Renovating Somanath temple, is renovating idea that is India -Analysis from ​KM Munshi’s novel “Jai Somnath” (1938)

Our temples are national heritage. Especially around Somanath temple much of recent history of India of more than 1000 years revolves.

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KM Munshi’s novel “Jai Somnath” (1938) dealt with the importance of Somnath.

 
Even now same debate that took place between Hindu Nationalists like President Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel , KM Munshi on one side and Nehru et al on the other is taking place except with reversed roles. Prime Minister of India is a Hindu nationalist while opposition is Nehru like.  
 
Views expressed by President Rajendra Prasad at inauguration of the renovated temple, even though his participation was opposed by Nehru, are noteworthy. 
 
“Dr Rajendra Prasad described Somnath temple as a symbol of national faith and said, “By rising from its ashes again, this temple of Somnath is to say proclaiming 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.” 
 
“National heroes and cultural heritage should be invoked to raise people’s morale and national consciousness, not to promote any revivalist cause. European history is replete with such instances. In 1895 a stray article by Tilak in the Kesari on 23 April gave an impetus to the repair of Shivaji tomb at Raigarh in Kolaba.
 
 
The tomb’s repair gave an impetus to the anti-imperialist movement. Somnath temple in Junagadh State, which fell to ruin from repeated attacks by Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century, was a poignant testimony of external aggression and religious intolerance, which medieval India suffered.  Thus, soon after the integration of the Junagarh state with the Indian Union in 1947 Sardar Patel, then Union Home Minister, took a pledge to rebuild it. He got wide-ranging support, including within the Congress party and the Government. While two Union Cabinet ministers, NV Gadgil and KM Munshi, were part of the Somnath Trust, Dr Rajendra Prasad looked after the trust’s financial matters………
 
If for Mahmud of Ghazni the destruction of Somnath was a sign of victory of Islam (he was rewarded for it by the Caliph); for Pakistan, its renovation was – as evident from a resolution passed in a public meeting in Karachi on 2th May 1951, an act of insult to Muslim. As Pakistan Radio went into anti-renovation propaganda, Nehru made a retort to Liaquat Ali Khan. In another instance, Mahatma Gandhi rebuked an Indian (Urdu) journal, which wrote that another Ghazni had to come to undo what was being done in Somnath.
 
 
Dr Rajendra Prasad or Sardar Patel’s determination to remain associated with the Somnath reconstruction was not only a matter of personal conviction but an expression of quest for Indian paradigm of secularism and cultural nationalism. Nehru’s isolation was axiomatic. The reconstruction of Somnath temple helped to exorcise the painful memory that was haunting the Hindu psyche and brought tremendous exultation – as Munshi wrote to Nehru on 24th April 1951 – to “the Collective Sub-Conscience of India.” However, this quest which began with the collective efforts of Congressman of Tilak school of thought could not be sustained owing to lack of academic and media support, giving, as a result, an upper hand to the Nehruvian stream of thought.”
 
( From an article in the Pioneer, ‘ Renovating the idea that is India, Feb 27,2001 by Sri Rakesh Sinha)
 
 
Somanath temple before renovation in 1947.
 
 

 
 
 
 
This was what Sri Somanath temple looked like in 1947. History of Somanath is well known or is it ? You will not know it if you read writings of eminent historians, one of whom said that Gazni Mohammad was only interested in promoting trade for his native Afghanistan but was facing competition with Gujarat in horse trades. Then why does he have to destroy the temple so many times and have the Siva linga broken , with pieces becoming stepping stones in a mosque in his native Gazni. Such questions and considerations are out of purview of secular outpourings. Another egregious one was Guru Teg Bahadur was a bandit hence Emperor Aurangazeb punished him. If even a mild attempt is made to correct such howlers some of them included in texts for students , then howls of saffronizations are heard from usual suspects. Be that as it may.
 
Let us see what happened much much later after Mohd Gazni completed his Jihad.
He invaded in Jan 1000 AD.  The millennial anniversary was marked by hijacking of Indian Air Lines flight to Kabul by Pakistan sponsored Islamic terrorists on Jan 1,2000. They demanded release of Moslem terrorist prisoners in custody in India in return to release of the plane and passengers holed up in Kabul under watchful eyes of gun toting Taliban which was ruling the place then. And Vajpayee led govt complied . One of the released one was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who went on to plot and plan 9/11/2001 attack on World Trade Center in NY, USA.
 
