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April 10, 2026
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"It is related in many authentic historical works that the revenue of ten thousand populated villages was set apart as an endowment for the expenses of the temple of Somnat, and more than one thousand Brahmans were always engaged in the worship of that idol. There hung in this temple a golden chain which weighed two hundred Indian mans. To this were attached numerous bells, and several persons were appointed whose duty it was to shake it at stated times during day and night, and summon the Brahmans to worship. Amongst the other attendants of this temple there were three hundred barbers appointed to shave the heads of the pilgrims. There were also three hundred musicians and five hundred dancing-girls attached to it; and it was customary even for the kings and rajas of India to send their daughters for the service of the temple. A salary was fixed for every one of the attendants, and it was duly and punctually paid. On the occurrence of an eclipse multitudes of Hindus came to visit this temple from all parts of Hindustan. We are told by many historians that at every occurrence of this phenomenon there assembled more than two hundred thousand persons, bringing offerings. It is said in the history of Ibn Asir and in that of Hafiz Abru that the room in which the idol of Somnat was placed was entirely dark, and that it was illumined by the refulgence of the jewels that adorned the candelabra. In the treasury of this temple there were also found numberless small idols of gold and silver. In short, besides what fell into the hands of his army from the plunder of the city, Mahmud obtained so much wealth in gold jewels, and other [p. 55] valuables from this temple, that no other king possessed anything equal to it. âWhen Mahmud had concluded his expedition against Somnat, it was reported to him that Raja Bhim, chief of Nahrwara, who at the time of the late invasion had fled away, had now taken refuge in the fort of Kandama,1 which was by land forty parasangs distant from Somnat. Mahmud immediately advanced towards that place,2 and when his victorious flags drew near the fort, it was found to be surrounded by much water, and there appeared no way of approaching it. The Sultan ordered some divers to sound the depth of the water, and they pointed him out a place where it was fordable. But at the same time they said that if the water (the tide) should rise at the time of their passing it would drown them all. Mahmud, having taken the advice of religious persons, and depending upon the protection of the Almighty God, proceeded with his army, and plunged with his horse into the water. He crossed over it in safety, and the chief of the fort having witnessed his intrepidity, fled away. His whole property, with numerous prisoners, fell into the hands of the army of Islam. All men who were found in the fort were put to the sword."
"âIt is said that the temple of Somnat was built by one of the greatest Rajas of India. The idol was cut out of solid stone, about five yards in height, of which two were buried in the earth. Mahmud, as soon as his eye fell on this idol, lifted up his battle-axe with much anger, and struck it with such force that the idol broke into pieces. The fragments of it were ordered to be taken to Ghaznin, and were cast down at the threshold of the Jamiâ Masjidâ, where they are lying to this day. It is a well-authenticated fact that when Mahmud was about to destroy the idol, a crowd of Brahmans represented (to his nobles) that if he would desist from the mutilation they would pay several crores of gold coins into his treasury. This was agreed to by many of the nobles, who pointed out to the Sultan that he could not obtain so much treasure by breaking the image, and that the proffered money would be very serviceable. Mahmud replied, âI know this, but I desire that on the day of resurrection I should be summoned with the words, âwhere is the Mahmud who broke the greatest of the heathen idolsâ rather than by these: âWhere is that Mahmud who sold the greatest of the idols to the infidels for gold?â â Then Mahmud demolished the image, he found in it so many superb jewels and rubies, that they amounted to, and even exceeded as hundred times the value of the ransom which had been offered to him by the Brahmans. âAccording to the belief of the Hindus, all the other idols in India held the position of attendants and deputies of Somnat. Every night this idol was washed with âfreshâ water brought from the Ganges, although that river must be more than two hundred parasangs [p. 54] distant. This river flows through the eastern part of India, and is held very sacred by the Hindus. They throw the bones of their dead into it."
"Then in accordance with his custom, he advanced with his army towards Hindustan with the object of the conquest of Somnath' there were many golden idols in the temple in the city, and the largest of these idols was called Manat...When he reached Somnath, the inhabitants shut the gate on his face. After much fighting and great struggles the fort was taken, and vast multitudes were killed and taken prisoners. The temples were pulled down, and destroyed from their very foundations. The gold idol Somnath was broken into pieces, and one piece was sent to Ghaznin, and was placed at the gate of the Jami' Masjid; and for years it remained there."
"Mahmud, as soon as his eyes fell on this idol, lifted up his battle-axe with much anger, and struck it with such force that the idol broke into pieces. The fragments of it were ordered to be taken to Ghaznin, and were cast down at the threshold of the Jami Masjid where they are lying to this day."
