The Somnath Temple: A Thousand Raids, One Faith

I recently visited the Somnath temple, it was a wonderful experience and I could truly see its historic, cultural and religious significance. In this blog, I aim to explain my experience as a cumulation of different aspects of the temple.

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

Religious and Mythological Values

The Somnath Temple is a hindu temple located in Prabhas Patan, Veraval in Gujarat, India. It holds immense religious value for Hindu. It is believed to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are the most sacred temples of Lord Shiva. It is said that the divine power of Shiva is manifested in a specific form. 

Somnath means ‘moon’ or ‘Lord of the Soma’. Soma or Chandra is the Hindu god of the moon. Multiple hindu texts mention the Somnath Temples, in fact, it tops the list of the Jyotirlingas in Jnana Samhita. The temple is also mentioned in other texts such as Varanasi Mahatmya, Kothirudra Samhita, Shatarudra Samhita and Mahabharata. 

Visiting the temple and offering prayers is believed to erase sins and bring devotees closer to moksha or liberation. The temple is also the centre of cultural festivals such as Mahashivratri, increasing it’s spiritual and cultural significance.  

History

The temple has always been a sacred site due to confluence of three rivers (Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati). It is said that Soma lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Saraswati river in order to regain it. The name of the town Prabhasa means lustre and comes from this tradition. 

The term Someshvara emerged in the ninth century, King Nagabhata II recorded his visit to the temple. It is quite possible that The Solanki King Mularaj built the first temple for Soma before 997 CE, others believed he instead renovated another small temple. 

Somnath temple was one of the richest temples in India, all this changed in 1026. The Turkish Muslim ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided and destroyed the Somnath temple, breaking its jyotirlinga. He stole around twenty million dinars. It is still unclear about the exact situation of the temple post the raid. The raid was performed by Ghazni in order to fulfill the iconoclasm of a true Muslim. 

In 1299, Alaudinn Khalji’s army defeated the Vaghela King Karna and destroyed the temple. Legends say that a gujarati king later recovered the Somnath idol and freed hindu prisoners. 

In 1308, the temple was rebuilt by Mahipala I, Chudasama King  of Saurashtra and the lingam was installed by his son. 

In 1665, Aurangzeb ordered destruction of the temple and in 1705, he ordered its destruction and conversion to a mosque. 

In 1842, in his book Edward Law ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return and bring India the sandalwood gates from Ghazni’s tombs. On the return of the gates, it was found to be native to Ghazni and not of sandalwood and indian design. Hence, it was stored in Agra fort and remains there till this day. 

In November 1947, Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhai Patel ordered the reconstruction of the temple. 

Ruins were pulled in 1950 and the mosque at that location was shifted a few kilometres away. 

Architectural Marvels

The architecture of the temple can be divided into three stages: Pre-1000 CE, 19th century and present day. 

The architecture of the pre 1000 CE is mostly lost. Floor plans and ruins have been excavated. The lower foundations and pieces of the temple suggest it was one of the most exquisite and rich temple in India. This is believed to be the earliest version of the temple. The temple had an opening in the east side. Parts of the temple were decorated in beautiful foliage patterns. A surviving fragment of the kapotapali of the temple suggests that ‘at intervals, it was decorated with contra-posed half thakaras, with large, elegant, and carefully shaped gagarakas in suspension graced the lower edge of the kapotapali’ as per Dhaky. Inscriptions on parts of the temple excavated suggest it was built in the 10th century. 

The second period, or the 19th century period temple was partly converted to a mosque. Colonial archeologists and photographers have published many reports. Alexander Burnes suggests that it had three domes - roof of the entrance, interior of the temple and the sanctum sanctorum, the riches of Hindu devotion were spread there. There were two marble slabs, with sentences from the koran. There were pillars to mark the grave of the sultan’s cashkeeper, and the rest of the city is encircled with mosques. Burnes pointed out the conversion of the temple to a mosque. 

The Present day temple is solanki style and reflects the skill of Gujarati masons. It is intricately carved with two main levels, mandapa and relief panels. The old remains and style of the temple have been integrated.

Social and Cultural Relevance

The temple has a legacy in India, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Asia. 

 For India, the temple is a symbol of cultural pride and resilience. It was used as a cultural symbol for starting the yath ratra by Lal Krishna and his Ayodhya campaign in 1990. It displays a safe haven for Hindus and hindu culture after repeated dominance and repression by the muslim authoritarian regimes. 

It is quite sad to see that in Iran the destruction of the temple and killing of hindus is celebrated. It is considered a symbol of repression, fanatical intolerance and blessed conquest. Stories, poems and texts of Persian literature have boosted this destruction. 

Pakistan mentions Ghazni as ‘champion of Islam’. They consider the temple as a location where hindu rajas would get together and think of fighting muslims. They say Ghazni brought glory to the entire Muslim world. In fact, they teach students that the temple was a political centre and they were conspiring against Ghazni who completely crushed them. In my view this is completely baseless and opposite to reality. Ghazni has used the jewels and treasure of India to develop Afghanistan. India was called the bird of gold. 

My Personal Reflection

In my view, The Somnath temple was very beautiful. When I visited, I could see the architecture as a blend of past and present. It was truly mesmerizing.