Fact Check: Plundering of Somnath and other Hindu temples
Temple destructions in ancient and medieval India were not primarily a religious phenomenon
Campaign around Ram Temple, i.e. the demolition of Babri Masjid paid rich electoral dividends to the BJP, and also to its parent RSS. Kashi and Mathura are in the line. A new front has now been opened with Somnath Swabhiman Parv (Somnath Self pride Festival)…
Speaking on the occasion with full religious regalia, our non-biological Prime Minster stated two things, directly and subtly. One that Somnath Temple stood as the symbol of glory of India, the Muslim kings attacked it repeatedly, but it kept coming back in its greater glory. Mahmood Ghazni demolished it in 1026 and plundered it 17 times. The second point he made was directed against the Congress party, more particularly Jawaharlal Nehru who is the present PM’s pet hate persona, as being opposed to it’s rebuilding.
It is doubtful if any place of worship can be the symbol of any nation. The most important part of religion has been its’ moral values as the Father of the Nation, Gandhi, taught us. As far as Mahmood Ghazni is concerned he did plunder it. His Court historians highlighted that he did it for religious purposes as idol worship is not permitted in Islam. Persian sources Al-Utabi and Al-Baruni, call Somath as treasure house. In this theory, the major loophole is that if idol destruction was his aim, why did he spare so many idols which were on the way from Gazna to Somnath?
Also Read: How Historians Created Villains Out Of India’s Tolerant Legacy
Mahmood Ghazni might have many motives behind this raid on Somnath. The primary was wealth; it was among the rich temples of India. As per Romila Thapar (History of Ancient India, Penguin) it had wealth equivalent to 20000 golden dinars (Coins). There are no definitive sources to establish that he plundered it 17 times. This is a popular myth. The wealth he plundered was loaded on many elephants and taken to Gazna. Mahmood’s army had many Hindu Generals, like Tilak, Sondhi, Harzan and Hind, as per Tarikhe Bayaki. Mahmood’s successor Masood sent his army under the leadership of Tilak, one of the generals of his army, to central Asia to plunder wealth from a mosque.
Ghazni appointed one of the local Hindu kings as his governor as he left Somnath. He also issued coins with Sanskrit words on that. More so King Anandpal of Thaneshwar helped him by sending elephants and soldiers etc.
Temple destructions in ancient and medieval India were not primarily a religious phenomenon. Richard Eaton in his research on temple destructions in pre–Mughal India tells us that in fight between two Hindu kings the victor Hindu King used to demolish the Kuldevata (clan god) idol of defeated king and install his own Kuldevata there. In the fight between Khilji and Abdul Fath Dawood of Multan a masjid was destroyed. Associating religion with the Kings began with the British who introduced communal historiography in India to pursue the policy of ‘divide and rule’. Beginning with James Mill’s book on History of India to Elliot and Dawsons’ multivolume, ‘History of India as told by her Historians’. Religion was the central marker of Kings rule.
Modi’s politics is opening this new divisive front and trying to tie in Nehru also in the narrative. He is projecting as if Nehru was opposed to rebuilding of Somnath. That’s a lie. The matter came up when Gandhi was alive and he categorically stated that state funds should not be used for building of the temple. This is what Supreme Court few years ago opined when Ram Temple was being planned. Gandhi, Nehru and Patel were unanimous on this. In the prayer meeting on 28 November 1947, he stated that Junagadh Government cannot give any state funds for building of the temple.
Also Read: Deeper Look: How Muslim rulers aided and built Hindu temples
Gandhi asked Sardar Patel whether any funds were being given to the building of Somnath Temple. Patel replied that till I am alive, no such thing will happen and that donations for rebuilding will be collected from the public. Accordingly, a trust was formed with Sardar Patel as Chairman and with K.M. Munshi and Gadgil, as trustees which completed the task of building the temple.
The false propaganda does not stop here. Then comes the inauguration of the temple. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was invited to inaugurate the temple. He asked Nehru about it. In a letter to Nehru, Rajendra Prasad on 2nd March 1951 said that he wants to go to inaugurate the temple in his personal capacity. Nehru said if he wants to go, he has no objection. Same thing Nehru stated to C. Rajagopalachari on 11th March 1951. (As per Piyush Babele)
Piyush Babele clarifies the whole truth based on evidence. He also takes a dig at the present PM, as to why the then President Ramnath Kovind and Draupadi Murmu were not invited in the events related to Ram Temple. Clearly these two Presidents were not invited for Ram Temple foundation and inauguration as one was a Dalit and another an Adivasi!
In a supplementary on History, Ajit Dobhal, who has been holding the high post of National Security Advisor (NSA), on the occasion of inauguration of a youth festival in Delhi gave the advice which is very retrograde. As per him, "our temples were plundered, our villages were ransacked so it is time now to take revenge for this!"
Doesn't he aware that revenge is not a part of the modern legal system. It is the stuff from the medieval times. For every crime the guilty should be punished and the innocent should be given protection. So for the alleged crimes he is mentioning the revenge is to be taken against whom? For temple destruction by Muslim and Hindu kings, who should be taken revenge on?
Also Read: Handover Jagannath Temple to Buddhists to 'undo past wrongs'
There are atrocities of history which he did not mention. The Buddha Vihar were destroyed, Jain temples were smashed, atrocities against Dalits and women were the norm. There was the tradition of Sati, burning women alive on the funeral pyre of her husband. Who should take revenge for all this?
History is not a tool to divide the society and perpetuate the injustices of the past. It is there to show us what wrongs have happened in the past which should not happen again. We need to march towards a just society where all live the life of dignity and respect. A society where all of us enjoy equal citizenship rights.
[The writer, Ram Puniyani, is former Professor IIT Bombay.]
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