"In the context of Chittor, for instance, we may take the case of KĂlikĂ MĂtĂ or Sun temple and Kumbha Shyam temple. The former temple was originally built in the 8th century as a Sun temple. It suffered heavy damage when the troops of Alauddin Khalji occupied Chittor for some time after 1303 A.D. The SabhĂ MaĂĂapa of the temple is âbeautifully decorated with the figural works, medallions, lotus-scrollsâ. The figure of Rurya Narayan or Run God on the upper part of uttarĂĂgapaĂĂais âa unique pieceâ iconographically. The following description will give an idea of its sculptural richness. The uttarĂĂgapaĂĂa and the front part of the garbha-grĂŠha have deeply cut figures of Sun God, seated on his chariot driven by seven horses, the figures of Shiva and Parvati seated on Nandi (bull), and VishĂu and Yakshmi on Uarudaâ. There are figures of GaĂgĂ and Jamuna on the door jamb, figures of Sun-God in the main niche of the pradakĂhiĂĂ path, GaĂapati and VinĂyaki are outside the main temple. Other figures are of Ashwani Kumar, Indra seated on elephant with lotus and vajra in his hands, Agni seated on mesha (male sheep), figures of Sun in the main niche, Yama seated on mahishĂ (buffalo), DikpĂl, VaruĂa seated on crocodile, VĂsu seated on a deer, Chandra seated on a horse, a crescent mark showing its identity, figure of ĂshĂn with three eyes and matted hair, the figures of Shiva and Parvati on the janghĂ of the temple, the churning of ocean scene on an independent slab, the pillars of the garbha-gĂŠiha, sabhĂ-maĂĂapa pradikshinĂpath etc. âhave vase and foliage decorations with flowers and creepers, makĂrs and kĂrti-mukhascut deeply and attractivelyâ."
"Muslims had destroyed and looted the temples. The British did not do that but they took over a good deal of the temple lands as a 'revenue measure'; they did not use the word 'confiscation' and, in fact, converted some of these lands into 'monetary remuneration'. As a result, according to the Government of India's own comprehensive study beginning in 1962 and lasting for over ten years, the ten thousand five hundred and odd temples of Tamilnadu have a total annual income of only rupees twenty-seven million, from all their moveable and immoveable properties. Over 5,000 temples have only an annual income of Rs.500/- each! There is almost no money for the pujas, and the priests also hardly get anything. The only people who get proper remunerations are the Government functionaries employed to overseer the working of the temples."
"A petition by Swami Paramatmanda and Swami Dayananda Saraswati has been pending in the Supreme Court of India since 2012, where they demonstrate that though the Ardhanareeshwara temple in Tamil Naduâs Tiruchengode generates more than a crore in annual income, a paltry one lakh is earmarked for its conduct of daily poojas and performance of rituals. Governments of just ten states control more than 1,10,000 Hindu temples, with the Tamil Nadu Temple Trusts itself owning 4,78, 000 acres of temple land and controlling 36,425 temples and 56 mutts.10 This draining away of the temples of their self-generated income; their inability to run their affairs or their schools, cow shelters, orphanages, and other socio-religious institutions; and the constant interference in their administration and management further added to the continued decadence of Hindu temples after independence. With no guarantee of any income, priests in many temples end up extorting the pilgrims, adding further to the sad state of affairs. It was no different with the famed Kashi Vishwanath temple as well."
"Governments of just 10 states control more than 110,000 Hindu temples. Tamil Nadu Temple Trusts own 478,000 acres of temple land. Tamil Nadu government alone controls 36,425 temples and 56 mutts; for Karnataka, the figure is 34,563.17 Is this what we call secularism? ... According to the activist and litigant T.R. Ramesh, the Tamil Nadu government, that should be earning a minimum of 6,000 crores per annum from the 2.44 crore square feet of temple land it controls, earns a mere 58 crores, not even 1 percent. Kapaleeswarar Temple is one of the richest temples in Tamil Nadu, owning more than 600 acres of prime property in Chennai. State records show it has 473 defaulters, with most of its land now encroached. And these are the estimate of only one state. Because of this loss in revenue generation, Hindu temples are not able to spend money on what they would really like to spend money onâopening up ved pathshalas, schools, colleges, gaushalas, fellowships and scholarships, orphanages, Hindu cultural and religious centresâall things and causes other religions and their places of worship spend their money on unencumbered.... More than two years have gone by the Tamil Nadu government informed Madras High Court that 11,99 under its control do not have enough money to perform even a single pooja."
"I visited a celebrated temple at Peruru, which is two miles from Coimbatore. It is dedicated to Iswara, and called Mail [high] Chitumbra [Chidambaram], in order to distinguish it from another Chitumbra, that is near Pondicherry . . . the Brahmans in the time of Haidar had very large endowments in lands; but these were entirely reassumed by Tipu, who also plundered the temple of its gold and jewels. He was obliged, however to respect it more than many others in his dominions; as when he issued a general order for the destruction of all idolatrous buildings, he excepted only this, and the temples of Seringapatam and Melukote. This order was never enforced and a few of the temples were injured, except those which were demolished by the Sultan in person who delighted in this work of zeal . . . even in the reign of the Sultan an allowance was clandestinely given, so that the puja, or worship, never was entirely stopped, as happened in many less celebrated places."
