purnn / / >f L / ' I Y*1 r *** J ' M l | HlNDU MASJIDS By the same author: • The Saffron Book (available) Many Splendoured Hindutva • An Unflnished Agenda Population transfer • Anti-Hindus Cover: Depiets the deseeration of mandirs and their conversion into masjids b Hindu Mashds Prafull Goradia Tareett CONTEMPORARY TARGETT PRAFULL PVT LTD Former publisher of Capital, India’s only business weekly from 1888 to 1935 C IV Hindu Masjids © 2002, PRAPULL GORADIA First Reprint 2004 ISBN 81-7523-311-8 Published by Contemporary Targett Prafull Pvt. Ltd., 203-A Prakash House, 4379/4B, Ansari Road, New Delhi - 1 10 002. Printed and bound in India at Replika Press Pvt. Ltd. Friendship between the Hindus and the Muslims is essential if India is to eateh up on its lost eenturies Contents Dedieation List of Photographs I The Challenge 1 The Conflict II Shuddhi in Stone 2 Shuddhi by British Temple beheaded for the ego of Aurangzeb 3 ineomplete Shuddhi Ramjanm abhoomi 4 Spontaneous Shuddhi The spontaneous use ofthe dargah of Sultan Ghari where Hindus pertorm puja side by side with Muslims pertorming ibaadat 5 Waterloo pf Aryavarta Kannauj was the eentre otnorthern Hindustan until it was destroyed by Muslim invaders 6 Reelaimed Temple at Mahaban Temple ofRohini, deseerated by Mahmud Ghazni, Alauddin and Aurangzeb, again a mandir 7 Outbuddin and 27 Mandirs Deseeration near Qutb Minar viii Hindu Mcisjids 8 Instant Vandalism 54 ln 60 hours a set ofsplendid temples at Ajmerwere converted into a masjid 9 Ghazni to Alamgir 63 Repeated destruetion at Mathura 10 Christian Tears 68 An evangelist's heart went out to Benares 11 Ataladevi Masjid 71 In 1403 AD Ibrahim Naib Barbak ordered all Hindus to quit the eity so that only Muslims eould live there 12 Four Vandals, One Temple 79 Vidisha was deseerated in turn by lltutmish, Alauddin Khilji, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and Aurangzeb 13 Bhojshala Masjid 86 Entry has been banned except onee a year for the Hindus and 52 times for the Muslims 14 Seven Temples Kept Buried 95 An example of Muslim appeasement 15 Adina Masjid 100 Shiv mandir deseerated 16 Jungle Pirbaba 108 Mazaar was a mandir 17 Mandir and Dargah in One Building 113 A Hindu beeame a Muslim to save the mandir 18 Shuddhi by Government 119 A full eirele. From Jain temple to masjid to Bharat Mata mandir K Contents ix 19 leonoelasm Continues in Pakistan, Bangladesh 126 and in Kashmir Appendix 1 - Hindu plaees of worship deseerated 131 in Kashmir sinee 1990 Appendix II - Hindu plaees ofworship deseerated 133 in Kashmir in 1986 Appendix III - Province-wise list of some Hindu temples 135 destroyed in Pakistan 20 Ameriean Protessor on Temple Deseeration 138 Riehard M. Eaton, Professor of History, University of Arizona has listed 80 temple deseerations and has eharted them on three maps III Anti-Hindu Hindus 151 21 Ghazni and Nehru 153 Did Pandit dawaharlal Nehru downplay Sultan Mahmud’s atroeities out offear? Or, was it to please his Muslim friends? 22 Is A eommunist Always Anti-Hindu? 156 23 Are Some intelleetuals Perverse? 160 24 Are Some Eminent Indians Anti-Hindu? 165 25 Ambedkar, a True Hindu 172 26 Swaraj Meant Saving the Khalifa 176 27 Arehaeologieal Surveys 180 British discoveries and Indian eoneealments 28 Hindu Future atter Blaek Tuesday 185 IV Strategy 189 29 Negotiate with China 191 30 Make Muslims Realise 195 31 Win Over the Northeast 199 32 Persuade Bangladesh 203 33 Prevail Over Pakistan 209 1 * Hindu Masjids V Domination versus Aeeommodation 211 34 Islam in Europe 213 35 Jerusalem 223 The Crescent Confronts Star of David and the Cross 36 Taliban 227 Example of Dar-ul Islam 37 Separatism in Ghina 231 38 Chisti Inspired Ghauri 234 39 Slavery in Medieval India 237 40 Hindu Muslim Sehism 240 41 Horrors of Partition 245 42 Travancore, a Hindu Polity 252 43 A Hindu State at Work 255 44 Islam at Cross Roads 259 Has Blaek Tuesday, llth September 2001 begun a new ehain of erusades? VI Missing Link 263 45 Collective Honour 264 VII Myth of Modern History 269 That the British divided India in order to rule is a widely held beliefof Indians 46 British Imperialism Compared 270 Duteh, French and Portuguese were worse 47 British Contribution 274 Aeknowledgements 280 Annexure 1 Aet No. VII of 1904 281 J Contents Annexure II The Aneient and Historieal Monuments and Arehaeologieal Sites and Remains (Deelaration of National importanee) Aet, 1951 Annexure III The Aneient Monuments and Arehaeologieal Sites and Remains Aet, 1958 Annexure IV The Plaees of Worship (Speeial Provisions) Aet, 1991 Reterenees lndex 5 List of Photographs Sl. No . Gaption Page No. 1. Aurangzeb, the Great Mughal and 