🎙️ Somnath Temple, Mahmud of Ghazni & the Abuse of History | Dr. Ruchika Sharma | Ep. 42

The distinguished young Indian historian, Dr. Ruchika Sharma, joins Mani Shankar Aiyar and his wife, Suneet, on Mani ki Baat / Suneet ke Saath to examine the many distortions surrounding the history of the Somnath Temple, Mahmud of Ghazni, and other Muslim marauders that continue to be used to communalize contemporary political discourse. The discussion traces the story back to the Archaeological Survey of India's 1951 findings regarding the site's possible Buddhist origins and explores more recent Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) studies, which reportedly found no evidence of any mosque having been built at the location, despite persistent claims that as many as four mosques had once stood there and desecrated this sacred Hindu place of worship. The conversation investigates the documented history of Mahmud of Ghazni's famous raid of 1026 CE—exactly one thousand years ago. It concludes that Ghazni's principal objective was wealth rather than religion. Like several Hindu chieftains, pirates, and dacoits before and after him, he targeted a temple that generated enormous revenues through pilgrim taxes and received substantial donations from wealthy merchants, aided by the proximity of the internationally renowned trading port of Veraval. A lively exchange emerges between the hosts over the significance—or lack thereof—of Ghazni employing a Hindu commander named Tilak, along with at least four Hindu generals and thousands of Hindu soldiers, in his campaign against Somnath. What remains clear, however, is that the temple was not razed to the ground. Although damaged, it was repaired and continued to function as a place of worship. The discussion also examines the unresolved question of whether Mahmud Ghazni shattered a Shiva Linga or an aniconic black stone associated with the pre-Islamic Arab goddess Su Manaat—note the phonetic similarity to "Somanath." Several Persian and Islamic sources recount that this idol had been removed from the Ka'aba by the Prophet Muhammad and later transported by heretics to Somanatha for safekeeping. While certainty remains elusive, historical records do confirm that the Abbasid Khalifa in Baghdad showered Mahmud with honours and titles following his campaigns. The episode further highlights that Mahmud viewed the Indian subcontinent primarily as a vast treasury to be plundered. In his relentless quest to establish himself as a celebrated Ghazi in the eyes of the Khalifa, he killed and maimed far more Muslims than Hindus, particularly in campaigns against Ismailis and Persian Shias whom he considered heretical. His military expeditions extended beyond India into regions such as Rayy and Khwarazm in Persia, where he sought wealth and prestige to enhance the grandeur of his capital. Authentic historical sources also reveal that nearly two centuries after Ghazni's raid, Kumarapala I and Bhimadeva II rebuilt and significantly expanded the relatively modest Somnath temple. Yet, when the structure later fell into disrepair, little effort was made to maintain it. Over time, this neglect contributed to legends that Ghazni had devastated the temple so completely that he even carried away its magnificent sandalwood gates to adorn his Afghan capital. The story took a dramatic turn under the East India Company's Governor-General, Lord Ellenborough (1842–1844), who seized upon this legend to proclaim a grand British mission to recover and return the supposedly stolen gates to Somnath. Although the gates were never found, Ellenborough's claims proved remarkably influential. So influential, in fact, that those who continue to accept such colonial-era myths without question might well be described as "Ellenborough ki aulad." #somnathtemple #mahmudofghazni #templedestruction #hindutvapolitics #bjppolitics #communalpolitics #politicsofhistory #historicalrevisionism #indianhistory #ruchikasharma