"The engineers of Aurangzeb could have utilized the whole of the temple area for their new mosque, if they had decided to convert the western wall of the temple into the Mihrab wall of their mosque. But this could not have rendered possible the conversion of the sanctuary of Vishvanatha into the central hall of the mosque, which was Aurangzeb’s chief desideratum. They, therefore, decided merely to pull down the western hall of the temple and its adjoining subsidiary shrines. They removed useful building material, levelled up the debris, and allowed it to remain in that uncouth condition, as the area was behind their mosque. It is still in that condition today. The debris is on a level with the level of the mosque courtyard and its height from the pradakshina path to the west varies from four to six feet. A portion of the superstructure of this Western Mandap can still be seen in the ruins today. It enables us to conclude that its dome was not covered by the principle of arch, which was usually followed by the Muslims, but by successive protrusions of the courses of stones, and by cutting off all the angles laterally, so as to change the square into a polygon and thence gradually into a circle."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishvanatha or Vishveshvara meaning Ruler of The Universe. Varanasi city is also called Kashi, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The temple has been referred to
45 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Kashi Vishwanath Temple →
Related Quotes
"Aurangzeb cared nothing for art, destroyed its "heathen" monuments with coarse bigotry, and fought, through a reign o…"
"The Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi is very certainly located on the exact site of the Vishvanath temple, and visibly inc…"
"The Lord Cherisher of the Faith learnt that in the provinces of Tatta, Multan, and especially at Benares, the Brahman…"
"It is a small mosque wholly devoid of magnificence, erected, according to Mussulman practice, upon the ruins of a Hin…"
"Your visit at the demise of the Muslim rule, O ruler of men! proves to be as soothing as a shade to a sun-stricken ma…"
"“When I go to the Vishwanath Mandir in Benares and listen to the most powerful, magical aarti I hear from the priests…"
"At the back of the mosque and in continuation of it are some broken remains of what was probably the old Bishwanath T…"
"The great Vishvanath temple was destroyed no less than three times during the centuries. It is said that in AD 1994, …"
"if owing to the power of foreign rulers, there is no linga at all in that place, even so, the dharma of thee place it…"
"On 22 September 1755, seized by bigotry, a local qazi (judge of Muslim canonical law) and a muhtasib (censor of moral…"