Hindu Temples Destroyed

Documentation of Destruction of Temples

Before looking at the timeline and geo-mapping of destruction of Hindu temples, it is important to first understand a few facts about the history of the Indian subcontinent, and the challenges in the documentation therein.

Hindu temples were destroyed by rulers for more than five centuries. But it must be remembered, that there was no uniform single rule all over the subcontinent at any period of time. So, as different provinces kept going back to Hindu Rajas and administration fell in the hands of Hindus, they rebuilt many temples every time they were razed. For example, the Somnath Temple in Gujrat was razed to the ground thirteen times, but was rebuilt by Hindu kings and devotees fourteen times. So, although it is only one temple, it was in reality destroyed thirteen independent times, by different rulers.

Next, the evidence from what exists on the ground will not match the evidence from historic texts exactly, because many temples were completely wiped out of existence and public memory. No trace of the temples remains on the ground today. So, the evidence from the ground is an important but incomplete aspect of the documentation. It is impossible to excavate every site where an important Hindu temple stood, even if the location were known, but as things stand, even the locations are unknown and will remain unknown for the rest of our lives.

Most of the precise evidence, from historic texts, as well as the ground, only covers the destruction of important temples. Whereas we know from historic texts that Hindu temples were an integral part of the life of Hindus, and were dotted all over cities, towns and villages. Every nook and cranny had a temple, which was maintained by surrounding houses. These small "mini temples" had no names or specific mention in history. They were the "temples round the corner." It is impossible to document the destruction of these temples with any precision because nobody thought they were important to record. But, the destruction of these mini temples played a pivotal role in the life of the people, and it enabled the forcible conversion of Hindus to other faiths.

Thus, what we present before you today is only a fragment of the long saga of the destruction of Hindu temples by rulers and marauders. It is recorded with as much precision as possible. It is intended to give the reader an idea of the scale of atrocities experienced as a cultural genocide by Hindus. It is not complete, but intended to be as exhaustive as evidence makes it possible.