Hindu Temples: What happened to them, Vol.1: A Preliminary Survey
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This book focuses predominantly on the examination of Hindu temples that were destroyed, desecrated, and converted into mosques and khanqahs, shedding light on the underlying ideology of iconoclasm within the Muslim context. While Ayodhya maintains significance within the narrative, it does not serve as t
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Hindu Temples - Sita Ram Goel
Preface
ThemovementfortherestorationoftheRamajanmabhumi Templeat Ayodhya hasbrought totheforeasuppressedchapterofIndia'shistory, namely,thelarge-scale destruction ofHindutemples[1] bytheIslamised invaders. Thischapterisbynomeansclosed. TheAppendix tothisbook provides details of many temples destroyed by Muslims all over BangladeshasrecentlyasOctober-November 1989. Currently,temples,or whatever hadremainedofthem,aremeetingasimilarfateintheKashmir valley.
Thischapter, however,thoughsignificant, wasonlyapartoftheMuslim behaviour-pattern asrecorded byMuslim historians ofmedieval India. The otherpartswere:1)massslaughter ofpeoplenotonlyduringwarbutalso afterthearmiesofIslamhademerged victorious; 2)captureoflarge numbersofnon-combatantmen,womenandchildrenasbootyandtheir saleasslavesallovertheIslamicworld;3)forcibleconversion toIslamof peoplewhowereinnopositiontoresist;4)reductiontothestatusof zimmisornon-citizensofallthosewhocouldnotbeconverted and imposition ofinhumandisabilitiesonthem;5)emasculationofthezimmis by preventing them from possessing arms; 6) impoverishment of the zimmisthroughheavy discriminatory taxes and misappropriation ofamajor partofwhatthepeasantsproduced; 7)ruinationofthenativeandnational cultureofthezimmisbysuppressingandholdingincontempt allits institutions and expressions.
Noristhisbehaviourpatternathingofthepast. Itpersistedevenafter theMuslimrulewasover. TheMuslimrevivalistmovements inthe nineteenthcentury,particularly inBengal,triedtorepeat,asfarasthey could,theperformanceofthemedievalMuslimswordsmenandsultans. Morerecently,aftertheIslamicstateofPakistanwascarvedout,Hindus havebeenforcedtoleavetheirancestral homes,enmassefromitswestern wingandinacontinuous streamofrefugeesfromitseasternwing,nowan independent IslamicstateofBangladesh thatcameintobeingwiththehelp ofIndia. Hindutemplesandotherculturalinstitutionshavemoreorless disappearedfromPakistan,whiletheycontinuetobeunderconstantattack in Bangladesh.
Howtounderstand thisbehaviourpatternsopersistently followedovera thousandyearsunderverydifferentconditions andsoconsistent inits expression? What is its deeper ideological source?
ItisrootedinIslam'sreligiousteachings,itstheologyanditsreligious laws;itderivesfromitspeculiarconception ofmominsandkafirs,fromits doctrines ofJihad,Darul-Islam andDarul-harb, andfromwhatitregardsas thedutyofaMuslimstate. HinduIndiaiscalledupontomakeadeeper studyofIslamthanithashitherto done. Itcanneglectthistaskatitsown peril.
The present volume makes nopretence ofpresenting suchastudy, butby choice restrictsitselfmainlytothestudyofHindutemplesdestroyed and desecrated andconvertedintomosquesandkhanqahswithoutoverlooking Muslimsideologyoficonoclasm; hereandthere,italsomentionsother theologicalpropsandconcomitantsoftheiconoclasticideology. Inthe bookAyodhyaretainitsimportance,butitdoesnotoccupythecentreof discussion. Indealingwithitssubject,itexercisescompletefidelityto truth;unlikesecularist andMarxistwriters,itdoesnotbelieveinre-writing andfabricatinghistory. Itsaimistoraisetheinformationallevelofour peopleandtomakethembetterawareofthemorepersistentideological forces at work.
Mahavira Jayanti. April 7, 1990
1. Hideaway Communalism
Arun Shourie
AcaseinwhichtheEnglishversion ofamajorbookbyarenowned Muslim scholar,thefourthRectorofoneofthegreatestcentresof Islamic learning inIndia,listingsomeofthemosques,includingthe Babri Masjid,which were built onthesitesandfoundationsoftemples, usingtheirstonesandstructures,isfoundtohavethetell-tale passages censored out;
The book is said to have become difficult to get;
Itis traced: Andisfoundtohavebeencommandedjust15yearsa-o bythemostinfluential livingMuslimscholarofourcountrytoday,the currentRectorofthatgreatcentreofIslamiclearning, andthe Chairman of the Muslim Personal Law Board.