"But I ask you, if the Congress can bring in a legislation to control Hindu temples, one that still stands, why cannot the present government bring in a legislation to free Hindu temples? A petition by Swami Parmatmananda and Swami Dayananda Saraswati is pending in the Supreme court since 2012. For more than 10 years. They can allow midnight hearings for granting mercy to terrorists but cannot spare time for this. In his pica, Swamiji gave the example of the grand Ardhanareswara Temple in Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu. Even though the temple generates more than a crore in annual income, the budget earmarked for conducting daily puja and performing rituals is a mere 1 lac. Swami Dayananda Saraswati did not live to see the day his beloved temples would be wrested from State control. He passed away in 2015... Kapaleeswarar Temple is one of the richest temples in Tamil Nadu, owning more than 600 acres of prime property in Chennai. State records show it has 473 defaulters, with most of its land now encroached."
"The Lord (Manalan), who is adorned with flowers, is beloved by both Lakshmi (the goddess) and Bhoomi Devi (the Earth goddess). The one with beautiful eyes (Kannalan), who is the soul of all beings in this world and revered by all celestial beings, resides in Thirunavaya, where His divine words are cherished. When will I behold Him here in Thirunavaya, joyfully enjoying Himself to His heartâs content?"
"This temple is one among the 108 Shivalayas installed by Parasurama. The temple also houses a Parasurama murti. This is the only temple in India where the temple is opened in wee hours for Shakti puja during a whole mandala season in the month of Vrischika."
"Thunchath Acharya and Melapthur Bhattathiri used to visit here regularly. Trikkandiyur Achyutha Pisharody, who was an eminent scholar from 16th century Kerala used to perform his Kazhakam duty in this temple. The temple used to stand tall with a massive Gopura in the east and a Vilakkumadom (for lighting the lamp around Nalambalam) which used to burn lakhs of lamps. During Tipuâs invasion, the Raja of Vettom was the Ooralan (care taker) of the temple."
"The temple, which consists of the usual cella surrounded by a walled enclosure, stands at the foot of a spur which rises above the right bank of the Madhumati stream. The temple is approached by a stair-case about 9 feet wide, of steep, stone steps, some 63 in number... In the middle of the wall on the northside is an arched recess, which contains a lingam...The cella, which is about 22 feet square, stands on an elevated plinth about 4 feet from the present level of the ground...The entrance is approached by a flight of steps. ... The interior of the temple is square, and perfectly plain; on the ground lies a large rough slab of unpolished stone, somewhat like a huge mill-stone, which, with the walls, is smeared in places with red pigment, and flowers are inserted in cracks. This stone is said to have been disturbed by Mansur Khan, Rajah of Karnao, in search of treasure, ..exertions, however, were unsuccessful."
"At two daysâ distance from Haehamun is the river named Padmati which flows from the Dardu country. Gold is also found in this river. On its banks is a stone-temple called Sharada, dedicated to Durga and regarded with great veneration. On every eighth tithi of Shulkapaksha, it begins to shake and produces the most extraordinary effect"
"In Inner Kashmir, about two or three days journey from the capital in the direction towards the mountains of Bolor, there is a wooden idol called Sarada, which is much venerated and frequented by pilgrims"
"It was at the temple of Sharda that Shankaracharya was accepted as a religious scholar of the highest merit. Bilhana stated that it was because of Sharda that Kashmir was recognized as a centre of learning...."
"The Hindu temple known as Prakladpuri is of great antiquity, and is mentioned in the Vedas. It is alleged to be built on the site which was the scene of the fourth incarnation of Nursinghy the half-man, half-lion avatar of Vishnu, the second person in the Hindu triad."
"The Hindu tradition is that a giant named Hurnakus once ruled the kingdom of Multan. Brahma promised him that he shbuld not meet his death by god, man, or beast ; neither should fate take him on the earth, in the air, in fire, or in water, by sword or bow, by night or day. Consequently he became puffed up with pride, fancied he was immortal,, and directed his subjects to pay him divine worship. The giant's son, named Prahlad, who was a devout follower of Vishnu, refused to comply with his father's behests. Incensed at this disobedience, Hurnakus resolved to kill his son, and mockingly desired to know if Vishnu the omnipresent would come to save him. The son, nothing daunted, replied that his god was " Here ! " at the same time striking with his hand one of the pillars of the palace. The pillar immediately opened, and revealed Vishnu with the head of a lion and the body of a man, who, seizing the impious Hurnakus, tore him to pieces. As this occurred in the evening, Brahma's promise is not considered to have been infringed. The temple, having been the scene of this incarnation, is held in the highest veneration by the followers of Vishnu, who is locally worshipped under the name of Nursingh."
"The Muhammadans erected a lofty domed tomb over the remains of a celebrated saint. Shaikh Baha- ud-din Zakiria. This tomb was built close to the temple of Prahladpuri... The close proximity of the Bahawal Hak to the Prahladpuri temple, and the desire of the Hindus to raise the spire of the latter to the same height as the Muhammadan tomb, was the cause of serious riots between the two religious sects."
"Sultan Sikander under the direct instructions of Mir Mohammad Hamadani took to the idol-breaking as fish take to water. The Muslim chroniclers gleefully designated him as an iconoclast for his demolition and destruction of the marvellous temples of Martand, Vijayesan, Chakrabrat, Tripuresvar, Suresvari, Varaha and others. The temple of Martand (sun), a gem of the Hindu architecture symbolising the high watermark of the Hindu culture and civilisation, was destroyed by digging deep its foundations, removing the well-chiselled foundational stones, filling the gaping wounds with logs of wood and finally putting it to flames."