17th eentury deseerator of xvii temples 2. Gobind Dev temple whose top half was beheaded by 13 Aurangzeb and the rest converted into a mosque 3. The defaced statues outside the sanetum sanetorum of Gobind 14 Dev 4. The beheaded temple tumed mosque with a mehrab on top built 1 for Aurangzeb to pray. Reprodueed ffom History ofIndian and Eastern Arehiteeture by James Fergusson, John Murray, London, 1899. The mehrab was removed by F.S. Growse, Magistrate, Mathura Distriet after 1870 5. The only two statues of Krishna and Radha whieh were 16 overlooked by the ieonoelasts of Gobind Dev temple 6. Defaced statuettes inside Gobind Dev temple 17 7. The roof of Sultan Ghari’s tomb at Delhi whieh was onee a 25 temple, then a mosque and now both 8. Entranee to Sultan Ghari 26 9. Jami Masjid of Kannauj, a temple pavilion converted into a 29 mosque with a small shallow dome over the mimbar 10. Makhdoom Jahaniya Dargah at Kannauj converted from a 31 temple but without a dome over the mimbar 1 XIV Hindu Masjids Sl. No. Caption Page No. 1 1. Beautiful interior of Makhdoom Jahaniya whieh was evidently 33 a temple 12. Front of Jami Masjid at Etawah 36 13. Inside Jami Masjid at Etawah with a carved temple pillar 37 reeently eoated with aluminium paint in an attempt to eoneeal the carvings 14. Many of the 80 pillars visible at the temple of Rohini in 41 Mahaban near Gokul, converted into a mosque and now again a mandir brother at the northem end of Rohini 43 1 5 . Graves of Ruskhan and his temple, Mahaban 16. Rows of temple pillars that now form a pavilion in the 45 Quwwatul Islam mosque next to Qutb Minar, Delhi 17. Pillar with defaced statuettes at Quwwatul Islam mosque 46 18. The defaced statuettes on the pillars of Quwwatul Islam 48 23. mosque, Delhi 1 9. A pillar with defaced statuettes in Quwwatul Islam mosque 49 20. A Ganesh idol with its trunk eut off, on the outer wall of 51 Quwwatul Islam mosque, Delhi Islam mosque 52 2 1 . Vandalised statuettes at Quwwatul 22. A Hindu idol on an outer wall of Quwwatul Islam mosque, 53 Delhi Interior profile of triple temples at Ajmer converted by 55 Qutbuddin Aibak in 60 hours, henee ealled Adhai Din Ka Jhopra 24. Tall temple pillars at Adhai Din Ka Jhopra, Ajmer 56 25. Statues found at Adhai Din Ka Jhopra displayed in Rajputana 57 Museum, Akbar Fort, Ajmer 26. Calligraphic arehes added later to give an islamie look to Hindu 59 temple 27. Carved figurines near entranee to the Jhopra 60 28. Tablet of Arehaeologieal Survey at the Adhai Din Ka Jhopra 6 List ofPhotographs XV Sl. No. Caption Page No. 29. Baek view of Idgah built in plaee of Keshava Dev mandir 65 deseerated by Aurangzeb at Mathura 30. Another view of the Idgah built by Aurangzeb at Mathura 67 3 1 . Frontage of Ataladevi masjid at Jaunpur 72 32. Temple eolonnade in Ataladevi with dome added later 73 33. Inside Ataladevi masjid, a pillar with stone braekets between 74 whieh there was a statue, sinee destroyed 34. Profile of Char Ungli or Khalis-Mukhlis masjid, Jaunpur, 75 originally a temple of Bijay Mandal 35. Jhanjri masjid, Jaunpur, originally Chachakpur temple 76 36. The interior of the Bijamandal mosque, Vidisha, whieh was a 81 splendid temple deseerated four times by four Badshahs 37. Three defaced statues inside the Bijamandal temple 82 38. The Bijamandal mosque, Vidisha, seen from the westem side 83 39. A beheaded statue in Bijamandal temple 84 40. Author and eolleagues prevented from entering Bhojshala 89 41 . Entranee to Bhojshala mandir, Dhar, tumed into a mosque with 90 a dargah on the right 42. Statue of Goddess Saraswati taken from Bhojshala for display 91 at British Museum, London 43. Sanetum Sanetomm of former temple inside Lat masjid 92 44. Interior of Lat masjid, Dhar with its temple pillars 93 45. Profile of a Hindu statue on a pillar in Lat masjid, Dhar 94 46. Temple pillars inside Lat masjid 95 47. Southem face of Adina mosque, Pandua, Malda distriet, West 101 Bengal 48. Ganesh and eonsort daneing on the southem wall of Adina 103 mosque, Pandua 49. Frescoe of Ganesh on the erest of a door of Adina mosque, 104 Pandua 50. A statuette on a doorway of Adina mosque, Pandua 105 © xvi Hindu Masjids SI. No. Caption Page No. 51. Dargah of Jungle Pirbaba Baniban, Howrah distnet, converted 109 ovemight from a Shiv temple 52. Doorway of Jungle Pirbaba dargah 111 53. Domes of mandir and dargah on the same roof at Pavagadh 115 54. Steps to Kali temple, Pavagadh 116 55. Row of statues at Pavagadh 117 56. Beheaded pillars of Jain temple at Devgiri later named 121 Daulatabad by Allaudin Khilji 57. Pillar with statuettes at Daulatabad 122 58. Doorway at Daulatabad fort with defaced statuette 123 59.