Evasion,concealment, havebecomeanationalhabit.Andtheyhave terrible consequences. But first I must give you some background.
TheNadwatul-Ulama ofLucknowisoneoftheprincipalcentresof IslamiclearninginIndia.Itwasfoundedin1894. Itrankstodaynextonly totheDarul-UlumatDeoband. Thegovernmentpublication,Centresof IslamicLearning inIndia,recallshowthefoundersaimedatproducing capable scholars whocould project atrue image ofIslam before the modern worldinaneffectiveway;itrecallshowTowardsfulfillingitsavowedaim inthematterofeducational reform,it(thegroup)decidedtoestablishan idealeducational institutionwhichwouldnotonlyprovideeducationin religiousandtemporalsciencesbutalsooffertechnical training;itrecalls howIt(the Nadwa)standsouttoday-with itscollege, avastandrichlibrary andResearch andPublicationDepartmentshousedinfinebuildings-asone ofthemostoutstanding institutionsforimpartinginstructionintheIslamic Sciences;itrecallshowAsalientfeatureofthisinstitutionisitsemphasis onindependent research; itrecalls howThe library ofthe Nadwa,housedin theCentralHallandthesurroundingroomsofthemainbuilding, is,with morethan75,000titlesincludingabout3,000handwritten booksmostlyin ArabicandalsoinPersian, Urdu,Englishetc.,oneofthefinestlibraries of thesub-continent.Thatwaswritten10yearsago. Thelibrarynowhas 125,000 books.
Its Head
TodaytheinstitutionisheadedbyMaulanaAbul-HasanAliNadwi. Ali Mian,asheisknowntooneandall,isalmostwithout doubtthemost influential Muslim teacher andfiguretoday-among thelaity,ingovernment circles, and among scholars and governments abroad.
HewasamongthefoundersoftheJamaat-e-Islami,thefundamentalist organisation; butbecauseofdifferences withMaulanaMaudoodi,lieleftit soon.
Today lie is the Chairman of the Muslim Personal Law Board.
HeisafoundermemberoftheRaabtaAlam-e-Islami,thePan-Islamic bodywithheadquartersinMecca,whichdecidesamongotherthingsthe amounts that different Islamic organisations the world over should receive.
HehasbeentheNazim,thatistheRector,oftheDarulUlumNadwatul- Ulama since1961,thatisforwelloveraquarterofacentury. TheNadwa owesnotasmallpartofitseminencetothescholarship, theexertions,tile national and international contacts of Ali Mian.
Politicians ofallhues---RajivGandhi,V.P.Singh,Chandrashekhar-seek him out.
Heistheauthorofseveralbooks,including thewellknownInsaani Duniya ParMusalmanonKe Uruj-o-ZavalKa Asar(Theimpact oftheRise andFallofMuslims onMankind),andistakenastheauthority onIslamic law, jurisprudence, theology, and specially history.
Andhehasgreat, infact decisive, influence onthe politics ofMuslims in India.
His Father and His Book
Hisfather, Maulana Hakim Sayid AbdulHai,wasanequally wellknown andinfluential figure. WhentheNadwawasfounded,thefirstRector, MaulanaMuhammad Monghyri,thescholaratwhoseinitiativetheoriginal meetingin1892whichledtotheestablishmentoftheNadwawascalled, hadchosenMaulanaAbdulHaiastheMadadgar Nazim,theAdditional Rector.
AbdulHaiservedinthatcapacity tillJuly1915whenhewasappointed the Rector.
Because of his scholarship and his services to the institution and to Islam, hewasreappointed astheRectorin1920. Hecontinued inthatposttillhis death in February 1923.
Hetoowroteseveralbooks,including afamousdirectory whichhasjust been republished from Hyderabad, of thousands of Muslims who had served thecauseofIslaminIndia,chieflybythenumbers theyhad converted to the faith.
During some workIcame acrossthe reference to abookofhis and began to look for it.
