Rulers and Buildings
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Hi
Why do we regard Sultan Muhammad Ghazni as a contemporary of Rajendra I?
Kings used to build temples to demonstrate their devotion to God and their power and wealth. To attack such a temple then would be symbolic of their weakness and unholiness. Some instances are as follows:
1. In the early 19th century, the Pandyan king Shrimara Shrivallabha invaded Sri Lanka and defeated the king, Sena I (831-851). The Buddhist monk and chronicler Dhammakitti described that King Shrimara removed all the valuables, the Golden statue of the Buddha in the Jewel Palace and the golden images in the various monasteries. 2. Following this incident, the next Sinhalese ruler, Sena II, ordered his general to invade Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas. The Buddhist chronicler noted that the expedition made a special effort to find and restore the gold statue of the Buddha. 3. In the early 11th century, the Chola king Rajendra I decorated a new Shiva temple in his capital with prized statues seized from defeated rulers such as a Sun-pedestal from the Chalukyas, an image of Bhairava (a form of Shiva) and Bhairavi from the Kalingas of Orissa and a Kali statue from the Palas of Bengal. 4. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of Rajendra I. He destroyed and looted the wealth and idols in temples of defeated kings. Sultan Mahmud was not a very important ruler at that time. But by destroying temples like the one at Somnath, he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam. 5. In the political culture of the Middle Ages most rulers displayed their political might and military success by attacking and looting the places of worship of defeated rulers.
1. In the early 19th century, the Pandyan king Shrimara Shrivallabha invaded Sri Lanka and defeated the king, Sena I (831-851). The Buddhist monk and chronicler Dhammakitti described that King Shrimara removed all the valuables, the Golden statue of the Buddha in the Jewel Palace and the golden images in the various monasteries. 2. Following this incident, the next Sinhalese ruler, Sena II, ordered his general to invade Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas. The Buddhist chronicler noted that the expedition made a special effort to find and restore the gold statue of the Buddha. 3. In the early 11th century, the Chola king Rajendra I decorated a new Shiva temple in his capital with prized statues seized from defeated rulers such as a Sun-pedestal from the Chalukyas, an image of Bhairava (a form of Shiva) and Bhairavi from the Kalingas of Orissa and a Kali statue from the Palas of Bengal. 4. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a contemporary of Rajendra I. He destroyed and looted the wealth and idols in temples of defeated kings. Sultan Mahmud was not a very important ruler at that time. But by destroying temples like the one at Somnath, he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam. 5. In the political culture of the Middle Ages most rulers displayed their political might and military success by attacking and looting the places of worship of defeated rulers.
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