The entire story of the demolition and reconstruction of Somnath temple on the pretext of the book mentioned in PM Modi’s article.
Ahmedabad 1000 years are being completed since the attack on the Somnath temple by the terrorist Mahmud Ghaznavi. The attack by this foreign invader was like an attack on the identity of India. In the context of this one thousand years, a special book was mentioned in the special article written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Curious people are running Google search engine to know about this book.
This book i.e. ‘Somnath: The Shrine Eternal’ written by Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi in 1951! In this book, the historical and religious importance of the temple of Lord Shri Somnath has been given. Recently this book is in the center of discussion and reading due to the mention by the Prime Minister. In such a situation, it will be interesting to know more about this book.
For Gujaratis, the luminary of Gujarat’s identity, K. Ma. Munshi needs no introduction. Apart from being a political man, he was a good writer. History and cultural subjects have been the focus of his books. Gujaratis do not have much habit of reading books written in English. A lot has been written in English also about Gujarat and the history of Gujarat, in which Kanaiyalal Munshi can also be considered as the leader.
By reading books written by him like ‘Patnani Prabhuta’, ‘Jai Somnath’, ‘Gujaratno Nath’, ‘Bhagna Paduka’, ‘Krishnavatara Part 1 to 7’, one gets to know interesting information about the history of Gujarat and religious personalities along with the place and time.
In the book Somnath – The Shrine Eternal, Kanaiyalal Munshi has given the historical and archaeological introduction of Lord Shri Somnath Temple. He has described Somnath temple as a symbol of India’s identity. Why is this temple important for the cultural heritage of India? You can realize this by reading this book. Recently Somnath Swabhiman festival is being celebrated in Somnath, then it is important to know about this book also.
This book has been published under the ‘Books University’ series of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, the main objective of which is to combine the fundamental values of Indian culture with modern knowledge.
Munshiji wrote the first edition of this book in May 1951 on the occasion of the restoration of Somnath temple and the consecration of Jyotirlinga. The author himself admits that he had prepared this book in a very short time, without any claim to academic scholarship, but as an extremely devout and curious person of history, so that the history of Somnath could be presented before the people.
The purpose of this book is to impart higher education and values. An attempt has been made through this book to establish human dignity and moral order, so that man can become a true part of God.
The book is mainly divided into four parts. The first part contains the mythological stories and history of Somnath, the second part contains Romance in Stone, the third part contains the evidence found through archaeological excavations and the fourth part contains the mentions of Muslim historians and details of various inscriptions.
The author describes Somnath as ‘Chandrana Dev’ (Lord of Som) and discusses the historical importance of Prabhas area. Like the Phoenix bird rising from the ashes, the temple has remained invincible even after many destructions. The book also mentions the sacred place of Lord Krishna’s death.
This book contains a detailed history of the attacks on Somnath. The description of the difficult times from the destruction caused by Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1025 to the times of Alauddin Khilji and Aurangzeb can be seen here. Munshiji has presented this destruction not just as the destruction of the building, but as a blow to the national soul.
A significant part of the book focuses on the modern revival of Somnath. The resolution that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had taken with sea water in the courtyard of the dilapidated temple on November 13, 1947, was implemented by K.M. Munshi has portrayed it as the restoration of India’s glory.
In the book B. Of. Also includes reports of scientific excavations conducted by Thapar. In this department, links of ancient temple architecture have been added on the basis of levels, inscriptions and sculptures of the ancient temple recovered from the womb of the earth, which is very useful for the students of history.
Newer editions of the book chronicle the progress of construction of the new temple. The new temple has been introduced as ‘Kailaasa Mahameru Prasad’, which has a height of 155 feet. There are many sketches and photographs in the book, which show the artistic grandeur of Somnath.
‘Somnath: The Shrine Eternal’ is not just a book of history, but a reflection of the unbroken faith of the Indian people. According to Munshiji, Somnath is an eternal light, which keeps India connected with its cultural roots from generation to generation and inspires to live with self-respect.
Just as the Ganga river originates from the mountains and despite taking many turns, reaches the sea and maintains its purity, similarly the history of Somnath has been eternal, maintaining its dignity despite the struggles, the accurate depiction of which can be seen in this book.
