๐ฉMultan was the glorious city which faced early Islamic invasions and Vandalism.
๐ฉThe city was famous across the world for its glorious Sun Temple which attracted a huge pilgrimage and had a contribution of 30% to the state's economy. The temple had an Image of Surya Bhagwan made of gold & rubies. It was decorated with precious jewellery.
๐ฉThese are the accounts of a Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang who visited the city in the 7th century. According to him, the temple regularly received tributes from various kings. Post the written accounts of the Chinese traveller, Arabs started invading the region.
๐ฉ In 712 common era, Mohd. Bin Qasim managed to capture Sindh. According to Al-Beruni , an Arab Historian, the temple was then protected by the Hindus by agreeing to pay huge taxes to the Arabs who in order to humiliate Hindus, had hung a piece of flesh around the Murti.
๐ฉThe temple then survived till 986 CE till the capture of Sindh by Shia sect of Islam, who destroyed the temple as well as the image of the deity. In 1130, again there was a written account by a Moroccan Ibn Idreesi.
๐ฉAccording to him the Sun worship had again started in full swing means after the destruction, our ancestors had somehow struggled & managed to rebuild the temple which housed a wooden image of the deity.
๐ฉAccording to another 13th century account, there were no pilgrimage activities going on but the priests confined themselves to the temple premises, keeping regular services continued to the Deity.
๐ฉJean-Baptiste Travernier, a French traveler in the 16th century, had also confirmed the worship of the wooden image was going on. It's a clear indication of the commitment & struggle by Priests and devotees to protect the deity even in a hostile environment.
๐ฉ They never abandoned the worship. The temple was finally destroyed after the orders by tyrant Aurangzeb & a mosque was built at the site. The story of the temple building ends there but not in entirety.
๐ฉ Britishers later excavated the site & found a stone image of Surya Dev, which they have now kept in a museum in London.
๐ฉ But how the tradition of worship survived even in the era of hostility is the indicator of how bravely our ancestors devoted themselves into protecting the tradition and the temple, no matter at what cost & we have a lot to learn from them.
๐ฉHere are images from the present day site of the temple where its ruins could still be seen alongside the mosque built by Aurangzeb.
๐ฉSenapati Santaji Ghorpade (1642-1697) the '๐๐๐ง๐ง ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ซ' whose name was terror to Mughals from Pune to Chennai.
๐ฉThe man who put fear in the heart of Aurangzeb. Between 1689 and 1697 when he died, Santaji defeated and captured several Mughal generals in Maharashtra, Karnataka and today's Tamil Nadu.
๐ฉOn one occasion Santaji came close to killing Aurangzeb and on another occasion he could have captured the emperor alive. The best part is that even Mughal history which is full of abuses and epithets for him records his exploits.
๐ฉShree MahaLakshmi Temple, Mumbai is one of the oldest temples in the city. It is dedicated to Goddess MahaLakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. It is a seaside Temple along the shores of the Arabian Sea.
๐ฉThe Temple also has the Vigrahas of Goddess MahaKali & Goddess MahaSaraswati.All the 3 Murtis are adorned with gold bangles, pearl necklaces & nose rings. Within the Gabhara, Vigrahas of the Goddesses, MahaLakshmi, MahaKali & MahaSaraswati are ornamented with jewels & flowers.
๐ฉThe thrones too are covered in silver, adorned with intricate carvings. According to the records, MahaLakshmi Temple was constructed around 1761-1771 CE.