Itwasalong,discursive book,Ilearnt,whichbeganwithdescriptions of thegeography, floraandfauna,languages, peopleandtheregionsof India. ThesewerewrittenfortheArabicspeaking peoples,thebookhavingbeen written in Arabic.
In1972,Ilearnt,theNadwatul-Ulama hadthebooktranslatedintoUrdu andpublished themostimportant chaptersofthebookunderthetitle HindustanIslamiAhadMein(HindustanunderIslamicRule). AliMian,I wastold, hadhimself written theforewordinwhich hehadcommanded the bookmosthighly. Thebookaspublishedhadleftoutdescriptions of geographyetc.,onthepremisethatfactsaboutthesearewellknownto Indian readers.
A Sudden Reluctance
Acuriousfacthitmeintheface. Manyofthepersonswhoonewould havenormallyexpectedtobeknowledgeable aboutsuchpublicationswere suddenly reluctant torecallthisbook.Iwastold,infact,thatcopiesofthe bookhadbeenremoved, forinstancefromtheAligarhMuslimUniversity Library.Some even suggested that adetermined effort had been made three or four years ago to get back each and every copy of this book.
Fortunately,thesuggestionturnedouttobeuntrue. Whilesomeofthe librariesonewouldnormally expect,tohavethebook-the JamiaMillia IslamiainDelhi;thefamouslibrariesinHyderabad-those oftheDairutual Maarifal-Osmania,oftheSalarJungMuseum,oftheNizamsTrust,ofthe Osmania University, the Kutubkhana-i-Saidiya -didnothaveit,others did. AmongthelatterweretheNadwaslibraryitself,thejustlyfamous Khuda Baksh Library in Patna, that of the Institute of Islamic Studies in Delhi.
Thefactthatthebookwasavailable inalltheselibrariescameasagreat reassurance. Ifeltthatifreactionariesandpropagandistshavebecomeso wellorganisedthattheycansecurethedisappearance fromeverylibraryof a booktheyhavecomenottolike,weareindeeptrouble. Clearly,they were not that resourceful.
Thefactthat,contrarytowhatIhadbeentold,thebookwasavailable alsotaughtmeanotherreassuring thing:factionalfightsamongMuslim fundamentalists areassharpandintenseasarethefactionalfightsamong fundamentalists ofotherhues. Forthesuggestion oftherebeingsomething sinisterintheinaccessibility ofthebookhadcometomefromresponsible Muslim quarters.
This valuable gift, this historical testament
The book is the publication number 66 of the Majlis Tehqiqat wa Nashriat Islam, the publication house of the Nadwatul-Ulama, Lucknow.
The Arabicversion was published in 1972 in Hyderabad,the Urdu version in1973inLucknow. AnEnglishversionwaspublished in1977.I will use the Urdu version as the illustration.
Maulana Abul-Hasan Ali Nadwi, that is Ali Mian himself, contributes the foreword.
It is an eloquent, almost lyrical foreword.
Islamhasimbueditsfollowerswiththequestfortruth,withpatriotism, hewrites. Theirnature,theirculturehasmadeMuslims thewriters oftrue history, he writes.
Muslims hadbuttoreachacountry,hewrites,anditsfortuneslitupand itawakenedfromtheslumberofhundredsandthousandsofyears. The countrytherebyascended fromdarknesstolight,hewrites,fromoblivion andobscuritytothepinnacleofnameandfame. Leavingitsparochial ambit,hewrites,itjoinedthefamilyofman,itjoinedthewideandvast creation ofGod. Andtheluminescence ofIslam,hewrites,transformed its hidden treasures into the light of eyes.
Itdidnotstickawaythewealthofthecountry, hewrites,andvomitit elsewhere as western powers did. On the contrary, it brought sophistication,culture,beneficientadministration, peace,tranquilitytothe country. Itraisedthecountry fromtheageofsavagery totheageof progress,hewrites, from infantilism toadulthood. Ittransformed itsbarren landsintoswayingfields,hewrites,itswildshrubsintofruit-laden treesof such munificence that the residents could not even have dreamt of them.
And so on.
Hethenrecallsthevastlearningandprodigious exertionsofMaulana Abdul Hai,his8-volumeworkon4500Muslimswhoservedthecauseof Islam in India, his directory of Islamic scholars.