"The British army explorer, Francis Younghusband (1816- 1942) pronounced the temple as â... the finest structure, typical of Kashmir architecture at its best, built on the most sublime site occupied by any building in the world ~ far finer than the site of the Parthenon, or of the Taj, or of St. Peters, or of the Escurial â we may take it as the representative, or rather the culmination of all the rest, and by it we must judge the people of Kashmir at their bestâ"
"At the village of Mar-tund, or âthe Sunâ... is the most holy spring in Kashmir, called, par excellence, Bawun, ot spring. It is said that, after the valley was dried, small hills and caves appeared, and that Kashuf Rishi walked about in the greatest delight; that he accidentally found an egg (the mundane egg of the Hindus) shining most brilliantly, which he picked up. He broke it in his hand, and from it flowed the springs of Bawun or Maha Martund, sacred, of course, to Vishnu...Houses of Hindus surround the small tank which is formed near it ..."
"Aurel Stein, after a visit to the site assessed it as, âthe most striking remains which have survived of the ancient architecture of Kashmir.â Even at that time, he found the tirtha âone of the most celebrated pilgrimage-places in the Valley,â that annually attracted visitors from all parts of India."
"On a perfectly open and even plain, gently sloping away from a background of snowy mountains looking directly out on the entire length both of the Kashmir valley and of the snowy ranges, which bound itâso situated in fact as to be encircled, yet not overwhelmed by snowy mountainsâstand the ruins of a temple second only to the Egyptian in massiveness and strength and to the Greek in elegance and grace. It is built of immense rectilinear blocks of limestone, betokening strength and durability ⌠any overweighing sense of massiveness is relieved by the elegance of the surrounding colonnade of graceful Greek-like pillars ⌠no one without an eye for natural beauty would have chosen that special site for the construction of a temple and no one with an inclination to the ephemeral and transient would have built it on so massive and enduring a scale ⌠Of all the ruins in Kashmir the Martand ruins are both the most remarkable and the most characteristic. No temple was ever built on a finer site. It stands on an open plain, where it can be seen to full advantage. Behind it rises a range of snowy mountains. And away in the distance before it, first lies the smiling Kashmir valley, and then the whole length of the Pir Panjal range, their snowy summits mingling softly with the azure of the sky. It is one of the most heavenly spots on earth ⌠the finest example of what is known as the Kashmirian [sic] style of architecture ⌠the most sublime site occupied by any building in the worldâfiner far than the site of the Parthenon or of the Taj, or of St. Peters, or of the Escurialâwe may take it as the representative, or rather the culmination of all the rest, and by it, we must judge the people of Kashmir at their best."
"The Prahladpuri temple in Multan was also subjected to repeated destruction. It stood at the site of the original temple believed to have been constructed by Prahalad. It was there that the Narasimha avatar was said to have appeared out of a pillar, and saved Prahalad from his father. The festival of Hollika Dahan commenced from that site."
"The temple was wrecked several times and mosques built in its streets. The shrine of Bahawal Haqgq (Baha-ud-din Zakariya) was constructed adjacent to it. The Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan used twelve temple pillars in the construction of a mosque. When the mosque caved in, Hindus again raised a temple at that site, and instated the image."
"The shrine of Sharda Devi was at one time among the most revered in Kashmir, indeed India. The Sharda Mahatmya narrated that once Muni Shandilya, son of Matanga, was practising great austerities to obtain sight of goddess Sharda (who as Shakti embodied Sharda, Sarasvati, and Vagdevi). A divine voice directed him to Shardavana, the sacred spot of Shardi (a small village and fort near the Sharda temple)."
"According to the inscription on the slab in front of the Thayar shrine in the Varadarajaswami temple the Delhi Emperor Aurangzeb fitted out an expedition about 1688 AD against the Mahrattas of the South and Conjeevaram, in common with several other important centres of South India, felt the shock of this iconoclastic invasion. The temple authorities of the three premier temples of that city thereupon apprehending desecration at the profane hands of the invaders disguised the images of the temple gods as corpses and conveyed them secretly out of the town and found an asylum in the jungles of Udayarpalayam in the Trichinopoly district. But when the danger was past and Conjeevaram was considered safe, the local chieftain of Udayarpalayam, who was much enraptured at the image of the god refused to restore it to its original abode at Kanchi, with the result that at the special intercession of Attan Jiyar, his disciple Lala Todarmalla terrorised the chief with a strong contingent of troops at his back and safely brought back in Saka 1632 (1710 AD) the image and reinstated it in the temple with great pomp and splendour. This incident is even today commemorated in an annual festival called the Udayarpalayam festival. A set of three statues, probably those of Todarmalla is left uncared for in a lamp room in the recess of the gopura called Tondar-adippodi-vasal."
