Somnath Temple

Somnath Temple

Somnath temple, located in located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of (the) Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed six times and rebuilt six times. Most recently it was rebuilt in November 1947, when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the area for the integration of Junagadh and mooted a plan for restoration. After Patel's death, the rebuilding continued under K. M. Munshi, another minister of the Government of India.

Timeline

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 649CE.

In 725CE 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 CE, the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert. The temple was rebuilt by the Gujjar Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat (Anhilwara) or Patan between1026 and 1042. The wooden structure was replaced by Kumarpal (r.1143-72), who built the temple of stone.

In 1296 CE, 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 AD and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 AD.

In 1375 CE, the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat.

In 1451 CE, the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat.

In 1701 CE, 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.

Later on a joint effort of Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore & Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior rebuilt the temple in 1783 AD at a site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.

Restoration of temple after Independence

Before independence, Prabhas Pattan was part of the princely state of Junagadh. After integration of Jungadh in to Union of India, the Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to Junagadh on November 12, 1947 to direct the stabilization of the state by the Indian Army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.

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 But soon both Gandhi and Sardar Patel died and the task of reconstruction of the temple continued under K. M. Munshi, who was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the Nehru Government.

The ruins were pulled down in October 1950 and the mosque present at that site was shifted few miles away. 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. 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.". He added "The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction"

This episode created a serious rift between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who saw the movement for reconstruction of the temple as an attempt at Hindu revivalism and the President Rajendra Prasad and Union Minister K. M. Munshi, who saw in its reconstruction, the fruits of freedom and the reversal of past injustice done to Hindus.

The present temple, which was built by Patel and Munshi, is managed by Shree Somnath Trust.

Architecture

The present temple is built in the Chalukya style of temple architecture or Kailash Mahameru Prasad Style and reflects the skill of the Sompura Salats, Gujarat's master masons.

The temple is situated at such a place that there is no land in straight-line between Somnath seashore till Antarctica, such an inscription in Sanskrit is found on the Arrow-Pillar called Baan-Stambh erected on the sea-protection wall at the Somnath Temple. This Baan-Stambh mentions that it stands at a point on the Indian landmass, which happens to be the first point on land in the north to the south-pole on that particular longitude.

The Story of Lord Shiva

Shiva, is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspect of the divine. God shiva is a yogi, who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the man aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a sage at Mount Kailash. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Lord Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. 

The name "SHIVA" means "Auspicious". Shiva-Parvathi is often worshiped together and it is believed that you attain peace in your relationships by getting the blessing of Lord Shiva and His consort. Lord Shiva looks different from the other Hindu Gods. His body is smeared with ash, he adorns a snake around his neck and wears animal skin. Lord Shiva has a third eye on his forehead and wears a necklace of skulls. Other features include the presence of crescent moon, Ganges flowing from the locks.

Lord Shiva is usually worshiped in the abstract from of Shiva Linga. In images, he is represented as a handsome young man immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Apasmara, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the Lord of these dance, godness, humility, and every good quality a human should have. 

Shiva's form: Shiva wears a deer in the left upper hand. He has a Trident in the right lower arm, with a crescent moon on his head. He is said to be fair like camphor or like an ice clad mountain. He has fire and Damaru and Malu or a kind of weapon. He wears five serpents as ornaments. He wears a garland of skulls. He is pressing with his feet the demon Muyalaka, a dwarf holding a cobra. He faces south. Panchakshara itself is his body.

Third eye: Shiva is often depicted with a third eye, with which he burned Desire (Kāma) to ashes, called "Tryambakam" (Sanskrit: त्र्यम्बकम्), which occurs in many scriptural sources. In classical Sanskrit, the word ambaka denotes "an eye", and in theMahabharata, Shiva is depicted as three-eyed, so this name is sometimes translated as "having three eyes". However, in Vedic Sanskrit, the word ambā or ambikā means "mother", and this early meaning of the word is the basis for the translation "three mothers". These three mother-goddesses who are collectively called the Ambikās. Other related translations have been based on the idea that the name actually refers to the oblations given to Rudra, which according to some traditions were shared with the goddess Ambikā.

