Editing Iconoclasm (section)

=== The Somnath temple and Mahmud of Ghazni ===
<!-- should have its own section
In 1296 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan [[Allauddin Khilji]]'s army.<ref name="Leaves from the past"/><ref name="gujaratindia.com"/> According to Taj-ul-Ma'sir of Hasan Nizami, Raja Karan of Gujarat was defeated and forced to flee, "fifty thousand infidels were dispatched to hell by the sword" and "more than twenty thousand slaves, and cattle beyond all calculation fell into the hands of the victors".<ref name="Leaves from the past"/> The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] in 1308 AD and the lingam was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 AD. In 1375 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah&nbsp;I, the [[Sultan of Gujarat]].<ref name="Leaves from the past"/>

In 1451 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat.<ref name="Leaves from the past"/><ref name="gujaratindia.com"/> In 1701 AD, the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]].<ref name="Leaves from the past"/> Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath Temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.

[[Mahmud of Ghazni]] was an [[Demography of Afghanistan|Afghan]] [[Sultan]] who invaded the Indian subcontinent during the early 11th century. His campaigns across the [[gangetic plains]] are often cited for their iconoclastic plundering and destruction of temples such as those at [[Mathura]] and he looked upon their destruction as an act of ''"[[jihad]]"''.<ref>{{cite book
|last= Saunders
|first=  Kenneth
|author-link = Kenneth James Saunders
|title= A Pageant of India
|url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.522947
|publisher = H.&nbsp;Milford, Oxford University Press |page=162
}}</ref> He sacked the second [[Somnath|Somnath Temple]] in 1026, and looted it of gems and precious stones and the famous [[Shiva]] [[lingam]] of the temple was destroyed.<ref>
{{cite book
|last = Kakar
|first = Sudhir
|author-link = Sudhir Kakar
|title = The Colors of Violence: Cultural Identities, Religion, and Conflict
|url = https://archive.org/details/colorsofviolence00kaka
|url-access = registration
|publisher = University of Chicago Press |page=50
|isbn = 0-226-42284-4
}}
</ref>

Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of [[Qutb-ud-din Aybak]]. The first mosque built in Delhi, the "[[Qutb complex#Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque|Quwwat al-Islam]]" was built after the demolition of the Hindu temple built previously by Prithvi Raj and certain parts of the temple were left outside the mosque proper.<ref name="Hai">Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai "Hindustan Islami Ahad Mein" (Hindustan under Islamic rule), Eng Trans by Maulana Abdul Hasan Nadwi.</ref> This pattern of iconoclasm was common during his reign, although an argument goes that such iconoclasm was motivated more by politics than by religion.<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routes/1200_1299/index_1200_1299.html Index_1200-1299],''Columbia.edu''.</ref>

Another ruler of the sultanate, Shams-ud-din [[Iltutmish]], conquered and subjugated the Hindu pilgrimage site [[Varanasi]] in the 11th century and he continued the destruction of Hindu temples and idols that had begun during the first attack in 1194.<ref>
{{cite book |last= Elliot|first= Henry Miers |title= The History of India: as told by its own historians; the Muhammadan period (Excerpt from Jamiu'l-Hikayat) |publisher= University of Michigan |year= 1953}}</ref>

No aspect of Aurangzeb's reign is more cited—or more controversial—than the numerous desecrations and even the destruction of Hindu temples.<ref name="Aurangzeb">[http://www.the-south-asian.com/Dec2000/Aurangzeb.htm The South Asian] ''Aurangzeb profile''.</ref> During his reign, tens of thousands of temples were desecrated: their facades and interiors were defaced and their murtis (divine images) looted.<ref name="Aurangzeb"/> In many cases, temples were destroyed entirely; in numerous instances mosques were built on their foundations, sometimes using the same stones. Among the temples Aurangzeb destroyed were two that are most sacred to Hindus, in [[Varanasi]] and [[Mathura]].<ref name="Mughaltemples">[http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/temple_aurangzeb.html Rajiv Varma] ''Destruction of Hindu Temples by Aurangzeb.</ref> In both cases, he had large mosques built on the sites.<ref name="Aurangzeb"/>

