the Mughal Emperor in 1701 A.D.
Aurangazeb built a Mosque at the very Temple site (This has a significant implication to the modern ongoing political/social scenario).
The Sixth Temple was built by the Queen of Indore around 1783 A.D., adjacent to the mosque.
The Seventh Temple was built/funded by the Government of India in the 1950's, post independence era, initiated by the constant/consistent efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and finished by Shri.K.M. Munshi, the then Food and Civil Supplies Minister of India.
The Seventh Temple was rebuilt on the original site, shifting the Mosque a few miles away (அனுமாரு சஞ்சீவி மலைய அப்டியே அலேக்கா தூக்கி வெச்சா மாறி!).
This Seventh Temple, is what we see as of now.
Now, back to Mahmud of Ghazni.
There are lot of theories regarding why Mahmud is interested in destroying this Particular Temple. A few, worthy of mentioning..
1) It is said that the JyotirLinga (moolavar of Somanatha), is a Swayambu and it is immensely powerful that it hovers in air without any virtual support (it shows the architectural expertise of the Indian architects of that period). So the faith and devotion of the Hindus is so much that, it is practically impossible to erase this religion/race from India. So to doom the Hindu faith and to establish Islam supremacy in India and over other religions, he has to destroy the temple and the main idol. (Not to mention that he has already destroyed thousands of temples and Hindu idols before Somanatha. Hence his title - "Butshikan" - The Idol Breaker).
2) The port of Somanatha known as Veraval is one of the important/wealthiest ports of India at that time. It is because of this port trade flourished and the Temple became far more wealthier. The major imports being Arab horses, which became a big threat to Afghan horses. As an Afghan, Mahmud has to stop this immense wealth being catered to Arab traders. To promote his country's commerce/trade, to loot Somanatha of its wealth and also to curb the HIndu faith (ஒரே கல்லுல மூணு மாங்கா!!!), he devised his invasion.
3) The area in and around Somanatha was densely populated with Isma'ilis and the Shia sect. They were harmonious and living prosperously with the local Hindu people. Being a Sunni, he considered it is his duty to uproot the Shias, whom the Sunnis consider as heretics to Islam.
4) This one is a rather fascinating theory and probably most would not have come around.
The idol (Lingam) was not of Shiva, but of a pre-Islamic Arabian Goddess. The Somanath, when written in Persian is actually 'Su-manat', i.e., the place of Manat. From Quran it is known that Lat, Uzza and Manat were the three pre-Islamic goddesses widely worshiped. Then Prophet Mohammad after establishing Allah as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, ordered the destruction of the shrines/images of these goddesses. Two were destroyed, but Manat was believed to have been secretly passed away to Gujarat and installed in a place of worship (Here comes the Isma'ili and the Shia connection with Somanatha). According to some descriptions, Manat was an iconic block of black stone, so the form could be similar to a Lingam.
To carry out the very orders of the Prophet himself, Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed the Temple and its primary idol.
Either the way, the idol being of Hindu origin or of pre-Islamic origin, he was doubly hailed as the Champion of the Islam.
It is said that Mahmud killed around 50000 Hindu defendants and 50000 Muslim heretics, at the Somnatha incident, taking the toll to hover over a 100 thousand.
The gold looted from the temple was accounted around 6.5 tons!
Saraswati was said to be soaked in blood for weeks to come.
It is said that Mahmud broke the Idol/Lingam into Four pieces and placed one at the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one at the Royal Court, sent the third to Mecca and the Fourth to Medina.
Finally, it is the power of the will and faith, that always keeps a religion/race/faith afloat amidst the changing dimensions of time.
This particular temple has risen like a phoenix, from its own ruins, a number of times.
"By rising from its ashes again, this temple of Somnath will proclaim to the world that no man and no power in the world can destroy that for which people have boundless faith and love in their hearts... Today, our attempt is not to rectify history. Our only aim is to proclaim anew our attachment to the faith, convictions and to the values on which our religion has rested since immemorial ages."
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad
"The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
- K.M. Munshi
One last Bit :-
The Temple is built in such a location that it is the first landmass on the North, from the South Pole. That is the temple is placed in that particular latitude, that it is pointing straight to the core of the South Pole, and there in no land between the Temple and the South Pole, just water. This is inscribed in a pole in Sanskrit, in the Temple and this is true to its all senses, the nearest land mass is 9936 km away straight down the South Pole. It shows the amazing geographical knowledge of the ancient builders.
- திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்.
"பன்னீராயிரம் சிரசறுத்த கலகம்"!!
Aaah!!.. This one reminds me of a similar incident in the history of 'Hindustan'.
Nay much distance from the past of Thiruvarangam, there stands another temple which shares more or less the same fate of Thiruvarangam. But this one has faced much more turmoil than Thiruvarangam has to offer.
It is the Somanatha Temple.
Most of you might have known it by the Ghazni fame.
This tale too is woven with mysterious facts/figures and fictions, that modern historians still find it difficult to cull out the real truth behind the telltale folklores.
Some little facts: ('மதன் பார்வை'யில் இருந்து கொஞ்சம் தள்ளி நின்னு பார்ப்போம்)
The Somanatha Temple is the most destructed temple of India, as far as history has known. It has been destructed/destroyed/desecrated a number of times and was reconstructed again and again. What we see now is the 7th Temple at the same original site. No temple of India has ever been destroyed so many times and rose again from ground.
The First Temple is said to have existed at/before the beginning of the Christian Era. References to this temple can be seen in Rig Veda, MahaBharatha, BhagavatGita, SkandaPurana, Siva Purana etc..