Crescent moon: Shiva bears on his head the crescent moon. The epithet Chandraśekhara (Sanskrit: चन्द्रशेखर "Having the moon as his crest" - chandra = "moon"; śekhara = "crest, crown") refers to this feature. The placement of the moon on his head as a standard iconographic feature dates to the period when Rudra rose to prominence and became the major deity Rudra-Shiva. The origin of this linkage may be due to the identification of the moon with Soma, and there is a hymn in the Rig Veda where Soma and Rudra are jointly implored, and in later literature, Soma and Rudra came to be identified with one another, as were Soma and the moon. The crescent moon is shown on the side of the Lord's head as an ornament. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments. The wearing of the crescent moon in his head indicates that He has controlled the mind perfectly.

Ashes: Shiva smears his body with ashes. Some forms of Shiva, such as Bhairava, are associated with a very old Indian tradition of cremation-ground asceticism that was practiced by some groups who were outside the fold of brahmanic orthodoxy. These practices associated with cremation grounds are also mentioned in the Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism. One epithet for Shiva is "inhabitant of the cremation ground" (Sanskrit: śmaśānavāsin, also spelled Shmashanavasin), referring to this connection.

Matted hair: Shiva's distinctive hair style is noted in the epithets Jaṭin, "the one with matted hair", and Kapardin, "endowed with matted hair" or "wearing his hair wound in a braid in a shell-like (kaparda) fashion". A kaparda is a cowrie shell, or a braid of hair in the form of a shell, or, more generally, hair that is shaggy or curly. His hair is said to be like molten gold in color or being yellowish-white.

Blue throat: The epithet Nīlakaṇtha (Sanskrit नीलकण्ठ; nīla = "blue", kaṇtha = "throat") refers to a story in which Shiva drank the poison churned up from the world ocean.

Sacred Ganga: The Ganga river flows from the matted hair of Shiva. The epithet Gaṅgādhara ("bearer of the river Gaṅgā") refers to this feature. The Gaṅgā (Ganga), one of the major rivers of the country, is said to have made her abode in Shiva's hair. The flow of the Ganga also represents the nectar of immortality.

Tiger skin: He is often shown seated upon a tiger skin, an honour reserved for the most accomplished of Hindu ascetics, the Brahmarishis. Tiger represents lust. His sitting on the tiger’s skin indicates that He has conquered lust.

Serpents: Shiva is often shown garlanded with a snake. His wearing of serpents on the neck denotes wisdom and eternity.

Deer: His holding deer on one hand indicates that He has removed the Chanchalata (tossing) of the mind. Deer jumps from one place to another swiftly. The mind also jumps from one object to another.

Trident: (Sanskrit: Trishula): Shiva's particular weapon is the trident. His Trisul that is held in His right hand represents the three Gunas—Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. That is the emblem of sovereignty. He rules the world through these three Gunas. The Damaru in His left hand represents the Sabda Brahman. It represents OM from which all languages are formed. It is He who formed the Sanskrit language out of the Damaru sound.

Drum: A small drum shaped like an hourglass is known as a damaru (Sanskrit: ḍamaru). This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dancing representation known as Nataraja. A specific hand gesture (mudra) called ḍamaru-hasta (Sanskrit for "ḍamaru-hand") is used to hold the drum. This drum is particularly used as an emblem by members of the Kāpālika sect.

Nandī: Nandī, also known as Nandin, is the name of the bull that serves as Shiva's mount (Sanskrit: vāhana). Shiva's association with cattle is reflected in his name Paśupati, or Pashupati (Sanskrit: पशुपति), translated by Sharma as "lord of cattle" and by Kramrisch as "lord of animals", who notes that it is particularly used as an epithet of Rudra. Rishabha or the bull represents Dharma Devata. Lord Siva rides on the bull. Bull is his vehicle. This denotes that Lord Siva is the protector of Dharma, is an embodiment of Dharma or righteousness.