As soon as there was exchange of passengers to released prisoners in Kabul, the latter immediately crossed border from Afghanistan and went to Pakistan. Yet for years Pakistan enjoyed status as coalition partner against terrorism receiving massive military and civilian aid from United States. We live in a small world, made even smaller by fast modes of transport, rightly whole world is a village, events in one place , the other side of globe will have repercussion on the other side. Finally the Jihad that caused 1000 , 9/11 s in India reached US. 
Somanath temple was one of thousands of such 9/11 attacks on India, actually even more devastating. 
Seeing the revered temple in such state, nationalists like Sardar Patel and K M Munshi decided to rebuild , renovate and restart the temple in same place, a sacred site of great antiquity going back several thousand years back. Krishna and Balarama and other Yadavas used to visit Somanath temple , offer worship to Siva. Initially Chandra or deity of Moon worshiped Siva and he installed the Siva Linga there. Soma is another name for moon, hence Somanatha as Siva is known there.  

Our temples and location have as much to do with science, geography, mathematics, as much as with art and devotional spirit.  Many consider electromagnetic influences with in the temple especially near sanctum sanctorium as beneficial to devotees . Also temples were constructed in such a way they could withstand natural calamities very well, this was proved when there was tsunami that started in Acey in Indonesia and the wave spread across Indian ocean to the eastern shores of southern India. Only structures that withstood the shock were our temples, in fact in many place old temples that were buried under ground, came up when the sand and ground moved in the storm. Incidentally Sri Ramasetu broke the power of the tidal wave preventing it from reaching Kerala coast. Kerala  is below sea level, had there been no Setu bridge, the devastation would have been much more catastrophic.  Thus while our ancients had well planned in building temples to withstand natural calamities, they also gave spirit and valor through right and righteous education to people in general to take care of man made calamities to protect their heritage preserved in temples, libraries and schools. That sort of education got replaced with clerk making one which continued to be followed till recently .
 
Let us see what Somanath temple tells us,that played a symbolic role both in rise, fall and rise again of India.
 
 Click and see some more ruins that were left behind and you can also see a dome inflicted when the temple became a mosque much like what happened in many places most notably in Ayodhya, Mathura and Kasi. 
 
So when Patel and Munshi wanted to renovate, objections came not necessarily from Muslims but from secular Nehru and appeasing Gandhi. They insisted no government funds be used. Fine said Patel and Munshi and whole effort was financed from private sources. They shifted the mosque in the place and reclaimed the site and renovated and brought up a magnificent temple which stands to day as a testament that failure is not forever. Some times it may take months , years , yet times may take centuries but Dharma will triumph. And it did in Somanath. 
As Swami Vivekananda rightly said, that every temple that bore the brunt of Islamic ax tells us our history much better than text books prescribed then by East India Company and their most obedient secular eminent historians since independence.

 
Mohammad , Sultan of Gazni was not the first one who left destruction in his wake. That credit should go to Mohd bin Qasim , hailed as ‘first Pakistani’ who attacked Sindh in 8th century. Gazni started his career almost 2 centuries later . He was an Islamic fanatic no different from ISIS or Al-Qaeda. His attacks on India was specifically directed at bringing Islam to Kafirs in the east of Afghanistan. He started this with attack on Jayapal ruling Punjab and parts of Afghanistan.Jayapal who was brutally put to death even though some modern chroniclers say he committed suicide, others say he was burnt alive . His son Ananda Pal later was able to establish his kingdom in present day Punjab area. He was as chivalrous as any Hindu monarch.  He defeated Mohd Gazni and left his alive. Not only that when another Moslem army from west was attacking Gazni who was about to be routed, Ananda Pal went to rescue of Mohd Gazni, saying he does not want any body else to get credit for defeating Mohd of Gazni.  
 We do not come across such episodes in sanitized versions of history under secular aegis.Instead how  the story should be told is illustrated by likes of  Jawaharlal Nehru or Ms. Romila Thapar.
 