[[File:Benares well.jpg|thumb|The original holy well – Gyanvapi in between temple and mosque.]]
The [[Kesava Deo]] temple in [[Mathura]], marked the place that Hindus believe was the birthplace of Shri [[Krishna]].<ref name="Mughaltemples"/> In 1661 Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the temple, and constructed the Katra Masjid mosque. Traces of the ancient Hindu temple can be seen from the back of the mosque. Aurangzeb also destroyed what was the most famous temple in [[Varanasi]] – the [[Kashi Vishwanath Temple]].<ref name="Mughaltemples"/>

The temple had changed its location over the years, and in 1585 [[Akbar]] had authorized its location at Gyan Vapi. Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and constructed a mosque on the site, whose minarets stand 71&nbsp;metres above the Ganges. Traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque. Centuries later, emotional debate about these wanton acts of cultural desecration continues. [[Aurangzeb]] also destroyed the [[Somnath]] temple in 1706.<ref name="Mughaltemples"/>

Hindus claim that [[Mughals]] destroyed the [[Ram Mandir]] in [[Ayodhya]], located at the [[Ram Janmabhoomi|birthplace]] of [[Rama]], and built the [[Babri Masjid]] on the holy site, which has since been a source of [[Ayodhya dispute|tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities]].

Writer Fernand Braudel wrote in ''A History of Civilizations'' (Penguin 1988/1963, pp.&nbsp;232–236), Islamic rule in India as a "colonial experiment" was "extremely violent", and "the Muslims could not rule the country except by systematic terror. Cruelty was the norm – burnings, summary executions, crucifixions or impalements, inventive tortures. Hindu temples were destroyed to make way for mosques. On occasion there were forced conversions. If ever there were an uprising, it was instantly and savagely repressed: houses were burned, the countryside was laid waste, men were slaughtered and women were taken as slaves."

C.&nbsp;K.&nbsp;Kareem also notes that [[Tipu Sultan]] issued an edict for the destruction of Hindu temples in [[Kerala]].<ref name="rpersecutor5">{{cite book
 | last = Kareem
 | first = C.&nbsp;K.
 | title = Kerala Under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan P187
 | orig-year = 1973
 | year = 1973
 | publisher = Kerala History Association : distributors, Paico Pub. House
 | page = 322
 }}</ref>

In a two-volume book by [[Sita Ram Goel]], [[Arun Shourie]], Harsh Narain, [[Jay Dubashi]] and [[Ram Swarup]], [[Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them]], includes a list of 2000 mosques that it is claimed were built on Hindu temples in the first volume,<ref>http://voi.org/books/htemples1/ {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2022}}</ref> which it is asserted is based primarily on the books of Muslim historians of the period or the inscriptions of the mosques. The second volume excerpts from medieval histories and chronicles and from inscriptions concerning the destruction of [[Hindu]], [[Jain]], and [[Buddhist]] [[temple]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharatvani.org/books/htemples2/index.htm |title=Hindu Temples – What Happened To Them – Vol Ii |publisher=Bharatvani.org |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> The authors claim that the material presented in this book are only the tip of an iceberg.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voiceofdharma.com/books/foe/ch15.htm |title=Ban this Book |publisher=Voiceofdharma.com |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>

===During Goa inquisitions===
{{main|Portuguese invasion of Goa}}
Diago de Boarda, a priest, and his advisor Vicar General, Miguel Vaz, had made a 41-point plan for torturing Hindus. Under this plan Viceroy Antano de Noronha issued in 1566, an order applicable to the entire area under [[Portuguese India|Portuguese rule]]:<ref name="vgweb.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.vgweb.org/unethicalconversion/GoaInquisition.htm |title=The Goa Inquisition by Christian Historian Dr. T. R. de Souza |publisher=Vgweb.org |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>