Herecalls howaftercompletingthesebookstheMaulanaturnedto subjectswhichhadtillthenremainedobscure,howintheselaboursthe Maulanawasliketheproverbial beecollecting honeyfromvariedflowers. HerecountsthewiderangeoftheMaulanas scholarship. Herecountshow thelattercollectedraredata,howapersonlikehimaccomplished single- handed what entire academies are unable these days to do.
Herecounts thestructureofthepresentbook. Herecallshowitlay neglectedforlong,how,evenastheworkofre-transcribing amoth-eaten manuscript wasgoingon,acompletemanuscript wasdiscoveredin Azamgarh,howin1933thegraceofProvidencesaveditfromdestruction and obscurity.
Hewrites thatthebookbringsintoboldreliefthosehallmarks ofIslamic rulewhichhavebeenunjustlyanduntruthfully dealtwithbywesternand Indianhistorians, whichinfactmanyMuslimhistoriansandscholarsin universities andacademiestoohavetreatedwithneglectandlackof appreciation.
Recalling howMaulanaAbdulHaihadtostudythousandsofpagesona subject, Ali Mian writes that only he who has himself worked on the subject canappreciatetheeffortthathasgoneintothestudy. Youwillgetina single chapter of this book, he tells the reader, the essence which you cannot obtainbyreadingscoresofbooks. Thisistheresult,hewrites,ofthefact thattheauthorlaboured onlyforthepleasureofGod,fortheserviceof learning,andthefulfilment ofhisownsoul. Suchauthorsexpectedno rewards,noapplause,hetellsus. Workwastheirentiresatisfaction. That ishowtheywereabletoputinsuchherculean labours,tospendtheirentire life on one subject.
We are immensely pleased, he concludes, to present this valuable gift and historicaltestamenttoourcountrymen andhopethatAllahwillacceptthis act of service and scholars will also receive it with respect and approbation.
The Explanation
Suchbeingtheeminenceoftheauthor,suchbeingthegreatness ofthe work, why is it not the cynosure of the fundamentalists eyes?
TheanswerisinthechapterHindustankiMasjidein,TheMosquesof Hindustan.
Barely seventeen pages;thechapterissimplywritten. Afewfactsabout some of the principal mosques are described in a few lines each.
Thefactsarewell-known, theyareelementary,andsettingthemoutina few lineseachshould attract noattention. Andyet,asweshallsee,thereis furtiveness in regard to them. Why? Descriptions of seven mosques provide the answer.
Thedevoutconstructed somanymosques,MaulanaAbdulHairecords, they lavished suchhuge amounts andsuchlabours onthem that they cannot allbereckoned, thateverycity,town,hamletcametobeadornedbya mosque. Hesaysthathewilltherefore havetobecontentwithsettingout the facts of just a few of the well-known ones.
A few sentences from what he says about seven mosques will do:
Qawwat al-Islam Mosque
AccordingtomyfindingsthefirstmosqueofDelhiisQubbatall-Islam orQuwwatal-Islamwhich,itissaid,Qutbud-DinAibakconstructedinH. 587afterdemolishingthetemplebuiltbyPrithviRajandleavingcertain parts ofthetemple (outside themosqueproper); and whenhereturned from GhazniinH.592,hestartedbuilding, underordersfromShihabud-Din Ghori,ahugemosqueofinimitable redstones,andcertainpartsofthe templewereincluded inthemosque. Afterthat,whenShamsud-Din Altamishbecametheking,hebuilt,onbothsidesofit,edificesofwhite stones, and onone side ofit he started constructing that loftiest ofall towers which has no equal in the world for its beauty and strength
The Mosque at Jaunpur
This was built bySultan Ibrahim Sharqi with chiselled stones. Originally itwasaHindutempleafterdemolishing whichheconstructedthemosque. ItisknownastheAtalaMasjid. TheSultan usedtoofferhisFridayandId prayers in it, and QaziShihabud-Din gave lessons in it
The Mosque at Qanauj
This mosque stands on an elevated ground inside the Fort of Qanauj.It is well-known thatitwasbuiltonthefoundations ofsomeHindutemple(that stood)here. Itisabeautiful mosque. TheysaythatitwasbuiltbyIbrahim Sharqi in H. 809 as is (recorded) in Gharabat Nigar.
Jami (Masjid) at Etawah
Thismosque standsonthebankoftheJamuna atEtawah. Therewasa Hindu temple at this place, on the site of which this mosque was constructed. Itisalsopatterned afterthemosqueatQanauj. Probably itis one of the monuments of the Sharqi Sultans.
