Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History A Sober, Analytical Demonstration Of The Various Tellings Of The Sack Of Somnath & [Explores] Not Just The Politics Of Memory, But Also How Remembrances Play On The Certitude Of Facts Shahid Amin In Outlook In 1026, Mahmud Of Ghazni Raided The Temple Of Somanatha. The History Of This Raid And Subsequent Events At The Site Have Been Reconstructed In The Last Couple Of Centuries Largely On The Basis Of The Turko-Persian Sources. There Were Other Sources That Also Refer To Events At Somanatha Throughout A Period Of Almost A Thousand Years, But These Have Rarely Been Quoted When Reconstructing This History. Until Very Recent Times, There Were Few Attempts To Either Juxtapose Or Integrate These Other Texts In Order To Arrive At A More Complete Understanding Of The History Of Somanatha. Such Sources Include Local Sanskrit Inscriptions, Biographies Of Kings And Merchants Written From A Jaina Perspective, Epics Of Rajput-Turkish Relations Composed At Various Rajput Courts And Popular Narratives Of The Activities Of Pirs And Gurus, All Of Which, In Some Way, Have A Bearing On The History Of Somanatha. This Book Is An Attempt To Draw Together These Numerous Voices, To View The Sources Comparatively, But Above All To Place Each Narrative In A Historical Context. This Also Involves Exploring Why A Particular, And Often Distinctive, Perspective Was Adopted By Each. It Suggests A Different History Of Somanatha From The One That Has Been Projected Through The Last Two Centuries. It Also Effectively Underlines The Significance Of Examining The Historical Perceptions Of How Authors Present Events, Both In The Narratives Written In The Past And In The Interpretations Of Past Events In Present Times. A Remarkable Example Of Assiduous And Open-Ended Historiography Hindustan Times |
Contents
The Setting | 18 |
The TurkoPersian Narratives | 38 |
Sanskrit Inscriptions from Somanatha | 83 |
Biographies Chronicles and Epics | 105 |
The Perceptions of Yet Others | 146 |
Colonial Interpretations and Nationalist Reactions | 169 |
Constructing Memory Writing Histories | 202 |
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Arab associated attack attempt Bhadreshvar Bhava Brihaspati brahmans Brihaspati Buddhist centre Chaulukya king chronicles claim colonial conquest context converted court culture deity Delhi destroyed destruction earlier epics Epigraphia Indica event evidence gates Ghazi Miyan Ghaznavids Gujarat Haji Hemachandra Hindu Hindus and Muslims historians historiography Hormuz icon iconoclasm identities idol Indian Antiquary Indian history Islam Ismaili Jaina Jaina merchants Jaina temples Jaina texts Jainism Kaliyuga Kanhadade Kathiawar Khalji Kumarapala later lingam loot Mahmud of Ghazni Mahmud's raid Malwa Manat memory mention mosque Mularaja Munshi Muslim Muslim rule narratives Nazim op.cit patronage period Persian pilgrimage pilgrims plunder political popular Prabhasa Prakrit priests raid of Mahmud raid on Somanatha raja Rajput reference religion religious renovation rulers Sanskrit Sanskrit Inscriptions Saurashtra sects Shaiva Shaivism shrine social society Somanatha temple sources story Sufi Sultan temple at Somanatha trade tradition Tripurantaka Turkish Turko-Persian Turks Veraval wealth western India worship Yavanas