Gaṇa: The Gaṇas are attendants of Shiva and live in Kailash. They are often referred to as the bhutaganas, or ghostly hosts, on account of their nature. Generally benign, except when their lord is transgressed against, they are often invoked to intercede with the lord on behalf of the devotee. Ganesha was chosen as their leader by Shiva, hence Ganesha's title gaṇa-īśa or gaṇa-pati, "lord of thegaṇas".

Mount Kailāsa: Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is his traditional abode. In Hindu mythology, Mount Kailāsa is conceived as resembling a Linga, representing the center of the universe.

Varanasi: Varanasi (Benares) is considered as the city specially loved by Shiva, and is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in India. It is referred to, in religious contexts, as Kashi.

The Story of Shiva

The Birth of Lord Shiva's First Consort - Sati

The story of Lord Shiva and Sati

The Big Yagna Held by Daksha

The Yagna Gets Interrupted

The Birth of Goddess Parvathi - Lord Shiva's Second Consort

The Story of Tarkasura 

The story of Lord Shiva and Parvathi

The Birth of Karthikeyan - The Son of Lord Shiva and Parvathi

How Karthikeyan Destroys Tarakasura 

Islam and Hinduism

Vikramaditya

Evidence is now available that the whole of Arabia was a part of the great Indian King Vikramaditya's vast empire. The extent of Vikramaditya's empire is one of the main reason for his world wide fame. It could be that Vikramaditya himself had this peninsula named Arvasthan if he was the first Indian to monarch to capture it and bring it under his sway. The second intriguing aspect is the existence of Shivalinga or the Mahadeva emblem in the Kaaba shrine in Mecca. 

Anthology of Ancient Arabic Poetry: Sayar-ul-Okul

In Istanbul in Turkey, there is a famous library called Makteb-e-Sultania which is reputed to have the largest collection of ancient West Asia literature. In the Arabic Section of that library is an anthology of ancient Arabic poetry. That anthology was compiled from an earlier works in A.D. 1742 under the orders of Turkish ruler Sultan Salim. 

The pages of that volume are made of HAREER - a kind of silk used for writing on. Each page had decorative gilded border. It may be recalled that gilding pages of sacred books is an ancient custom associated with old Sanskrit Scriptures found in java and other places. The anthology itself is known as SAYAR-UL-OKUL. It is divided into three parts, the first part contains biographic details and the poetic compositions of pre-islamic Arabian poets. The second part embodies accounts and verses of poets of the period beginning just after Prophet Mohammad up to the end of Banee-Immayya dynasty. The third part deals with later poets up to the end of Khalifa Huran-al-Rashid's times. Incidentally "Banee" means "Vanee" and Ummayya as as in Krishnayya are Sanskrit names.

Abu Amir Abdul Asamai, a distinguished arabian bard who was the poet laureate of Huran-al-Rashid's court has compiled and edited teh anthology.

The first modern edition of Sayar-ul-Okul anthology was printed and published in Berlin in A.D. 1864. A subsequent edition was published in Beirut in A.D. 1932. This work is regarded as the most important and authoritative anthology of ancient Arabic poetry. It throws considerable light on the social life, customs, manners and entertainment forms in ancient Arabia. The book also contains an elaborate description of the ancient Mecca shrine, the town and annual fair known as OKAJ which used to be held there every year. This should convince readers that the anual Haj of the Muslims to the Kaaba is only a continuation of the old fair and not a new practice. 

But the OKAJ fair was far from a carnival. It provided a forum for the elite and learned to discuss the social, religious, political, literary and other aspects of the Vedic Culture then pervading Arabia. Sayar-ul-Okul asserts that the conclusions reached at those discussion were widely respected throughout Arabia. Mecca, therefore, followed the Varanasi tradition of providing a sear for important discussions among the learned while the masses congregated there for spiritual bliss. The principal shrines at both Varanasi in India and at mecca in Arvasthan were Shiva Temples. Even to this day the central object of veneration at both Mecca and Varanasi continues to be the ancient Mahadeva Emblems. IT is the Shankara stone which Muslim pilgrims reverently touch and kiss in the Kaaba.

