From time to time, many rulers came and conquered, leaving the remains for the countrymen. From Arabs to the British, they ensured that the nation’s culture and heritage becomes a forgotten one and people will start to follow what the oppressors want. The Jyotirlingas were the chief targets of these oppressors.
Somnath Temple was one of the most severely affected temples. Al- Junaid from Persian Caliphate attacked the Somnath Temple, leaving it in ruins. Later, Mahmud Ghazni attacked it again followed by Allaudin Khilji’s army. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb made it a point to shatter its sanctity by attacking it numerous times. History says that this temple has been attacked 16 times.
Sultan Illtutmish demolished the Mahakaleshwar temple in 1234 AD. Mahmud Ghazni, attacked the Omkareshwar Temple in the 11th century. Infact, Aurangzeb is responsible for destroying a number of Jyotirlingas. Temples such as Kashi Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Aungha Nath* were the victims. (*It is said that when the Nagnath temple’s top story was being destroyed by the army, they were attacked by a huge swarm of bees that made them leave halfway.)
The Creation, they say, rests on the ‘Law of Karma’. Modern Science agrees that, ‘Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction’. I put the theory to test…I traced the history of the various dynasties that attacked these vortices of energy, to see the reaction that came their way as a result. Sharing below my findings…
Al-Junayd’s army was thrown out of Gujarat by the Indian rulers. The Caliphate was constantly fighting in battles and were severely affected by it. The descendants of Sultan Illtutmish were incapable of taking on the throne. There was conflict within their kingdom, the court opposed the later Queen Razia’s rule. Allaudin Khilji had no heir and was later taken over by the Tughlak dynasty. Mughal power spread, started crumbling after Aurangzeb’s reign with the last Moghul, Bahadur Shah Zafar having to flee to Rangoon. Bahadur Shah’s great granddaughter-in law today, lives in a slum of Kolkata. Others reside in Detroit and Hyderabad. Some are still trying to claim their rights.
There were also some, who ensured that the demolished temples were brought back to life. Ahilyabai Holkar, the Queen of Indore reconstructed a number of temples made them look better. Her works include Somnath, Kashi, Gaya, Ayodhya, Trimbakeshwar, Rameshwar, Mathura, Jaganathpuri and many others. She is known to have developed Indore into a shining city. With a simple life, away from the palace, she resided in a pilgrimage situated on the banks of the river, always there to help the poor and the needy. When I looked up what happened to her progeny, I found that the last emperor, Yashwant Rao Holkar II, had a grandiose lifestyle. Their children live prosperously and continue to spread the royalty.
It is said that souls take birth in the same family to pay back what they have done. Could this lady be Aurangzeb? We need to ask Yogi Ji to do a past life to find out.