<blockquote>I hereby order that in any area owned by my master, the king, nobody should construct a Hindu temple and such temples already constructed should not be repaired without my permission. If this order is transgressed, such temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them shall be used to meet expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such transgression.</blockquote>

In 1567 the campaign of destroying temples in [[Bardez]] met with success. At the end of it 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. In 1583 Hindu temples at [[Assolna]] and [[Cuncolim]] were destroyed through army action.<ref name="vgweb.org"/>

<blockquote>The fathers of the Church forbade the Hindus under terrible penalties the use of their own sacred books, and prevented them from all exercise of their religion. They destroyed their temples, and so harassed and interfered with the people that they abandoned the city in large numbers, refusing to remain any longer in a place where they had no liberty, and were liable to imprisonment, torture and death if they worshipped after their own fashion the gods of their fathers</blockquote>,

wrote [[Filippo Sassetti]], who was in India from 1578 to 1588.<ref name="vgweb.org"/>

An order was issued in June 1684 eliminating the [[Konkani language]] and making it compulsory to speak [[Portuguese language]].  Following that law all the symbols of non-Christian sects were destroyed and the books written in local languages were burnt.<ref name="vgweb.org"/>

==Contemporary iconoclasm against Hindu temples and monuments==

===In India===
On December 6, 1992, a large crowd of Hindu [[karsevak]]s (volunteers) entirely destroyed the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, in an attempt to reclaim the land known as [[Ram Janmabhoomi]]. The demolition occurred after a religious ceremony turned violent and resulted in several months of intercommunal rioting between India's Hindu and Muslim communities, causing the death of at least 2,000 people most of which were Muslims.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11436552 | work=BBC News | title=Timeline: Ayodhya holy site crisis | date=2012-12-06}}</ref>

In June 2010, during rioting in Sangli, people threw stones inside a [[Ganesha]] mandal.<ref>[http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/sep/060909-Miraj-Sangli-Ganesh-Immersion-Riots-Communal-Violence-News.htm Sangli rages with riots], MiD DAY Infomedia, Date: 2009-09-06.</ref>

[[File:Chattalpalli Durga mandap at Deganga.jpg|thumb|The permanent [[Durga Puja|Durga]] [[mandapa|mandap]] at Chattalpalli and the makeshift [[pandal]] in front. The passage to the area was being dug up by [[Muslim]]s to prevent the [[Hindu]]s from entering the area.]]
The [[2010 Deganga riots]] began on 6 September when mobs resorted to [[arson]] and [[violence]] over a disputed structure at [[Deganga]], Kartikpur and Beliaghata under the [[Deganga]] police station area. The violence began late in the evening and continued throughout the night into the next morning.<ref name="toi1">{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Communal-clash-near-Bangla-border-Army-deployed/articleshow/6516123.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103093628/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-08/india/28230267_1_communal-clash-indo-bangla-deganga |url-status=live |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |title=Communal clash near Bangla border, Army deployed  |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="toi2">{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Army-out-after-Deganga-rioting/articleshow/6516493.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103132107/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-08/kolkata/28268373_1_deganga-army-personnel-senior-army-official |url-status=live |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |title=Army out after Deganga rioting  |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="express1">{{cite news |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Curfew-in-Bengal-district--Army-called-in/678774 |title=Curfew in Bengal district, Army called in |newspaper=Indian Express |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |location=Kolkata}}</ref><ref name="hindu1">{{cite news |first=Raktima |last=Bose |url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/08/stories/2010090859680100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910005112/http://hindu.com/2010/09/08/stories/2010090859680100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2010 |title=Youth killed in group clash |date=September 8, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The violence finally calmed down on 9 September after hundreds of business establishments and residences were looted, destroyed and burnt, dozens of people were severely injured and several places of worship desecrated and vandalized.