"In the meanwhile, the three men in charge of the idol heard of the advance of the Muhammadans closer to the hill ; fearing for their safety and that of the idol, the chief man tied himself down to the idol and asked the two others gently to let it down the slope of the hill, himself being always on the underside so that the idol may not suffer damage. Having got down safely, the three men lived on there in an isolated glen in the forest at the foot of the hill unfrequented by ordinary people. In the meanwhile, people at Srlrangam thinking it impossible to recover the idol, made and consecrated others, instead of those of both the god and the goddess. In the meanwhile the three men continued to live on doing their daily service to the god in the usual fashion. For a period of fifty-nine and a half years from the date of the sack, of which two years were spent in the palace of the Sultan, the idol of Srlrangam found its shrine in that sequestered glen. In the course of this long stay, the father and the uncle had died and the son had grown up to be an old man of eighty, looking more like a forest man than a civilized one. Feeling that his end was drawing near this one man showed himself to the hill folk about and let them understand how and why he happened to be there. Information of this reached the town by means of these people, and it happened to be the time of Gopana, who was in charge of Narayanapuram (Narayanavaram) near Chandragiri under the newly formed kingdom of Vijayanagar. He carried the idol to his later head-quarters at Ginji where he placed it in the temple called Singavaram even now, in a safe place difficult of approach even from Ginji itself. When Prince Kampana had over-powered the Muhammadan garrisons in the various localities in South India and brought the whole of it under the control of Vijayanagar, Gopana, his chief adviser got the idol re-installed in the temple at Srlrangam in the Saka year, 1293, A.D. 1370-71, in the year Paritapi, month Vaikasi, date 17."
"The more important among the citizens having deliberated as to what they should do, walled up the north gate of the temple and left the temple vacant burying the goddess idol that escaped capture under a bilva tree (Aegla Marmelos). Sixty of these men placed themselves under the guidance of the woman mendicant and set forward on their journey to Delhi. She put on the former guise and got entry into the palace as before. In the meanwhile those that followed her managed to get audience of the Sultan, and by exhibiting both the music and the dance for which they were famous, as having had to perform daily before the god, they pleased the Sultan so greatly and declined all rewards offered by the Sultan, preferring instead the one idol of Ranganatha, among the many, as the reward. The Sultan ordered that these men might be allowed to take the idol of their choice. Not finding this particular idol in the store-room and knowing as they did that it was with the princess, they reported the matter to the Sultan, who in joke told them that if it was their god they might call him and take him away. They agreed and sang their prayers, which the idol answered by following them. Showing this to the Sultan they obtained his permission and started off with their idol over-night. When morning broke, the princess was disconsolate at the loss of her idol and declined to live if she could not have it. Search for the party proving useless, he placed her under an escort and sent her off for the idol. The Brahmans of Srirangam having had a start, marched along ahead and reached Tirupati safe before they could be overtaken by the princess and her escort. At Tirupati they heard of the arrival of the party of the princess and feeling themselves unsafe, the party broke up and dispersed themselves to avoid observation leaving the idol in charge of three men among them, the father and son, and the son's maternal uncle. The big party having thus disappeared, the escort marched on till they reached Srlrangam. Finding that the northern gate of the temple was walled up and the temple empty, the princess died of a broken heart."
"While the annual festival in which the god is taken over- night to the banks of the Coleroon river, a little to the south-east of Srirangam â a festival lasting a few hours â was being celebrated, tidings came that an army of the Muhammadans had come in and occupied parts of the Tondamandalam (the two Arcots and Chingleput) and a small body of troops was marching rapidly towards Samaya- varam about five miles from the north bank of the Coleroon. The principal Brahman citizens of the town, who had assembled at the celebration of the festival and who were in charge of the temple, not having got through the festival cast lots in the presence of the idol whether to stay or to go. They got an answer directing them to stay. They stayed over therefore to complete the festival, and in the meanwhile information was brought to them that the flying column of the Muhammadans was dashing past Samaya- varam. They therefore made haste to wind up proceedings, and, sending away the god and the goddess, in a small palanquin under the escort of Lokacharya (Pillai Loka- charya) and a few stout-hearted followers and carriers, the assembled multitude got themselves ready for the attack. They had not to wait long before they were actually attacked, and destroyed in large numbers. From out of this massacre Vedantacharya escaped, with the two little sons of Srutaprakasikacharya, and the single manuscript of his famous commentary on the Sri Bhashya, and betook himself through unfrequented roadways to Satyamangalam on the borders of Mysore. Lokacharya and his companions took their way to the south for safety. Fearing that they would be overtaken if they went along the road, they seemed to have kept more or less close to the road, but avoided the road-way and proceeded slowly through jungles and unfrequented tracts across the state of Pudukotta. .... They therefore made a further detour to the east and getting through a more or less dense forest region, they came to a place called Jyotishkudi (Jyotishmatl- pura), where they lived a few months. During their residence there, information reached them that the bulk of the citizens of Srirangam were massacred, the temple itself sacked and desecrated, and all those citizens that Lokacharya knew and cared for had suffered death. On hearing this distressing account of what happened to his friends and companions he got ill and died. ....When they felt the road ways safe, they carried the image across to Tirupati. The story closes that from Tirupati, the image was taken over to Ginji by Gopana and ultimately got back to Srirangam."
"The Sriranganatha temple, ranked foremost of 108 Vaishnava shrines, was among the first to be attacked by the Delhi armies. Sriranganatha was celebrated by devotees as the koil - the temple par excellence."