Entry of Non Muslims Forbidden

A few miles away from Mecca a big signboard which forbids entry to any non-Muslim in the area. This is a reminder of the days when the Shrine was stormed and captured solely from the new established faith of islam. The Object obviously was to prevent its recapture. 

As the pilgrim proceeds towards mecca he is asked to shave his head and beard and to don a special sacred attire. This consists of two seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to worn round the waist and the other over the shoulders. Both these rites are remnants of the old Vedic practice of entering Hindu Shrines, clean shaven and with holy seamless spotless white sheets.

The main shrine in Mecca which house the Shiva emblem is known as the Kaaba. It is clothed in black shroud. This custom could also originate from the days when it was thought necessary to discourage its recapture. According to encyclopedias Britannica and Islamia the Kaaba had 360 images. Traditional Accounts mention that one of the deities among the 360 destroyed, when the shrine was stormed, was that of Saturn, another was of Moon and yet another was called Allah. In India the practice of Navagraha puja that is worship of nine planets is still in vogue. Two of these nine are the Saturn and the moon. Besides, the moon is always associated with Lord Shiva. A Crescent is always painted across the forehead of the Shiva emblem. Since the presiding deity at the kaaba shrine was lord Shiva. It is that crescent which is now adopted as a religious symbol of Islam. Another Hindu tradition is that sacred because t was regarded as but another Ganga since pre-islamic times. Muslim pilgrims visiting the Kaaba shrine go around it seven times. In no other mosque does this perambulation prevail. Hindus invariably perambulate around their shrines. This is yet another proof that the Kaaba shrine is a pre-islamic Shiva temple where the Hindu practice of Perambulation is still meticulously observed. 

Allah is a Sanskrit word. In Sanskrit Allah, Akka and Amba are synonyms. They signify a goddess or mother. The term Allah appears in sanskrit chants while invoking goddess Durga i.e. Bhavani. The Islamic word Allah for god is therefore not an innovation but the ancient Sanskrit appellation retained and continued to be used by Islam.

The seven perambulations too are significant. At Hindu wedding ceremonies the bride and bridegroom go round the sacred fire seven times. The practice of seven perambulations around the kaaba shrine in Mecca is, therefore, a Hindu Vedic Custom. It is also a proof that Mecca that Mecca was Makha or the shrine of the sacred fire around which worshipers made seven perambulations. 

Sayar-ul-Okul tells us that a pan-Arabic poetic symposium used to be held in Mecca at the annual Okaj fair in pre-islamic times. All leading poets used to participate in it. Poems considered best were awarded prizes. The best poems engraved on gold plate were hung inside the temple. Others etched on camel or goat skin were hung outside. Thus for thousand of years the Kaaba was the treasure house of the best Arabian poetic thoughts. This tradition was of immemorial iniquity. But most of the poems got lost and destroyed during the storming of the Kaaba by prophet Muhammad's forces.

Sayar-ul-Okul is a poem by Umar-Bine-Hassnam. He was an uncle of prophet Mohammad. He refused to get converted to Islam. He died a martyr at the hands of Muslim fanatics who wanted to wipe out non-muslims. This poem was adjudged as the best in the annual fair at Kaaba. 

Qafa Vinak Ziqra min ulumin tav aseru kalabun ayattul hawa Va Tazakkaru

va tazakeroha audan elalvadae lilvara valuk yanik zatulla he yom tab aseru

va ahlolaha azahu armimah mahadev o manazel ilamuddine minjum va sayattaru

va sahabi keyam feem quamil hinde yoman va yaquloon latahazan fainnak tavajaru

mayassayare akhalaqan hasnan kullahum najumun azaat summ gabul hindu

Translattion: 

A man who has spent all his life in sin and immorality and has wasted away his life in passion and fury,

if he repents in the end and want to return to morality, is there a way for his redemption?

Even if only once he sincerely worships Mahadeva, he can attain the highest position in Path of righteousness.

Oh lord! take away all my life and in return pray grant me even a single day stay in Hind(India) as a man becomes spiritually free on reaching that Holy Land.

By dint of a pilgrimage of Hind a man attains the merit of noble deeds and gets the privilege of pious touch with ideal Hindu teacher.