In June 2011 at Asansol Market area, a Hindu temple, under construction led by Bastim Bazaar Sarbojanin Durga Puja Committee was and approved by ADM on 12 April 2011, was attacked by an Islamic mob.<ref name="South Bengal Herald 10062011">{{cite web|last=Samhati|first=Hindu|title=Frenzied Muslims make brutal attacks on Hindus in Asansol to stop temple construction|url=http://southbengalherald.blogspot.com/2011/06/frenzied-muslims-make-brutal-attacks-on.html|work=Hindu Samhati|publisher=South Bengal Herald|access-date=10 June 2011}}</ref>

In April 2021, a Hindu extremist under the influence of the Hindu priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati destroyed an idol of Sai Baba at a temple in Delhi incorrectly labeling Sai Baba as a Jehadist<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lalwani |first1=Vijayta |title=Labelled ‘jihadi’, Sai Baba’s idol demolished in Delhi. Hindu hardliner exults. Devotees despair |url=https://scroll.in/article/991155/labelled-jihadi-sai-babas-idol-demolished-in-delhi-hindu-hardliner-exults-devotees-despair |access-date=24 November 2021 |date=04 April 2021}}</ref>. The act was condemned by the Hindu and the Muslim community.

===In Bangladesh===
In Bangladesh atrocities<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhbcuc-usa.org/ |title=Bhbcuc-Usa Home |publisher=Bhbcuc-usa.org |date=2010-08-01 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> including targeted attacks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hrcbm.org/ |title=Bangladesh – Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities |publisher=HRCBM |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> against temples and open theft of Hindu property have increased sharply in recent years after the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamat-e-Islami]] joined the coalition government led by the [[Bangladesh National Party]].<ref>{{Cite book | last = Mujtaba| first = Syed Ali| title = Soundings on South Asia| publisher = [[Sterling Publishing|Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd]]| year = 2005| page = 100| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AFDVcx-7BCMC&pg=PA100| isbn = 978-1-932705-40-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Gupta| first = Jyoti Bhushan Das| title = Science, technology, imperialism, and war - History of science, philosophy, and culture in Indian civilization. Volume XV. Science, technology, and philosophy; pt. 1| publisher = [[Pearson PLC|Pearson Education India]]| year = 2007| page = 733| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EJuM4FylchwC&pg=PA733| isbn = 978-81-317-0851-4}}</ref> Hindu temples in Bangladesh have also been vandalised.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduhumanrights.org/temples/temples.html|title=Hindu temples|access-date=2006-08-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060701021512/http://www.hinduhumanrights.org/temples/temples.html |archive-date = 2006-07-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
  | first = Frank
  | last = Pallone
  | title = Persecution Of Hindus In Bangladesh (article mirrored from the US Library of Congress)
  |date=2004-05-17
  | url = http://www.hvk.org/articles/0504/110.html
  | access-date =  2006-08-26
}}</ref>

On the February 6, 2010, Sonargaon temple in Narayanganj district of [[Bangladesh]] was destroyed by Islamic fanatics.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-06/south-asia/28137103_1_idols-hindu-temple-miscreants | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811034651/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-06/south-asia/28137103_1_idols-hindu-temple-miscreants | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 11, 2011 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Hindu temple attacked, idols destroyed in B'desh: Official | date=February 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayerdak.com/root/destruction89.htm |title=Destruction of Hindu Temples in Bangladesh (1989) |publisher=Mayerdak.com |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref><ref>http://voi.org/books/htemples1/app.htm {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2022}}</ref>

===In Pakistan===
{{Further|Decline of Hinduism in Pakistan}}
Several Hindu temples have been destroyed in Pakistan. A notable incident was the destruction of the [[Ramna Kali Mandir]] in former [[East Pakistan]]. The temple was bulldozed by the Pakistani Army on March 27, 1971. The [[Dhakeshwari Temple]] was severely damaged during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], and over half of the temple's buildings were destroyed. In a major disrespect of the religion, the main worship hall was taken over by the [[Pakistan]] Army and used as an ammunitions storage area. Several of the temple custodians were tortured and killed by the Army though most, including the head priest, fled first to their ancestral villages and then to India and therefore escaped death.