"A Sanskrit inscription (No. 287, dated 1373 ce) in Grantha characters on the western wall of the temple, recorded restoration of the image by Gopana. The inscription contained a verse composed by Vedanta Desikar. The resumption of worship in the temple, âreleased the suppressed spirit of the peopleâ . The inscription stated, Hail! Prosperity! In the Saka year (expressed by the chronogram) bandhupriya (i.e. Saka-Samvat 1293). (Verse 1.) Having brought (the god) from the Anjanadri (mountain; Tirupati), the splendour of whose darkish peaks gives delight to the world, having worshipped (him) at Chenchi (Senji, Gingee) for some time, then having slain the Tulushkas whose bows were raised, â Goppanarya, the mirror of fame, placing Ranganatha together with both Lakshmi and the Earth in his own town (i.e. Srirangam), again duly performed excellent worship. (Verse 2.) Having carried Rangaraja, the lord of the world, from the slope of the Vrishabhagiri (mountain; Tirupati) to his capital (i.e. Chenchi), having slain by his army the proud Taulushka soldiers, having made the site of Sriranga united with the golden age (Kritayuga), and having placed there this (god) together with Lakshmi and the Earth, â the Brahmana Gopana duly performs, like the lotus-born (Brahma), the worship which has to be practised . Gopana-Udaiyar gifted fifty-two villages to the temple, and Harihara II and his son, performed the tulapurusha ceremony"
"There is direct evidence to confirm this presumption in a work called Koyiloluhu. This is a work which deals with all the benefactions made to the temple at Srirangam by people from its foundation to almost the eighteenth century. ... This work has a few paragraphs devoted to the sack of Srirangam and the carrying away of the idol of Ranganatha, apparently under Malik Kafur. The account begins that the king of Delhi having conquered Pratapa Rudra, invaded both the Tondamanda- lam and Solamandalam. The invading armies spread along the whole country and made a general sack of temples carrying away the idols as well. In the course of this campaign, they entered Srlrangam as well, by the north gate, which was in the charge of the Arya Bhattas, the Northern Brahmans. The guards, by name Panjukondan, were over-powered, the temple was entered into and all the property was carried away including the idol of the god. There was a woman who had made it her daily habit never to take her food without worshipping the god in the temple. She was a native of Karambanur, otherwise called Uttamar- koil, on the other bank of the Coleroon. As the army was retreating after the sack, she gave up her household and followed the army in the guise of a mendicant having learnt that they were carrying away the idol of Ramapriya as well from Tirunarayanapuram (Melukottai). She reached ultimately the palace at Delhi where these idols were all locked up in a safe chamber. One of the younger princesses of the Sultan's family having been struck with the beauty of the Ranganatha idol, asked permission and obtained the idol to play with. She kept herself in the constant company of the idol. Knowing so much, perhaps feeling that the idol was in safe custody, the woman managed to steal away from the palace and journeyed back to Srirangam to give information of it to the people there."
"The Madurai Sthanikar Varalaru stated, In the month of Ani of S. 1245 (1323 AD) the Padshah vasal mantri Adi Sultan and Malukka Nemiyar came from Delhi with 60,000 horses, destroyed Siva and Visnu temples and tanks, plundered temple treasuries (sribhandaram), mutilated images (bimbam) and reached Trichinopoly. There also the sthanikas were removed and temples were destroyed. Hearing these, king Valal Vilitturangum Parakrama Pandya was alarmed and left the fort of Kalaiyarkoyil. Unable to stay in the city without the kingâs protection, the sthanikas of the temple of Madurai left the city after making certain provisions for the protection of the deity. They made a kilikkundu for the Svami in the garbhagriha, raised earth mounds, blocked the garbhagriha entrance with a stone wall and set up another Linga in the ardha mandapa. They did astabhandana for the Goddess (Mulappernacciyar) and set up the Goddess on the upper storey of the vimana. They did pupadanam (buried in the ground) for the utsav vigrahas, Ilaiya Nayinar and other vigrahas near Mucukundisvaramudaiyar shrine. The Soliya, Kulasekharapperumal, who was formerly doing puja in the Kariyamanikka Perumal Temple, was left in charge of the Madurai temple and the conduct of its worship. Then, taking the gold vigraha of the God and a few other gold vigrahas, the sthanikas left Madurai, and reached the Kilukiluppai forest in Nanjilnadu ."
"The Kamakhya temple was destroyed in 1553 cE by the iconoclast Kala Pahar. He was said to have been a Brahmin, named Rajiv Lochan Roy (other accounts described him as an Afghan). He was ostracized from his community following his marriage to the daughter of Sultan Sulaiman Karrani of Bengal (r. 1565-1572). After the marriage Rajiv Lochan Roy wanted to live as a Brahmana and went to Puri, perhaps to undergo a purificatory ceremony. The Brahmins there refused to accept him, whereupon he became a staunch Muslim and took the name Kala Pahar. He resolved to avenge his humiliation by destroying Hindu temples. He invaded Kamarupa and sacked the Kamakhya temple, the ruins of which were scattered all over the hill. [Some scholars, however, attribute the destruction of the temple to the invasion of Hussein Shah in 1498]."