The Second Temple replaced the first one around 649 A.D. (built by the Yadava Kings)
It was destroyed by Junayad, the then Governor of Sind and his Arab army in 725 A.D.. The Third Temple was constructed around 815 A.D, at the same site by NagaBhatta II of Kanauj with large redsand stones.
It was again destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024-1025 A.D. (We shall peek into it in detail, later). The Fourth Temple was rebuilt between 1026 A.D. and 1042 A.D..
It was again destroyed by Allauddin Khilji's army in 1296 A.D. ("fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword", "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors" - was the recorded account). The Fifth Temple rose again in 1308 A.D., under the king of Sourashtra.
It was then again destroyed by Muzafar Shah I - the Sultan of Gujarat in 1375 A.D., then again by Mahmud Begda in 1451 A.D., and then again by Aurangazeb - the Mughal Emperor in 1701 A.D.
Aurangazeb built a Mosque at the very Temple site (This has a significant implication to the modern ongoing political/social scenario).
The Sixth Temple was built by the Queen of Indore around 1783 A.D., adjacent to the mosque.
The Seventh Temple was built/funded by the Government of India in the 1950's, post independence era, initiated by the constant/consistent efforts of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and finished by Shri.K.M. Munshi, the then Food and Civil Supplies Minister of India.
The Seventh Temple was rebuilt on the original site, shifting the Mosque a few miles away (அனுமாரு சஞ்சீவி மலைய அப்டியே அலேக்கா தூக்கி வெச்சா மாறி!).
This Seventh Temple, is what we see as of now.
Now, back to Mahmud of Ghazni.
There are lot of theories regarding why Mahmud is interested in destroying this Particular Temple. A few, worthy of mentioning..
1) It is said that the JyotirLinga (moolavar of Somanatha), is a Swayambu and it is immensely powerful that it hovers in air without any virtual support (it shows the architectural expertise of the Indian architects of that period). So the faith and devotion of the Hindus is so much that, it is practically impossible to erase this religion/race from India. So to doom the Hindu faith and to establish Islam supremacy in India and over other religions, he has to destroy the temple and the main idol. (Not to mention that he has already destroyed thousands of temples and Hindu idols before Somanatha. Hence his title - "Butshikan" - The Idol Breaker).
2) The port of Somanatha known as Veraval is one of the important/wealthiest ports of India at that time. It is because of this port trade flourished and the Temple became far more wealthier. The major imports being Arab horses, which became a big threat to Afghan horses. As an Afghan, Mahmud has to stop this immense wealth being catered to Arab traders. To promote his country's commerce/trade, to loot Somanatha of its wealth and also to curb the HIndu faith (ஒரே கல்லுல மூணு மாங்கா!!!), he devised his invasion.
3) The area in and around Somanatha was densely populated with Isma'ilis and the Shia sect. They were harmonious and living prosperously with the local Hindu people. Being a Sunni, he considered it is his duty to uproot the Shias, whom the Sunnis consider as heretics to Islam.
4) This one is a rather fascinating theory and probably most would not have come around.
The idol (Lingam) was not of Shiva, but of a pre-Islamic Arabian Goddess. The Somanath, when written in Persian is actually 'Su-manat', i.e., the place of Manat. From Quran it is known that Lat, Uzza and Manat were the three pre-Islamic goddesses widely worshiped. Then Prophet Mohammad after establishing Allah as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, ordered the destruction of the shrines/images of these goddesses. Two were destroyed, but Manat was believed to have been secretly passed away to Gujarat and installed in a place of worship (Here comes the Isma'ili and the Shia connection with Somanatha). According to some descriptions, Manat was an iconic block of black stone, so the form could be similar to a Lingam.
To carry out the very orders of the Prophet himself, Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed the Temple and its primary idol.
Either the way, the idol being of Hindu origin or of pre-Islamic origin, he was doubly hailed as the Champion of the Islam.
It is said that Mahmud killed around 50000 Hindu defendants and 50000 Muslim heretics, at the Somnatha incident, taking the toll to hover over a 100 thousand.
The gold looted from the temple was accounted around 6.5 tons!
Saraswati was said to be soaked in blood for weeks to come.
It is said that Mahmud broke the Idol/Lingam into Four pieces and placed one at the Jami Masjid of Ghazni, one at the Royal Court, sent the third to Mecca and the Fourth to Medina.
Finally, it is the power of the will and faith, that always keeps a religion/race/faith afloat amidst the changing dimensions of time.
This particular temple has risen like a phoenix, from its own ruins, a number of times.
"By rising from its ashes again, this temple of Somnath will proclaim to the world that no man and no power in the world can destroy that for which people have boundless faith and love in their hearts... Today, our attempt is not to rectify history. Our only aim is to proclaim anew our attachment to the faith, convictions and to the values on which our religion has rested since immemorial ages."
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad
"The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
- K.M. Munshi
One last Bit :-
The Temple is built in such a location that it is the first landmass on the North, from the South Pole. That is the temple is placed in that particular latitude, that it is pointing straight to the core of the South Pole, and there in no land between the Temple and the South Pole, just water. This is inscribed in a pole in Sanskrit, in the Temple and this is true to its all senses, the nearest land mass is 9936 km away straight down the South Pole. It shows the amazing geographical knowledge of the ancient builders.
- திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்.
Very well described. I was not these facts about the Somnath temple. Thanks a lot for posting this valuable facts.
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