Babri Masjid at Ayodhya
This mosque wasconstructed byBabar at Ayodhya which Hinduscall the birth place ofRamchanderji.There isafamous storyabout his wife Sita.It issaidthatSitahadatemplehereinwhichshelivedandcookedfoodfor her husband. On that very site Babar constructed this mosque in H. 963
Mosques of Alamgir (Aurangzeb)
ItissaidthatthemosqueofBenares wasbuiltbyAlamgir onthesiteof theBisheshwarTemple. Thattemplewasverytalland(heldas)holy among theHindus. Onthisverysiteandwiththoseverystoneshe constructed aloftymosque,anditsancientstoneswererearrangedafter beingembedded inthewallsofthemosque. Itisoneoftherenowed mosquesofHindustan. Thesecondmosque atBenares (istheone)which wasbuiltbyAlamgir onthebankoftheGangawithchiselled stones. This also is a renowned mosque ofHindustan.Ithas28towers,each ofwhich is 238feet tall. This isonthe bank ofthe Ganga and its foundations extend to the depth of the waters.
Alamgir builtamosqueatMathura. Itissaidthatthismosquewasbuilt onthesiteoftheGobindDevTemplewhichwasverystrongandbeautiful as well as exquisite
It is said
ButtheMaulanaisnottestifyingtothefacts. Heismerelyreporting what was believed.He repeatedly says, It is said that
Thatseems tobeafigureofspeechwiththeMaulana. Whendescribing theconstruction oftheQuwwatulIslammosquebyQutubuddin Aibak,for instance, he uses the same It is said.
Ifthefactswereindoubt,wouldascholarofAliMiansdiligenceand commitment nothavecommentedontheminhisfull-bodiedforeward? Indeed, hewouldhavedecided against republishing themashedecidednot to republish much of the original book.
And if the scholars had felt that the passages could be that easily disposedof,whyshould anyefforthavebeenmadetotakeaworktothe excellence ofwhichascholarofAliMiansstaturehastestifiedinsucha fulsome manner, and do what has been done to this one? And what is that?
Eachreferencetoeachofthesemosqueshavingbeenconstructed onthe sitesoftempleswith,asinthecaseofthemosqueatBenaras, thestonesof theverytemplewhichwasdemolished forthatverypurposehavebeen censoredoutoftheEnglishversionofthebook!Eachoneofthepassages on each one of the seven mosques! No accident that.
Indeed thereisnotjustcensorshipbutsubstitution. IntheUrduvolume weare told inregard tothe mosque atQanauj forinstance that Thismosque standsonanelevatedgroundinsidethefortofQanauj. Itiswellknown thatitwasbuiltonthefoundation ofsomeHinduTemple(thatstood)here. IntheEnglish volumewearetoldinregardtothesamemosquethatIt occupiedacommanding site,believedtohavebeentheplaceearlier occupied by an old and decayed fort.
Ifthepassagescouldhavebeensoeasilyexplained awaybyreferring to the Itissaids,whywouldanyone have thought itnecessary toremovethese passagesfrom the English version-that is the version which wasmore likely to be read by persons other than the faithful? Why would anyone bowdlerise the book of a major scholar in this way?
Conclusions
Butthat,thoughobvious,weighslittlewithme. Thefactthattemples werebrokenandmosquesconstructedintheirplaceiswellknown. Noris thefactthatthematerialsofthetemples-the stonesandidols--were usedin constructingthemosque,news. Itwasthoughtthatthiswasthewayto announcehegemony. Itwasthoughtthatthiswasthewaytostrikeatthe heartoftheconquered-for inthosedaysthetemplewasnotjustaplaceof worship;itwasthehubofthecommunitys life,ofitslearning,ofitssocial life. Sothelinesinthebookwhichbearonthispracticeareofnoearth- shakingsignificance inthemselves. Theirrealsignificance-andIdaresay that they are but the smallest, most innocuous example that onecanthink of onthemosque-templebusiness-liesintheevasionandconcealmentthey have spurred. I have it on good authority that the passages have been known forlong,andwellknowntothosewhohavebeenstoking theBabriMasjid issue.[2]
Thatisthesignificantthing;theyhaveknownthem,andtheirimpulse has been to conceal and bury rather than to ascertain the