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Revision as of 12:13, 8 December 2010 by 117.193.37.73 (talk) (Google Books should not used as source, read Wiki policies before edit-warring, also why do u want to have Patel's statue here?)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Hindu temple in India| Somnath Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Junagadh |
| Governing body | Shree Somnath Trust |
| Location | |
| Location | Veraval |
| Country |  India |
| Architecture | |
| Creator | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (present structure) |
| Website | |
| http://www.somnath.org | |
The Somnath Temple (Gujarati:સોમનાથ મંદિર) located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of (the) Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under K. M. Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.
History
Significance
According to the legends, Soma or the Moon God built the temple in gold, Ravana in silver, and Shri Krishna in wood. Soma was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to wane because Soma loved only one of his wives, all of which happened to be Daksha's daughters. His other wives complained about this negligent behavior of Soma to their father Daksha, and thus the curse. He then built a Shivlinga at the Prabhas tirth (a Hindu pilgrimage) and prayed to Lord Shiva who removed the curse partially. Thus, causing the periodic waning of moon. Pleased by the prayers Soma (Moon god), Lord Shiva decided to rest in that Lingam till eternity, and thus the Jyotirlingam.
Timeline
The first temple of Somnath is said to have existed before the beginning of the common era.
The second temple, built by the Yadava kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat, replaced the first one on the same site around 649.
In 725 Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple. The Gurjara Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815, a large structure of red sandstone.
In 1024 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert. The temple was rebuilt by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat (Anhilwara) or Patan between 1026 and 1042. The wooden structure was replaced by Kumarpal (r.1143-72), who built the temple of stone.
In 1296 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army. According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, Raja Karan of Gujarat was defeated and forced to flee, "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors". The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 AD and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 AD.
In 1375 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat.
In 1451 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat.
In 1701 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple in 1783 AD at a site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.
Restoration
Before independence, Prabhas Pattan was part of the princely state of Junagadh. On the eve of independence the Nawab (ruler) of Junagadh announced the accession of his state to Muslim-majority Pakistan, despite the state population being 80% Hindu. The people of Junagadh rose in revolt and set up a parallel government under Samaldas Gandhi. Unable to resist the popular pressure, the Nawab escaped to Pakistan. The government-in-exile or the Aarzi Hukumat ("temporary government") under Samaldas Gandhi formally asked the Government of India to take over. The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to Junagadh on November 12, 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple
When Sardar Patel, K. M. Munshi and other leaders of the Congress went to Gandhi with the proposal of reconstructing the Somnath temple, Gandhi blessed the move,but suggested that the funds for the construction should be collected from the public and the temple should not be funded by the state. He expressed that he was proud to associate himself to the project of renovation of the temple But soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under K. M. Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.
The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque mosque present at that site was shifted few miles away. In May 1951, Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple. Rajendra Prasad said in his address "It is my view that the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple will be complete on that day when not only a magnificent edifice will arise on this foundation, but the mansion of India's prosperity will be really that prosperity of which the ancient temple of Somnath was a symbol.". He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
This episode created a serious rift between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who saw the movement for reconstruction of the temple as an attempt at Hindu revivalism and the President Rajendra Prasad and Union Minister K. M. Munshi, who saw in its reconstruction, the fruits of freedom and the reversal of past injustice done to Hindus.
The present temple, which was built by Patel and Munshi, is managed by Shree Somnath Trust.
Architecture
The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or Kailash Mahameru Prasad Style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, Gujarat's master masons.
'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident
In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough issued his famous 'Proclamation of the Gates' in which he ordered the British army in Afghanistan to return via Ghazni and bring back to India the sandalwood gates from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan. These were believed to have been taken by Mahmud from Somnath. There was a debate in the House of Commons in London in 1843 on the question of the gates of the Somanatha temple. After much cross-fire between the British Government and the opposition, the gates were uprooted and brought back in triumph. But on arrival, they were found to be of Egyptian workmanship and not associated in any way with India. So they were placed in a store-room in the Agra Fort where they still lie to the present day.
References
- "Somnath Temple". Retrieved 2008-12-20.
- "Somanatha and Mahmud". www.flonnet.com. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- Gopal, Ram (1994). Hindu culture during and after Muslim rule: survival and subsequent challenges. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 148. ISBN 8185880263.
- Jaffrelot, Christophe (1996). The Hindu nationalist movement and Indian politics: 1925 to the 1990s. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 84. ISBN 1850651701.
- ^ http://www.somnath.org/jay-somnath.aspx
- ^ http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/somnath.htm
- Mohanty, P.K. (2006). Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Tribes In India. Vol. 5. Gyan Publishing House. p. 186. ISBN 8182050529.
we know from the works of other scholars that the Solanki and Parmar were actually descendents of the Gujjars who came to India from pre-islamic Persia in large numbers.
- ^ "Leaves from the past".
- Somnath Temple, British Library
- Lumby 1954, p. 238 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFLumby1954 (help)
- Menon, Vapal Pangunni (1956). The Story of the Integration of the Indian States. Macmillan.
- Hindustan Times, 15 Nov, 1947
- ^ Marie Cruz Gabriel, Rediscovery of India, A silence in the city and other stories, Published by Orient Blackswan, 1996, ISBN 8125008284, 9788125008286
- http://www.meriyatrra.com/destination-guide/destination/somnath/history.html
- Peter Van der Veer, Ayodhya and Somnath, eternel shrines, contested histories, 1992
- ^ Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, Indian constitutional documents,Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1967
- "JAY-SOMNATH". Retrieved 2008-12-20.
- The United Kingdom House of Commons Debate, 9 March 1943, on, The Somnath (Prabhas Patan) Proclamation, Junagadh 1948. 584-602, 620, 630-32, 656, 674.
External links
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| Shaivism | |||||||||||
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| History | |||||||||||
| Deities | | ||||||||||
| Texts | |||||||||||
| Mantra/Stotra | |||||||||||
| Traditions | |||||||||||
| Festivals and observances | |||||||||||
| Shiva temples |
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| Related topics | |||||||||||
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