In 2006 the last Hindu temple in [[Lahore]] was destroyed to pave the way for construction of a multi-story commercial building. The temple was demolished after officials of the Evacuee Property Trust Board concealed facts from the board chairman about the nature of the building. When reporters from Pakistan-based newspaper ''[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]'' tried to cover the incident, they were accosted by the henchmen of the property developer, who denied that a Hindu temple existed at the site.<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2006/05/28/nat23.htm Another temple is no more], ''Dawn''.</ref>

Several political parties in Pakistan have objected to this move, such as the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistani Muslim League-N.<ref>[http://us.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/13temple.htm Hindu temple in Lahore demolished],''Rediff.com''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121014175500/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-06-13/pakistan/27788614_1_hindu-temple-hindus-and-sikhs-eptb Only Hindu Temple in Lahore demolished],''Times of India''.</ref> The move has also evoked strong condemnation in India from minority bodies and political parties, including the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP), the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]], as well as Muslim advocacy political parties such as the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1651762.cms India protests demolition of Hindu temple in Pak], ''Times of India''.</ref> A firm of lawyers representing the Hindu minority has approached the [[Lahore High Court]] seeking a directive to the builders to stop the construction of the commercial plaza and reconstruct the temple at the site. The petitioners maintain that the demolition violates section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code prohibiting the demolition of places of worship.<ref>[http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/06/16/10047337.html Order for temple's reconstruction sought],''Gulf News''.</ref>

On June 29, 2005, following the arrest of an illiterate Christian janitor on allegations of allegedly burning Qur'an pages, a mob of between 300 and 500 Muslims destroyed a Hindu temple and houses belonging to Christian and Hindu families in [[Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa|Nowshera]]. Under the terms of a deal negotiated between Islamic religious leaders and the Hindu/Christian communities, Pakistani police later released all previously arrested perpetrators without charge.<ref name="usdep">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71443.htm |title=US Department of State International Religious Freedom Report 2006 |publisher=State.gov |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>

===In Malaysia===
Between April to May 2006, several Hindu temples were demolished by city hall authorities in the country, accompanied by violence against Hindus.<ref>[http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/52600 Temple row – a dab of sensibility please], ''malaysiakini.com''.</ref> On April 21, 2006, the Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur was reduced to rubble after the city hall sent in bulldozers.<ref>[http://www.gatago.com/talk/politics/mideast/12428067.html Muslims Destroy Century-Old Hindu Temple,''gatago.com'']</ref> Many Hindu advocacy groups have protested what they allege is a systematic plan of temple cleansing in Malaysia. The official reason given by the Malaysian government has been that the temples were built "illegally". However, several of the temples are centuries old.<ref name="Finexp">[http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=128069 Hindu group protests "temple cleansing" in Malaysia], ''Financial Express''.</ref> On May 11, 2006, armed city hall officers from [[Kuala Lumpur]] forcefully demolished part of a 60-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 1,000 Hindus.<ref name="Finexp"/>

===In Saudi Arabia===
On March 24, 2005, [[Government of Saudi Arabia|Saudi authorities]] destroyed religious items found in a raid on a makeshift Hindu shrine found in an apartment in [[Riyadh]].<ref>Marshall, Paul. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060522223359/http://www.freedomhouse.org/religion/news/bn2005/bn-2005-00-16.htm Saudi Arabia's Religious Police Crack Down]''. Freedom House.</ref>