Nehru appreciatively notes  Md. Gazni  in his Discovery of India . This Mohammedan when he saw temple for Sri Krishna in Mathura, admired it for its architecture and prosperity and said, if he had to build one like that in his native Gazni it would take 300 years and 100 million Gold Dinars.  Wonderful, Nehru leaves readers with the impression as to how Mohd Gazni was an admirer of art and sculpture. And we will not find in his narrative as to what Mohd of Gazni has done subsequently, he had the temple looted, broken and burnt to the ground pouring Naphta over it. This is typical legacy during entire period of Mohammedan domination of India. Hence as you  heard, Will Durant  the author of Story of Civilization remarked Mohammedan Conquest of India was bloodiest chapter in world history. 
 
You see the picture above, those burning behind Gazni’s troops show one of ‘giant contributions of Islam to India’ as penned by another eminent secular journalist in an article. The destruction depicted in hand drawn picture above , with burning towns, temples left behind by admirer of their architecture and wealth,  happened more than 1000 years back. They could as well  been to day  the sky scrapers in US like World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. World and Civilization have advanced no doubt, but the mentality of Islamic fanaticism remains unchanged. And no attempts are made despite the fact that majority of Muslims are moderate to wean those who are radical, fundamentalist perpetrating the crimes against humanity like Gazni did or Al-Qaeda have done. By providing false narratives actually the apologists are doing a great disservice to the enlightened among Muslims to oppose radical elements.
It was said that after each raid, over the backs of camels etc, the loot was carried to Gazni by the Sultan and in an open ground about the size of a foot ball ground he used to spread his loot to impress his fellow Mohammedan rulers from far and near. Crime does not pay. Now look at the picture of Gazni;
BBC reported in September 2014 ;
                                               
                                                       Members of the Afghan security force keep watch at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Ghazni Province 4 September 2014.

 

Two powerful blasts targeted the regional intelligence agency and a police compound in GhazniIn an attack by Taliban several were killed and more were injured in the town of Gazni.
All the rubies , diamonds and gold that were looted and decorated both mosques in Gazni and tomb of Sultan who dies in 1030 AD are gone , only two broken minarets stand in the place.

Above  you read about how Nehru’s account stops short of proceeding further after Gazni’s admiration. Similarly Ms. Romila Thapar, highly honored in secular circles tells that Islam of Mohd Gazni  had nothing to do with his attacks on Somanath but may be due to Gujarat’s competition  with his native Afghanistan in horse trade !
However Caliph of the day had different ideas as also Mohd Gazni in attacking .looting and destroying Hindu places of worship.  With his kingdom secure, and with encouragement from the Caliph,
But Nehru, Ms. Thapar et al were not isolated examples, entire tribe of secular historians who  awarded each other titles of being eminent have indulged in similar Suppressio veri , suggestio falsi. And they are not unique either. Here below an example of fraud  by British .Please study the writing below the so called  doors of Somanath temple brought to India by Lord Ellenborough  in 1842. East India company was ruling India and wanted to curry favor with Hindus using this hoax.
in the fort of Agra,” from ‘India and its Native Princes’ by Louis Rousselet, 1878*
Source: ebay, Apr. 2009

 

 
The alleged “Gates of Somnath” brought from Ghazni by Lord Ellenborough in 1842 still remain on view, in a dilapidated condition, in the Agra Fort

 
The modern inscription in the Agra Fort that appears near the alleged “Gates of Somnath”
 
 
Epilogue:
Even after great devastation that visited India, it is India that is triumphant, not Gazni , not Pakistan. And that Dharma will always triumph is sine qua non of our civilization, Vedic or Hindu. Hence you will not find any epics narrating ancient most history of India’s heroes nor in poetical works of giants of literature like Kalidasa, any tragedies. The phrase ‘lived happily ever after’ came from story telling tradition of India. Troubles, turmoils are only transient. Truth a corollary of Dharma will always triumph. Satyameva Jayethe is rightly adopted as motto of India. Here is another instance of truth being triumphant even after more than 1000  years. Somanath temple is rebuilt. Renovation of entire nation is taking place as well.                    Jai Somanath  

Source: WHN Media Network