"Lionel Place, Collector of âJaghirâ from 1794-98, spent considerable sums on the restoration of the Varadaraja temple. He noted it âhad been robbed of its most ornamental Pillars and other sculptural workâ by Muslims to build a mosque. He said if the mosque had not been ina state of ruin âI should have thought it a commendable act of retributive justice to have restored them [the pillars] to their original place [by destroying the mosque]â. He noted that the temple had on occasions been used by Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan during the war of 1780. He recorded that the âcentral dome under which the sacred idol was deposited had almost to be rebuilt.â Further, the fires that had been lit in the temple had damaged sections made of granite and the floors had been ripped open by the Haider Aliâs army in search of temple treasures believed to be hidden there."
"The present Kamakhya temple was built in 1565 cz, by Naranarayan, one of the illustrious kings of the Koc kingdom. The reconstruction seemed to have been done over the ground plan of the earlier temple... An inscription on a stone tablet in the temple stated, Glory to King Malla Deva (Naranarayan), who by virtue of his mercy, is kind to the people, who in archery is like Arjuna, and in charity like Dadhichi and Karna; he is like an ocean of all goodness; and is versed in many Sastras; his character is excellent; in beauty he is as bright as Kandarpa, he is a worshipper of Kamakhya. His younger brother, Sukladev (Chila Rai) built this temple of bright stones on the Nila hillock, for the worship of the Goddess Durga in 1487 Saka (1565 A.D.). His beloved brother, Sukladhvaj, again, with universal fame, the crown of the greatest heroes, who, like the fabulous Kalpataru, gave all that was devoutly asked of him, the chief of all devotees of the Goddess, constructed this beautiful temple with heaps of stones on the Nila hill in 1487 Saka (1565 CE) (Gait 1906: 57; Barua Bahadur 1933: 299-300)."
"What emerges from this story is that the Syrian Christians were worshipping in a Hindu temple, which they called a church, at least up to 1322 when Friar Oderic visited Mylapore. Henry Yule, in Cathay and the Way Thither, referring to Friar Odericâs description of the church, declares, âThis is clearly a Hindu temple.â"
"The destruction of the seashore Temple of Kapaleeswara is said to have taken place in 1561. The new temple at its present present site, about one km to the west, was built by pious Hindu votaries about three hundred years ago, i.e., about two hundred and fifty years after its destruction. When the Santhome Church was repaired in the beginning of the current century, many stones with edicts were found there. Among them one mentions Poompavai, the girl whom Tirujnanasambandar is said to have miraculously revived from her ashes kept in an urn."
"The best evidence for a Shiva temple on the Mylapore beach is offered by the Tamil saints. Iyadigal Kadavarkon, the sixth century Shaivite prince of Kanchipuram, Jnanasambandar and Arunagirinathar, the sixth and fifteenth century Shaivite poets, consistently mention in their hymns that the Kapaleeswara Temple was on the seashore. Both saints show in these verses that the Lord was on the seashore, and Jnanasambandar marks that He was watching His devotees in the sea â that He must have been facing east. This is not the case today. The seventeenth century Vijayanagar temple is built inland and the Lord faces west, with the all â important flag pole and image of Nandi in the western courtyard before Him. This arrangement indicates that the present temple is a second temple, as the Agama Shastra does not permit a temple that has been moved from its original site and rebuilt to face in the same direction as its predecessor. Neither Jnanasambandar nor Arunagirinathar had reason to sing of the Lord by the sea if He was not there. Their testimony is impeccable and by itself destroys the argument for a seashore tomb of St. Thomas."
"Poompavai was the daughter of a wealthy sixth century Mylapore merchant called Siva Nesan Chettiar. He wanted to give her in marriage to the saint Jnanasambandar, but she died from snakebite before meeting him, when picking flowers for the Lord in the garden. Her father cremated her and kept the bones and ashes in a pot. When Jnanasambandar visited Mylapore, the Chettiar kept Poompavaiâs ashes in front of him and narrated the story of her death. Jnanasambandar responded by singing eleven songs in praise of Lord Kapaleeswara, lamenting the death of the girl at the end of each song. When he had finished, the pot of ashes burst and a twelve-year-old girl stepped forth. Jnanasambandar then declined to marry her, saying that she was his âdaughterâ. Poompavai has her own shrine within the precincts of the Kapaleeswara Temple."
"A careful study of the monuments and lithic records in Madras reveals a great destruction caused by the Portuguese to Hindu temples in the sixteenth century A.D. The most important temple of Kapaleeswara lost its ancient building during the Portuguese devastation and was originally located near the Santhome cathedral⌠A few Chola records found in the Santhome cathedral and bishopâs house refer to Kapaleeswara temple and Poompavai. A Chola record in fragment found on the east wall of the Santhome cathedral refers to the image of Lord Nataraja of the Kapaleeswara temple. The temple was moved to the present location in the sixteenth century and was probably built by one Mallappa⌠A fragmentary inscription, twelfth century Chola record, in the Santhome church region refers to a Jain temple dedicated to Neminathaswami."
