Somnath Temple is one of the holiest shrines of Hindus, it is the first among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. It is the first in sequence of Jyotirlingas and first in civilisational memory. Maybe that is why it was attacked by Islamic invaders again and again and again, and yet, Somnath still stands tall, defying all those attempts of destruction.
The first Islamic attempt to desecrate Somnath was in January 2026, a 1,000 years back, when Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the holy temple. It was not just a military raid, Mahmud thought by desecrating the Somnath, he will break the spirit of the Hindu civilisation in India. He plundered Somnath, took away unaccounted wealth from the Temple and killed 10s of thousands of temple defenders in the process.
However, the Hindu spirit refused to bow down to the invaders, and under Kumarapala, Hindus rebuilt the temple and brought it back to its former glory. However, Muslim Kings could just not tolerate this Hindu shrine returning to its former glory. In 1299, Alauddin Khilji, portrayed as hero by Ranveer Singh in a Bollywood movie, sent his General Alaf Khan to again destroy the Hindu Shrine.
However, Hindus were just not letting one of their holiest shrines go like that. Mahipala I, the King of Saurashtra, again rebuilt the temple and brought Somnath to its former glory.
However, that was not palatable to the Islamists, they knew they had to destroy Somnath completely to break the back of Hindus. After that, Islamists like Muzaffar Shah and Mahmud Begada also attacked Somnath Temple to destroy it. Begada even converted the holy Hindu shrine site into a mosque.
After all these attacks by Islamists and yet surviving through repeated attempts by Hindus seems like a miracle in itself, but what was to come was even worse. In comes Aurangzeb as the ruler of Delhi, in the eyes of Audrey Truschke, the most benevolent leader ever.
Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of several Hindu temples across the country. He destroyed Kashi Vishwanath Temple and built Gyanvapi Mosque there, he destroyed Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Indore, and of course he ordered the destruction of the Somnath Temple.
After one more restoration of the Temple by Hindus, Aurangzeb wanted it destroyed and a Mosque in place of it, however, he or his generals, just couldn’t execute it. Situation was so bad during that era that the Shivalingam had to be hidden to stop the Islamist marauders from desecrating it.
In total, Somnath Temple was desecrated 17 times by Islamists, and yet it stands tall even today.
Then after Aurangzeb, came the great queen from Malwa region, Ahilyabai Holkar. Her contribution to Hindu civilisation can’t be stated enough. She made sure Hindus can pray at Somnath in a similar Temple till the main temple is reconstructed following the destruction of the main temple by the Islamists again and again. Though all those Islamists failed to extinguish the ever-burning torch of Hinduism.
Somnath Temple resurrection after Independence of India
After centuries of attacks by Muslim rulers, and perfunctory attempts by the British Raj to restore it, the temple was still in ruins. Following independence of India, there was a large scale demand to restore it to its former glory. However then, Indian PM JL Nehru opposed the official government association with the reconstruction and inauguration of the Somnath Temple.
Indian Home Minister at the time, Sardar Patel, visited Junagarh on November 13, 1947, he vowed to rebuild the Somnath Temple and return it to its glory.
However, Nehru and Gandhi were opposed to public funding the symbol of Hindu resilience. Nehru even told KM Munshi, who was the Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the purpose, that you are going to lead to Hindu revivalism with it.
Thankfully, not many people listened to Nehru and Somnath was restored to its former glory.
PM Modi statement on 1,000 years of attacks on Somnath
PM Modi, on the occasion of 1,000 years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple issued a statement and said that despite repeated attacks, the temple stands tall.
The Prime Minister said, “This is because Somnath’s story is about the unbreakable courage of countless children of Bharat Mata who protected our culture and civilisation.”
जय सोमनाथ!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 5, 2026
वर्ष 2026 में आस्था की हमारी तीर्थस्थली सोमनाथ ज्योतिर्लिंग पर हुए पहले आक्रमण के 1000 वर्ष पूरे हो रहे हैं। बार-बार हुए हमलों के बावजूद हमारा सोमनाथ मंदिर आज भी अडिग खड़ा है! सोमनाथ दरअसल भारत माता की उन करोड़ों वीर संतानों के स्वाभिमान और अदम्य साहस की गाथा है,…
The Prime Minister said it was the same spirit that was visible in the nation, which has emerged as one of the brightest spots of global growth, having overcome centuries of invasions and colonial loot.
“It is our value systems and the determination of our people that have made India the centre of global attention today. The world is seeing India with hope and optimism. They want to invest in our innovative youngsters,” PM Modi said.
“Our art, culture, music and several festivals are going global. Yoga and Ayurveda are making a worldwide impact, boosting healthy living. Solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges are coming from India,” PM Modi said.
In case of Somnath, we can safely say, many Mahmud came and went, but the Hindu spirit still stands strong.
