10 Hindu Temples Destroyed by Muslim Rulers in India

The Muslim rule in India robbed off India from some its most precious treasures in terms of temples and knowledge centers. The towering temples that once dotted the entire nation were pulled to the ground

Here is the list-

Temples were either destroyed and left in ruins or were used to construct Mosques, Mazars, Tombs. Some of the Islamic structures stand directly on top of the destroyed temple . Sadly, it was not only Hindu temples but Buddhist & Jain temples were also destroyed by Muslim invaders

Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Ayodhya

The land on which the Babri mosque was built in 1528 is the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’ or Ram Mandir . But, Mir Baqi, one of Mughal king Babur’s generals, had destroyed a pre-existing gigantic temple of Rama and built a mosque called Babri Masjid.

The Martand Sun Temple, Kashmir

One of the oldest temple ruins, it is now called “Shaitan ki Gufa”by Kashmiri Muslims.Perhaps, this temple could have awed everyone who saw it. It was made by King Lalitaditya around 5th Century A.D. & it was destructed by Ruler Sikander Butshikan

Modhera Sun Temple, Gujrat

The temple was built under Solanki (Suryavanshi) dynasty in 10th century,The temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni who took the original idol that was carved in gold, along with treasure of shrine. The shrine was eventually destroyed by Alauddin Khilji

The Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples of Lord Shiva and is located in oldest living city in the world ie. Varanasi. The temple was destroyed as a result of the Mughal invasion. Temple restored by Ahilya bai Holkar in 1780

Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple, Mathura

Temple said to have been built by the Hindu god Krishna’s grandson- Vajra. Mathura is the birthplace of the Krishna, and locals believe that the temple was made 5,000 years ago. Temple was destroyed in 1070 & later by Aurangzeb in 1670

Somnath Temple , Gujrat

Somnath Temple is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga of Shiva. In AD 1026, Mahmud Ghazni first looted the temple & then came Afzal Khan, Malik Kafur & Aurangzeb. The temple was looted and destroyed as many as 17 times. Temple restored by Sardar Patel

Temples in Hampi, Karnataka

Hampi was capital of Vijayanagara empire which later fell after battle of Talikota. The major structures be it religious or civil were set ablaze or pulled to the ground by the Muslim armies. The entire population was massacred and no one was spared.

Rudra Mahalaya, Gujrat

King Siddhraj built the magnificent temple on the banks of saraswati in 12th century AD. The temple was dismantled by Allauddin Khilji during 1410-1444 and later Ahmed Shah I demolished this temple and converted some part of it into the conjoint mosque.

Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan

The original statue of Lord Madan Gopal does not lie in the temple anymore. During Aurangzeb’s rule, it was shifted to Rajasthan to safeguard it from destruction. The original one was destroyed by Aurangzeb. The temple was reclaimed in 1819 .

Meenakshi Temple, Tamil Nadu

Meenakshi Temple is dedicated to Parvati & was ransacked by Malik Kafur, who damaged all the ancient elements in 1310. In the 17th century, the temple was rebuilt by Arya Natha Mudaliyar, who was the Prime Minister of the first Nayak of Madurai.

@LostTemple7 @punarutthana

Note - There are thousands of Temples attacked, looted, converted or vandalized by Islamic Invaders but this thread includes only selective ones.