Timeline
The present temple is the seventh temple reconstructed on the original site. The first temple of Somnath is said to have existed before the beginning of the common era.[
citation needed] The second temple, built by the
Yadava kings of
Vallabhi in Gujarat, replaced the first one on the same site around
649.[
citation needed]
In
725 Junayad, the
Arab governor of
Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple.[
citation needed] The
Gurjara Pratihara king
Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in
815, a large structure of red sandstone.
Somnath temple, 1869
In 1024 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by
Mahmud Ghazni[
citation needed] who raided the temple from across the
Thar Desert. Ghazni was challenged by the king, Ghogha Rana, who at the ripe age of 90, sacrificed his own clan fighting against Ghazni.[
citation needed] The temple was rebuilt by the
Paramara King
Bhoj of
Malwa and the
Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat (
Anhilwara) or
Patan between
1026 and
1042. The wooden structure was replaced by
Kumarpal (r.1143-72), who built the temple of stone.
[6]
In 1296 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army.[
citation needed] 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".[
citation needed] The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 A.D. and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 A.D.
In 1375 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat.[
citation needed] About 1400 A.D. it was reconstructed by the local public.[
further explanation needed]
In 1451 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat.[
citation needed] It was reconstructed again.[
citation needed]
In 1701 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.[
citation needed] Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.[
further explanation needed]
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple in 1783 A.D. at a site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.
[7]
