Fallen Temples: Beyond Religion, Invasion and Iconoclasm
- Saurav Suresh
- Jun 8
- 6 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
In Madhya Pradesh’s Bhojpur lies the incomplete 12th-century Bhojeshwar temple, which the Bhojas built to be the world’s biggest Shiva temple. Not far from it are the Digambar Jain temple and Ashapuri village, which are connected to the temple of Bhojas. Together, they made up the centre of North India’s Greatest temple town, which was later destroyed. By whom? An average Indian netizen might think it was destroyed by the Mughals or any other Islamic rulers, as is true for some sites in North India. Since the discovery of the abandoned site in the 18th century by colonial scholars, for years it was believed that Islamic invaders destroyed it. However, a closer look at the archaeology suggests that the Hindu Chalukyas were behind it.
“Ayodhya toh bas jhanki hai, Kashi-Mathura baki hai (Ayodhya is a preview, Kashi and Mathura remain)”, the popular slogan amongst Hindutva cadres, calling for the demolition of Gyanvapsi Mosque in Varanasi and Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura following the destruction of Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque, was built by the orders of Mughal Emperor Babur and was demolished by a mob of kar sevaks in 1992 based on the belief that the mosque was built on the site of the demolished Ram Temple, which, according to them, was the birthplace of Lord Rama. However, the archaeological excavation report at Ayodhya doesn’t prove the existence of a temple, which even the Supreme Court has cited.
But will the Hindutva ideologues ask for similar reparations from Kannadigas for what the Chalukyas did at Bhojpur? Or the Tamilians for the temple destructions the Cholas did in Manyakheta? And what about the Hindu shrines and temples in Kerala, which are believed to have originated as Buddhist sites?
Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, it has witnessed a surge in fake news and misinformation online, including distorted history with a nationalist undertone. Most popular amongst them is the notion that the Islamic Invaders demolished lakhs of Hindu temples, creating the notion that Hindus were always under threat.
Yes, Muslim rulers did attack Hindu temples, and
so did Hindu, Jain, and Shaivait kings such as Cholas, Gangas, Hoysalas, and even Marathas.
Temples were powerful cultural, political, and economic institutions, more than just a place of worship. Kings built them to show off their wealth and devotion and prove that they were the rightful rulers, who gained public support and claimed divine favour. Kings who can’t protect their Gods were considered impotent; hence, enemies took chances to attack them, humiliate their rivals, and show dominance.
Today, many see the Islamic rulers’, especially Aurangzeb’s, action against temples as iconoclasm and as evidence of their hatred against Hindus. This notion likely stems from the colonial propaganda to create conflict amongst Hindus and Muslims as part of their divide-and-rule strategy.
Muslim rulers followed Islamic Law, which required them to protect non-Muslims. Islamic jurists once advised Sikandar Lodi not to attack temples or interfere with the traditional practices of Hindus. This suggests that Islamic laws discouraged the destruction of places of worship, and Aurangzeb was no exception.
Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Keshav Dev temple in Mathura. He revived the Jizya tax on non Muslims, restricted public Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali, killed his brothers, jailed his father, and tortured and killed the Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur and the Maratha Emperor Sambaji.
It’s easy to cherry-pick these points and frame him as an iconoclast and a tyrant. He did all this while protecting a greater number of Hindu temples than he destroyed, and when the Hindu representation in his court was double that of his so-called secular predecessor, Akbar.
Kasi Vishwanath temple was demolished to punish its patrons, who were associated with the Mughal court, for allegedly helping Shivaji escape from Agra. Kesava Deva temple in Mathura was destroyed because it was linked to Dara Shukho's allies. But he didn't touch a single temple in the Deccan, where he waged a war of a lifetime.
“Ellora is one of the finely crafted marvels of the real, transcendent Artisan (God)”. Guess whose words they are? It is attributed to Aurangzeb, who described the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples at Ellora.
