Think
of Lord Krishna - one is instantly reminded of Sri
Parthasarathi, Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam,
great Krishna temples like Guruvayur, Udupi, divyadesams - Kabisthalam, Thirukkannamangai,
Thirukkannapuram, His Mathura, the
places He grew up – Gokulam, Govardhanagiri, Vrindavan .. .. and Dwaraka !
Dwarka is a very
ancient place, associated with Lord Krishna – the city is now in Devbhoomi
Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat, located on the western shore of the
Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti River. It was only in AD 1808 that the British Govt
began to make good its footing in Kathiawad – four of them known as JhalaAvad (or the enclosure of the Jhala
Rajputs), Halar, Sorath, and Gohelwad (the enclosure of the Gohel Rajputs). It may be said that the history of Kathiawad
is the history of India in miniature. Especially is this true when we consider
that with the exception of the invasion of Alexander the Great, all descents
upon India which have occurred throughout the ages have affected the province
either directly or indirectly.
On the West of India,
between the Gulfs of Kaehh and Cambay, the ancient and once famous country of
Kathiawad projecting into the Arabian
Sea. The land of Kathiawad was holy and
was known as the place flowing milk and honey, towards which merchants from Arabia,
Turkey, Northern Africa and South-Eastem Europe directed their ships and
acquired the wealth to be obtained from trade with the Indies. Prabhas Patan, also known as Somnath Patan
or Prabhas Ksheta, historically named Dev Patan, is an area situated in
Veraval, Gir Somnath district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Somnath temple
is located here. One enters the
temple town from the city Veraval through Junagadh gate. This is a triple gate with historical
significance and is an ancient structure which was built centuries back. This
gate has many intricate carvings on the walls. It is through this gate that the
foreign invader Mahmud Gazni broke in to enter the holy city and destroyed the
temples in the town and looted the great wealth.
Sad
history is Somnath was raided and demolished many times by several Muslim invaders, more specifically
Muhammad of Gajini – the temple as its stands now was reconstructed in Chaulukya style of Hindu
temple architecture and completed in May 1951. This
Dec 2019 had the fortune of visiting Somnath and worshipping at these holy
places.
Shree Somnath is first
among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlings of India. Ancient Indian traditions maintain
a close relationship of Somnath with release of Chandra (Moon God) from the
curse of his father-in-law Daksha Prajapati. With the advice of Prajapita
Brahma, Moon arrived at the Prabhas Teerth and worshipped Bhagvan Shiva.
Pleased with the great penance and devotion of Moon, Bhagvan Shiva blessed him
and relieved him from the curse of darkness. Pauranic traditions maintain that
Moon had built a golden temple. A magnificent temple stood there and
millions had worshipped at this holy place, which was savaged and brutally
destroyed again and again by Islamic invaders.
Though plundered by
invaders, the Temple was rebuilt every time with the reconstructive spirit of
the people. The modern temple was reconstructed with the resolve of Sardar
Patel who visited the ruins of Somnath temple on November 13 1947. Then
President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, did the Pran-Pratistha at the existing
temple on 11 May 1951.
In 725 CE, Al-Junayd, the
Arab governor of Sindh destroyed the second temple as part of his invasions of
Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Gurjara-Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815 CE, a
large structure of red sandstone. In 1024, during the reign of Bhima I, the
prominent Turkic ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath
temple and breaking its jyotirlinga. By some accounts in 1783, Maratha
king Mahadaji Shinde, victoriously brought back three silver gates from Lahore
after defeating Mahmud Shah Abdati, to Somnath. They were however to be
placed in the temples of Ujjain. In 1842, Edward Law, 1st Earl of
Ellenborough issued his the 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.
Here is something
excerpted from a history book ‘the history of Kathiawad’ by Capt. H
WilberforceBell, a century ago.
In A.D. 1025 took place
one of the most stirring events in the whole history of Kathiawad, for
Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and completely destroyed the temple of Somnath at
Prabhas Patau, and in so doing created one of the great landmarks of
Indian history. Of the wonderful Temple of the Moon we are so fortunate as to
possess such records that to make a mental construction of the same
or to understand the grandeur and greatness attached to it we are not obliged
to draw extensively on the imagination. We have been left, indeed, the account
of an eye-witness, for the great Arab commentator, Al Biruni, visited
Somnath when in India and placed on record all he saw with much exactitude of
detail. Al Biruni was born near Khiva in a.d. 973, and
died about 1031. He made several tours in India. Ibn Asir,
another Musalman historian, relates that whenever there was an eclipse a
hundred thousand Hindus assembled at the Somnath temple for worship, and the
shrine was endowed with the produce and revenue of more than ten thousand
villages. In the temple, he says, were jewels of most excellent quality and
incalculable value. One thousand Brahmans attended daily worship, and
a band of three hundred and fifty sang and danced at
the gate of the temple, each one of whom received a
daily allowance.
Mahmud of Ghazni was
fired with the desire to loot, and doubtless he was actuated by the zeal of
religious fanaticism. Though there is some discrepancy in dates, most probable
year of departure of Ghazni was A.D. 1024. Mahmud of Ghazni's was only the
first of a series of expeditions against Somnath, for no less than five times
subsequently — namely in a.d. 1297, 1318, 1395, 1511, and 1520 — did
Mahomedan leaders take their men to attack it. The beautiful relic of
Hindu architectural art now at Prabhas Patan is doubtless that which was built by
Bhimadeo of Anhilwad Patan, and has withstood these five incursions
and the ravages of time. To attempt to describe it is wellnigh impossible. It
is very massive and imposing, and its inner shrine is octagonal in shape.
The stones of which it is composed are cut with great regard being paid
to symmetry, and the carving in relief on the exposed sides leaves nothing to
be desired from an artistic point of view. The whole building reflects
the best period of Indian architecture and is quite worthy of the famous
Siddha Raj Jaisinha of Anhilwad, who is reputed to have undertaken the
adorning of Bhimadeo's building.
The gates of the original
Somnath temple, which were taken away to Ghazni, have never been traced, and
they are traditionally supposed to have found a resting-place
elsewhere. The arrival of Colonel Walker with the Gaekwad's
army in a.d. 1807 to conclude a settlement regarding the tribute to
be paid, the happenings in Kathiawad were of minor importance. In a.d. 1804
Rana Sultanji of Porbandar was deposed by his son Haloji, and had
friendship with Nawab of Junagadh, who hadin the same year mortgaged
Kutiana to Raghunathji and thus declared his friendship with the family which
had done so much for him. Colonel Walker's arrival opened up a new epoch in the
annals of Saurashtra, and the year A.D. 1807 was the beginning of an era
of peace such as the peninsula had not experienced since Mahmud of Ghazni made
his incursion to obtain possession of the treasure of Somnath temple nearly
eight hundred years before.
The Viceroy and
Governor-General of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, P.C, G.M.S.I., G.C.I.E.,
C.B., visited Kathiawad in November a.d. 1900. Landing at Verawal, he was an
interested visitor to the temple of Somnath, and afterwards proceeded to
Junagadh, where he opened the Arts College and Technical Institution. Whether
he signed the register at Somnath would be an out of portion Q .. .. !! because
another politician visited this great temple but signed in the register as
non-Hindu and his party spokesperson later clarified that he was indeed a
Brahmin, though his father and mother belong to different religion !
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
19.6.2020.
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