Somnath Temple

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Somnath



Somnath
Location within India
Coordinates:
205316.9N
70244.6E20.888028N
70.401278E
Name
Proper name: Somnath Mandir
Devanagari :

Location
Country: India
State/province: Gujarat
District: Junagadh
Locale: Veraval
Architecture and culture
Primary deity: Somnath (Shiva)
Architectural
styles:
Mandir
History
Date built: 1951 (present structure)
Creator:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(present structure)
Temple board: Shree Somnath Trust
Website: http://www.somnath.org
The Somnath Temple (Gujarati: ) located in the Prabhas
Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat,
India is the most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlings (lingas of light) of the
God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath
Temple is known as 'the Shrine Eternal', as although the temple has been
destroyed six times it has been rebuilt every single time.
[1][2]
, on the last
occasion, it was built after a plan was mooted by Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel in November 1947, when he visited the area for Indian Integration
of Junagadh, and later after his death carried out by K.M. Munshi, also a
Minister in Government of India.
[3][4]

Contents
[hide]
1 Significance
2 History
o 2.1 Timeline
3 Restoration of temple after Independence
4 Architecture
5 'Proclamation of the Gates' Incident
6 References
7 External links
Significance
Hindu mythology states that years ago, the Moon God Chandra, being
arrogant about his beauty, was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to
wane. The Moon then prayed to Lord Shiva at the Prabhas tirth (a Hindu
pilgrimage) who then removed the curse partially, thus causing the
periodic waning of moon.
According to Hindu mythology, Somnath Temple was first built with
gold by Moon God, with silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord
Krishna, and with stone by Bhimdeva Solanki, Gurjar Ruler of
Gujarat.
[5]

History


Somnath Temple-1957
The Someshwar Mahadev temple stands tall among the temples of India.
The construction of the present temple in Junagadh district began in
1947. It is the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord
Somnath who is said to have known as Bhairaveshwar in the Satya Yug,
Shravanikeshwar in Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in Dwapar Yug.
The following extract is from Wonders of Things Created, and marvels
of Things Existing by Asaru-L- Bilad, a 13th century Arab geographer.
It contains the following description of Somnath temple and its
destruction: The following is a long quotation:
Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and
washed by its waves. Among the wonders of that place was the temple
in which was placed the idol called Somnath. This idol was in the
middle of the temple without anything to support it from below, or to
suspend it from above. It was held in the highest honor among the
Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was struck with
amazement, whether he was a Musulman or an infidel. The Hindus used
to go on pilgrimage to it whenever there was an eclipse of the moon, and
would then assemble there to the number of more than a hundred
thousand. They believed that the souls of men used to meet there after
separation from the body, and that the idol used to incorporate them at
its pleasure in other bodies, in accordance with their doctrine of
transmigration. The ebb and flow of the tide was considered to be the
worship paid to the idol by the sea. Everything of the most precious was
brought there as offerings, and the temple was endowed with more than
10,000 villages. There is a river (the Ganges) which is held sacred,
between which and Somnat the distance is 200 parasangs. They used to
bring the water of this river to Somnath every day, and wash the temple
with it. A thousand brahmins were employed in worshipping the idol
and attending on the visitors, and 500 damsels sung and danced at the
doorall these were maintained upon the endowments of the temple. The
edifice was built upon fifty-six pillars of teak, covered with lead. The
shrine of the idol was dark. hut was lighted by jeweled chandeliers of
great value. Near it was a chain of gold weighing 200 mans. When a
portion (watch) of the night closed, this chain used to be shaken like
bells to rouse a fresh lot of Brahmins to perform worship. When the
Sultan Yaminu-d Daula Mahmud Bin Subuktigin went to wage religious
war against India, he made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnat,
in the hope that the Hindus would then become Muhammadans. As a
result thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. He arrived
there in the middle of Zi-l kada, 416 A.H. (December, 1025 A.D.). The
king looked upon the idol with wonder, and gave orders for the seizing
of the spoil, and the appropriation of the treasures. There were many
idols of gold and silver and vessels set with jewels, all of which had
been sent there by the greatest personages in India. The value of the
things found in the temples of the idols exceeded twenty thousand
dinars.


Tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, in 1839-40, showing original
Sandalwood Doors at Somnath, which he destroyed in ca 1024
(Elliots footnote: The enormous treasures found at Somnat have been a
theme of wonder for all who have written on that conquest.) When the
king asked his companions what they had to say about the marvel of the
idol, and of its staying in the air without prop or support, several
maintained that it was upheld by some hidden support. The king directed
a person to go and feel all around and above and below it with a spear,
which he did, but met with no obstacle. One of the attendants then stated
his opinion that the canopy was made of loadstone, and the idol of iron,
and that the ingenious builder had skillfully contrived that the magnet
should not exercise a greater force on anyone side-hence the idol was
suspended in the middle. Some coincided, others differed. Permission
was obtained from the Sultan to remove some stones from the top of the
canopy to settle the point. When two stones were removed from the
summit the idol swerved on one side, when more were taken away it
inclined still further, until at last it rested on the ground.
According to the legends, Soma, the moon God built the temple in gold,
Ravan in silver, Krishna in wood and king Bhimdev of Anhilwad in
stone. Soma constructed the temple as a gesture after Lord Shiva cured
him of his illness. This illness was caused by his father-in-law Daksha
Prajapati's curse. Daksha cursed him to wane as he was infatuated with
Rohini and was neglecting the other 26 wives, all 26 of whom were the
daughters of Prajapati. It is said that Brahma advised him to build the
temple in honour of Shiva.
Timeline
The present temple is the seventh temple reconstructed on the original
site. 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.


Somnath temple, 1869
In 1024 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni
who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert. Ghazni was
challenged by the king, Ghogha Rana, who at the ripe age of 90,
sacrificed his own clan fighting against Ghazni. 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.
[6]
.
In 1296 A.D., 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 A.D. and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime
between 1326 and 1351 A.D.
In 1375 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I,
the Sultan of Gujarat. About 1400 A.D. it was reconstructed by the local
public.
In 1451 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda,
the Sultan of Gujarat. It was reconstructed again.
In 1701 A.D., 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 A.D at a
site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a
mosque.
[7]

Restoration of temple after Independence


Statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in front of the temple
Before Independence, Prabhas Pattan was part of the Junagarh State,
ruled by the Nawab of Junagarh. On the eve of Independence the Nawab
announced the accession of Junagarh, which had over 80% Hindu
population, to Pakistan. The people of Junagarh rose in revolt and set up
a parallel government under Gandhian leader and freedom fighter, Shri
Samaldas Gandhi. The Nawab, unable to resist the popular pressure,
bowed out and escaped to Pakistan. The provincial government under
Samaldas Gandhi formally asked Government of India to take over.
[8]
.
The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to
Junagadh on November 12, 1947 to direct the occupation of the state by
the Indian army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the
Somanath temple
[9]

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
[10]
But soon both
Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the
temple was now continued under the leadership of K M Munshi, who
was the Minister for Food and Civil, supplies in the Nehru
Government
[10]
.
The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque was
moved to a different location. 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
[11]
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.".
[12]
. He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of
reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"
[12]

This episode created a serious rift between the then Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru, who saw in movement for reconstruction of the
temple an attempt at Hindu revivalism and the President Rajendra
Prasad and Union Minister K M Munshi, saw in its reconstruction, the
fruits of freedom and the reversal of injustice done to Hindus
[12]
.
The present temple was built by the Shree Somnath Trust which looks
after the entire complex of Shree Somnath and its environs.
[13]




Architecture


Arrow Pillar
The Present temple, Kailash Mahameru Prasada, is built in the
Chalukya style of temple architecture and reflects the skill of the
Sompuras, Gujarat's master masons.
The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in between
from Somnath seashore to Antarctica. Such an inscription in Sanskrit is
found on the ARROW-PILLAR erected on the sea-protection wall at the
Somnath Temple.
In 1951 Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, who performed
the Jyotirling-Pratishthapan ceremony of the new Temple said, "The
Somnath Temple signifies that the power of creation is always greater
than the power of destruction."

'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.
[14]
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.