===In Fiji===
In Fiji according to official reports, attacks on Hindu institutions increased by 14% compared to 2004. This intolerance of Hindus has found expression in anti-Hindu speeches and destruction of temples, the two most common forms of immediate and direct violence against Hindus. Between 2001 and April 2005, one hundred cases of temple attacks have been registered with the police. The alarming increase of temple destruction has spread fear and intimidation among the Hindu minorities and has hastened immigration to neighboring Australia and New Zealand. Organized religious institutions, such as the Methodist Church of Fiji, have repeatedly called for the creation of a theocratic Christian State and have propagated anti-Hindu sentiment.<ref name="Hindusin">{{cite web|url=http://www.hafsite.org/pdf/hhr_2005_html/fijiislands.htm |title=Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights 2005 |publisher=Hafsite.org |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref> State favoritism of Christianity, and systematic attacks on temples, are some of the greatest threats faced by Fijian Hindus. Despite the creation of a human rights commission, the plight of Hindus in Fiji continues to be precarious.<ref name="Hindusin" />
 -->Perhaps the most notorious episode of iconoclasm in India was [[Mahmud of Ghazni]]'s attack on the [[Somnath Temple]] from across the [[Thar Desert]].<ref name="gujaratindia.com">{{cite web|title=Gujarat State Portal &#124; All About Gujarat &#124; Gujarat Tourism &#124; Religious Places &#124; Somnath Temple|url=http://www.gujaratindia.com/about-gujarat/somnath.htm|access-date=2013-04-30|publisher=Gujaratindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnBMFaGMabYC|title=Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History|first=Romila|last=Thapar|year= 2005|publisher=Verso|isbn=978-1844670208|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=":2">Yagnik, Achyut, and Suchitra Sheth. 2005. ''Shaping of Modern Gujarat.'' [[Penguin UK]]. {{ISBN|8184751850}}.</ref> The temple was first raided in 725, when Junayad, the governor of [[History of Sindh|Sind]], sent his armies to destroy it.<ref name="Leaves from the past">{{cite web|title=Leaves from the past|url=http://www.indiafirstfoundation.org/Glimpses%20of%20Indian%20History/Articles/Leaves%20From%20The%20Past/Somnath%20thesymbolofNtionalpride_m.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110153239/http://www.indiafirstfoundation.org/Glimpses%20of%20Indian%20History/Articles/Leaves%20From%20The%20Past/Somnath%20thesymbolofNtionalpride_m.htm|archive-date=2007-01-10}}</ref> In 1024, during the reign of [[Bhima I]], the prominent Turkic-Muslim ruler Mahmud of Ghazni raided Gujarat, plundering the [[Somnath Temple]] and breaking its [[jyotirlinga]] despite pleas by Brahmins not to break it. He took away a booty of 20 million [[dinar]]s.<ref name=":3">[[Romila Thapar|Thapar, Romila]]. 2004. ''Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History''. [[Penguin Books|Penguin Books India]]. {{ISBN|1-84467-020-1}}.</ref><ref name=":2" />{{Rp|39}} The attack may have been inspired by the belief that an idol of the goddess [[Manat (goddess)|Manat]] had been secretly transferred to the temple.<ref>Akbar, M. J. 2003. ''The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict between Islam and Christianity''. [[Roli Books]]. {{ISBN|978-9351940944}}.</ref> According to the Ghaznavid [[court-poet]] [[Farrukhi Sistani]], who claimed to have accompanied Mahmud on his raid, ''Somnat'' (as rendered in [[Persian language|Persian]]) was a garbled version of ''su-manat'' referring to the goddess Manat. According to him, as well as a later Ghaznavid historian [[Abu Sa'id Gardezi]], the images of the other goddesses were destroyed in Arabia but the one of Manat was secretly sent away to [[Kathiawar]] (in modern Gujarat) for safekeeping. Since the idol of Manat was an [[Aniconism|aniconic]] image of black stone, it could have been easily confused with a [[lingam]] at Somnath. Mahmud is said to have broken the idol and taken away parts of it as loot and placed so that people would walk on it. In his letters to the [[Caliphate]], Mahmud exaggerated the size, wealth and religious significance of the Somnath temple, receiving grandiose titles from the Caliph in return.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|45–51}}

The wooden structure was replaced by [[Kumarapala (Chaulukya dynasty)|Kumarapala]] (r. 1143–72), who rebuilt the temple out of stone.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/t/019pho0001000s7u00790000.html Somnath Temple] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015054/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/t/019pho0001000s7u00790000.html |date=2015-09-24 }}, [[British Library]].</ref>