MERE ILLUSIONS STILL STAND ABOUT THE GATES OF SOMNATH MANDIR;
FACTUALLY MYTH OF STORY TELLING ABOUT SULTAN MAHMUD GHAZNAVI.

The myth is evident even today. Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi stole the Golden Gates of Somnath. The illusion of being golden itself seems a joke. The accusation gets repeated again and again and has led to so many misunderstandings that it needs to be corrected once or all. Truth must prevail now about these actual Sandalwood Gates (or even Deoar) of the Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi.

The Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi was built by his son Sultan  Masud Ghaznavi, and in no way are relics of a Mandir could have been placed on a sacred monument of the Muslims. Could his son have committed this outrage against his father? The myth was perpetuated to the extent that the most silly Lord Ellenborough made it his personal ambition to get them back to India around 1845 AD. Some writers have written that the Gates were removed and taken to the British Museum. Others talk of them being placed in the Agra Fort. What was the truth? Captain Van Orlich published a detailed engraving of the same in his ‘Travels to India’, published in 1845. They were then in the Agra Fort. One look at the Gates should have made people hang their heads in shame. Pure Islamic designs with Arabic Kufic inscriptions on them. Masud Saad Sulaiman the Lahori poet has given the existence of wonderful carpenters and naqashi carvers in Lahore. The illustration is self-evident. There is nothing even remotely Hindu about them. Made by Muslim craftsmen in pure Islamic traditions.

Syad Muhammed Latif in his ‘History of the Punjab’ eulogizes Lord Ellenborough for bringing them back after centuries , and placing them in British Museum. Dr Nazim corrects the same in his history of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi by writing:

“the misguided enthusiasm of Lord Ellenborough who believed that the gates were of the temple, which the Sultan was supposed to have carried away.”

The image is rare and here we give it to you. The Gates of Somnath stolen from Mandir of Somnath are Islamic designed Gates with Arabic Kufic inscriptions. The temple of Somnath was a LINGAM carved out of mountain and that is a another story worth telling. What is next about story telling? Utter shame! Truth breaks the shackles of falsehood.

Muslim sentiments? Not in a million years. Spreading lies part of the Divide and Rule policy, and the British were very much part of it. One could perhaps face Dr Ellenborough for trying to perpetuate evil designs against Islam and its people. The Laws of Allah are such that falsehood becomes exposed on their own, but it is a duty of truth searching person to set records straight. To win the heart of Hindus, Ellenborough brought the gates back by removing them from the mausoleum (stole), and then realizing that by placing  them back, it would become the joke of the century, and including blasphemy of placing an Islamic object in a Hindu temple. India should send them back to Afghanistan as a homage to things gone wrong.

ENIGMA OF BURIAL OF SHAHABUDDIN GHAURI; WHILE LEGEND,
EXISTED OF TRANSFER, GRAVE EXISTED IN DHAMAIK VILLAGE.

Sultan Shahabuddin Ghauri was in Ghazni, when he was informed of the revolt of the Khokhars in Hindustan. He came back and hand in hand with Qutbuddin Aibak, the two warriors crushed the revolt. Sultan Shahabuddin Ghauri took leave of Qutbuddin Aibak, and headed back to Ghazni. When he arrived at the village of Dhamaik, the Fidai Mulahidah all of a sudden appeared in the night. He was in his tent, and fought back. But the assassins were too many for him to handle single handedly. On March 15th, 1206 AD, he died. Khawaja Hassan Nizami in Taj ul Maasir, a contemporary historian writes:

“At this time a number of accursed heretics, armed with daggers, rushed like clouds and wind towards the tent in which the king of the world was sleeping and quickly killed three sword bearers and two chamberlains, who were on duty. Then a couple of these ferocious looking men made for the tent of the king and in a trice inflicted five or six wounds on the body of the king of the seven climes. Forthwith the bird of his soul eagerly flew towards the palace of seven heavens and the battlements of nine skies. flipping the wings all the way. “

Many history books tell us that the body of Sultan Shahabuddin Ghauri was taken to Ghazni and buried there. When his brother Sultan Ghiyasuddin Ghauri is buried in the portal of Jamia masjid Herat, why could he not be buried in Herat itself? But there is no grave in Ghazni or Herat, and it points out that due to rampant wounds of the body, it was facing petrification and it was on ground not possible to do the same. We present here two absolutely rare photographs of the grave and the enclosure at Dhamaikh. It proves that the heavy stones used to house the same, the body in fact remained in the village of Dhamaikh. And there it remained in the custody of the villagers who used to light divas on it. Then the modern hero of the Ghauri missile saw it first hand, and felt compassion for a Sultan, who brought the reign of Islam to this region. A really beautiful mausoleum was built and finally handed over to the Department of Archaeology for preservation. Not much can be expected from Governmental employees, but the modern hero did his job for an older hero of Islam. Well done!

For the enigma of the grave of Prithviraj Chohan in Ghazni is another issue awaiting research. Here too various conflicting theories abound. Factual research ignites two nation theory.

P.S. For details see my book “Sultan Qutb-ud-din Ai-Beg: Flaming Star of Lahore 2012.