According to the royal order he passed in 1659, he made sure that the Brahmins of Varanasi must be protected from harassment and should be allowed to continue their religious practices and pray for the empire. In 1654, in his letter to the Rajput ruler of Mewar, he ordered that people of all religions must live peacefully, emphasising that “Kings are shadows of God”.
Further, he protected Bhagawant Gosain, a Hindu ascetic, from harassment, gave lands in Benaras to build homes for Brahmins and fakirs, granted eight villages and tax-free lands to support Chitrakoot Balaji temple, restored the land rights of Jangam, a Shaivaite group, protecting them from harassment by local Muslims and gave land grants to Jain pilgrim centres like Shatrunjaya, Girnar and Mount Abu. According to historian Audrey Truschke, Hindus under Aurangzeb generally enjoyed more religious freedom than others under contemporary European monarchs.
During the 1565 sacking of the great city of Vijayanagara, the Vijaya Vitthala and Tiruvangalanatha temples, which were of political significance to Achyutha Raya, were specifically targeted. Other religious institutions largely remained untouched, as suggested by the archaeological evidence. The army of sackers was led by Hindu Generals, and those who oversaw the sacking included Brahmins who worked for the Bijapur Sultanate. In 1579, Murahari Rao, a Brahmin commander of Golconda, personally raided the Ahobilam temple.
Another favourite target of IT-Cell accounts is Tipu Sultan. When Tipu attacked Malabar, he too had targeted many temples and caused suffering to Nair landlords and Brahmins. Many see Tipu as an Islamic tyrant for this.
If he was one, why was his right-hand man and finance minister a Brahmin, Purnaiah? Why would he employ other Brahmins like Srinivasa Rao, Krishna Shastri, and Madhanna to his cabinet? Why would he give a land grant of 669 acres and an annual grant of 8000 Pagodas to the famous Guruvayoor temple? Meanwhile, in his homeland, he patronised the Sringeri Mutt, one of the four Mutts established by Shankaracharya, which is of political significance to the hereditary rulers of Mysore.
This same Mutt faced constant attacks from the Marathas, even since Shivaji's time, to destroy the legitimacy of their rivals, the Wodeyars. Haider Ali and his son Tipu later inherited this rivalry. In 1791, the Marathas, under the leadership of Raghunath Rao Parwaedhan, attacked Bednur and looted the Mutt, including the Devi’s idol. In turn, Tipu gave money to repair the damages and offered Shivalingas.
Tipu even surrendered his weapons, offered prayers at the Kollur Mookambika temple, and donated a jade to the Nanjangud temple. Even to this day, Mookambika temple offers a special pooja in the name of Tipu called Salaam Mangalarathi, also known as Pradosha Pooja, which is believed to commemorate Tipu’s visit to the temple. However, the temple authorities have denied any documentary evidence for it. In 2022, the Hindutva outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) appealed to the Government of Karnataka to stop this ritual, which, according to them, has affected the temple’s sanctity. The ritual was later renamed to Mangalarathi Namaskara by the then-BJP Government that year.
Indian history is complex, not black and white, just like Game of Thrones. Whatever these rulers did was to acquire power, territory, and wealth. The Hindu-Muslim binary during Medieval India is a myth constructed by colonial scholars and social media handles associated with Hindutva. Their actions seem contradictory because human beings are often multifaceted, and so are historical figures.
Sources
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Kanisetti, A. (n.d.). Lords of the Deccan.
Kanisetti, A. (2022, June 16). Instagram. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce29e7zvxR_/?igsh=czR3Y29ydHQ3cmM1
Seth, K. (1978). The growth of the Paramara power in Malwa. Progress Publishers.
The real Tipu Sultan. (2023, February 21). Manu S Pillai. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://manuspillai.com/the-real-tipu-sultan/#:~:text=In%20his%20resistance%20to%20the,a%20compound%20of%20all%20these.
Truschke, A. (n.d.). Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth. Penguin Books.
Good information 👍