"âMylapore, which is a part of Madras city, is an ancient town. Sri Tiruvalluvar, the author of the famous Kural known as Tamil Vedham, who lived in the first century AD, lived his entire life at Mylapore. Saints Sambandar and Appar have composed songs mentioning the God of Mylapore as Shri Kapaleeswara. It was a prosperous town when the English built the Fort St. George in 1593. But the present temple does not contain any feature of the Dravidian style of architecture. The carvings in the pillars are poor specimens compared with those in some of the ancient temples. When there was an erosion of the sea about the close of the last century, there was a landslip on the San Thome beach. It revealed carved stone pillars and broken stones of mandapam found only in Hindu temples. It is a historical fact that the Portuguese, who visited India in the 16th century, had one of their earliest settlements at San Thome, Mylapore. In those days they were very cruel and had iconoclastic tendencies. They razed some Hindu temples to the ground. It is probable that the other Mylapore temple referred to in the Thevaram hymns was built on the seashore and that it was destroyed by the Portuguese about the beginning of the 16th century.â"
"V.R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, quoted in Tiru Mayil Kapaleecharam Kumbhabisheka Malar 1982, believed that the great Shiva temple covered the area now occupied by the palace of the Roman Catholic bishop of Madras. This estate, on the south side of San Thome Cathedral, still contains scattered temple ruins and includes a museum. 50 V. Balambal, in Journal of Indian History 1986, Vol. LXIV, Parts 1-3, writes, âAccording to certain Dutch sources quoted by A. Gelletti, the old town of Mylapore was demolished in 1674 by the order of the King of Golconda and was in ruins. This hypothesis is questioned as some epigraphs 51 specify that the old shore Temple of Kapaleeswara was demolished in the 16th century by the Portuguese and some of the ruins including a broken Vinayaka image are still seen scattered within the demesne of the Mylapore bishopâs palace. It is also said that the remnants of the temple, its pillars, etc., were found immersed in the sea sixty years ago.â"
"Ptolemy the Greek geographer has referred to Mylapore in his books as 'Maillarpha', a well known seaport town with a flourishing trade. Saint Thiruvalluvar, the celebrated author of Thirukkural, the world famous ethical treatise, lived in Mylapore nearly 2000 years ago. The Shaivite saints of the 7th century, Saint Sambandar and Saint Appar, have sung about this shrine in their hymns. St. Thomas, one of the apostles of Jesus, is reported to have visited Mylapore in the 2nd century (sic) AD. Mylapore fell into the hands of the Portuguese in 1566, when the temple suffered demolition. The present temple was rebuilt about 300 years ago. There are some fragmentary inscriptions from the old temple, still found in the present shrine and in St. Thomas Cathedral."
"âThe first Portuguese historians say ... that St. Thomas built his âhouseâ, meaning his church, on the site where a Jogi had his temple.â ... âFragmentary Tamil inscription of eight lines on a stone found at the cathedral, northwest end of the veranda, on the top line of the granite foundations of walls projecting from the veranda into the garden. âWhen I visited Mylapore last February, 1924, the stone was still lying near the place of the find. It ought to go to the Bishopâs Museum and receive an appropriate number. âAccording to the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent of Epigraphs, Madras, this inscription is a fragment in Tamil and it seems to register a tax-free gift for burning at night a lamp before the image of Kuttaduvar (Nataraja) in the temple of Suramudaiyar. Palaeographically this inscription may be assigned to the 11th century A.D. âA later communication from the Government Epigraphist for India, Fernhill, Nilgiris, says that Mr. Venkoba Rao, the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for Epigraphy, Madras, pronounces the inscription belongs to Vikrama Cholaâs time (12th century) and that the gift was to the Hindu god Nataraja, whose shrine is always to be seen in a Siva temple. âThe stone was not found at its original site, as is shown by its fragmentary condition, the parts above and below, as well as right and left, being wanting. All we can gather is that the foundations in which the stone was inserted are of a date later than the inscription. To argue, as was done at the time of discovery in the Madras Mail, that, if the stone was dug up from any depth, it would indicate an original Saiva temple, on the ruins of which the Portuguese church of modern St. Thomas was erected, is to show a lamentable ignorance of what Marco Polo and even earlier writers have written about St. Thomas.â"
"âMylapore fell into the hands of the Portuguese in 1566, when the temple suffered demolition. The present temple was rebuilt around three hundred years ago. There are some fragmentary inscriptions from the old temple still found in the St. Thomas Cathedral.â M. Arunachalam also says, âLater, devout Hindus built the present temple of Mylapore at a different site, a few furlongs west, out of whatever they could salvage from the ruins of the old temple. A number of carved temple stones can still be seen on the compound wall of the church.â"
"A. Ekambaranath and C.K. Sivaprakasham, in Jain Inscriptions in Tamil Nadu, following the Jesuit Fr. H. Hosten, describe a stone in the eastern side of the church which records in twelfth century Tamil characters a gift made to Neminathaswami by Palantipara(yan). They remark, âThe existence of a Jain temple dedicated to Neminatha at Mylapore (of which San Thome is a part) is not only known from this record, but also from the Mackenzie Manuscripts, recording the transfer of a Neminatha image from Mylapore to Chittamur, probably to protect it from destruction. Some Jain images are said to have been buried by the side of the nunnery at San Thome.â"