Guest guest Posted July 8, 2003 Report Share Posted July 8, 2003 'Brajmandal: The Pilgrimage Destination' by Dr. Rajendra Mishra, PhD. Published by Tirtha Publications, New Delhi. The book is available @ $7.00 plus shipping. OR inside India @ Rs.95.00 plus postage. Exerpt: Iconoclasm in Brajmandal: 'After the decline of Gupta period, there is a long history of foreign invasions beginning with Hun invasion, who destroyed Jain and Budhist temples of Mathura in 6th century. Mohmud Gazni invaded Mathura in 1017 A.D. He took so much wealth from Mathura, including statues of gold and silver and jewelery that it took 100 camels to carry the loot. Pheroz Khan Tuglak (1351-1388) destroyed many temples in and around Mathura. No one was allowed to go on pilgrimage during his rule Sikander Lodi (1488–1516) attacked Mathura in 1500 AD and destroyed all the temples there. During the tolerant reign of Akbar the places sacred to Hinduism began to flourish. Indeed in 1570 the fame of the Goswamis of Vrindaban spread so far abroad that the Emperor himself was induced to pay them a visit. Here he was taken blindfolded into the sacred enclosure of the Nidhiban the actual Vrinda grove to which the town owes its name, and so marvellous a vision was revealed to him that he was fam to acknowledge the place as holy. Jahangir continued his father's policy of toleration. It was during his region that Bir Singh Deo, Raja of Orchha, built a large temple at Mathura at a cost of 33 Lakhs. Shahjahan's reign was also without much of iconoclasm. The unenviable reputation of carrying persecution to extreme lengths being left to his successor, Aurangzeb, Iconoclasm to its climax was carried out under his reign and the work of bigotry was completed by changing the official name of Mathura to Islamabad and that of Vrindaban to Munimnabad – names, however, the use of which did not survive the courtly historians of the fanatic Emperor's reign. Mathura was next ransacked by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1757. The Assi Khanbha at Mahaban and the chaurasi Khamba at Kaman are the only pre -Mughal Hindu monuments still standing but only by virtue of their having been refashioned into mosques. Submitted by the Publishers, tirthapublications@hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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