The lost temples of Indonesia

Until 16th century, Indonesia was 100% Hindu-Buddhist (except the negligible elite of Kedah sultanate). Today, Hindus and Buddhists are not even 1%. Muslims are 88%. What led to such a drastic change? Expect for a handful of people on Bali Island, Hinduism in Indonesia is extinct. The Mosque shown in this picture is known as

History of the Gorakhnath Temple

Gorakhnath temple has a recorded history of at least 800 years. The temple existed even before Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daulah was born in the 18th century. It was believed to be established by Gorakhnath himself. Whatever the case, the temple was already destroyed by Ala-ud-din Khilji in the 13th century, meaning it had already existed by then.

Martand Sun Temple, Anantnag

Following is a reconstructed image of Martand Sun Temple. The art (vaults, spires etc) is similar to Notre-Dame (a few European geographers called it the Notre-Dame of India). It predates Notre-Dame by 500 years. It was destroyed by Sultan Sikandar “the idol breaker” Butshikan 600 years ago, as part of his efforts to forcibly convert

From Indranarayana Swamy Temple to Deval Masjid, Bodhan

Deval Masjid is not a “combination of Hindu & Islamic architecture”, as claimed by certain historians. It was a Hindu-Jain temple built by the Rashtrakuta king Indra III in the 10th century CE. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq destroyed the temple & constructed this mosque. He then fixed a Shivalinga on its footsteps! Read on to know

A temple that withstood a missile

This is the Taliparamba Sree Rajarajeswara Temple located in Taliparamba, Kannur district of Kerala, southern India.The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva Temples of ancient Kerala. The temple had two ancient large seven-storey Gopurams which stood at 130 feet. It had been one of the tallest temples of India. During

Assi Khamba ki Baoli, Gwalior

This is the beautiful Assi Khamba ki Baoli (Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh). It was built by the great Maharaja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior (c. 1500 CE). Tradition has it that this huge baoli (step-well) was built by ancient Hindu engineers of Man Singh’s kingdom in just 5 days. In 1505, Sikandar Lodhi declared a Jihad

Shiva painting in Bamiyan

This beautiful 7th century painting of the deity Shiva Avalokiteshwara was inside the caves of Bamiyan before they were blown up by Taliban The painting dates from 7th century in the pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan. Notice the influence of Ajanta art on the painting.

Prahladpuri Temple in Multan, Pakistan

The ancient temple where Holi originated. Now used as a toilet. This is the famous “Prahladpuri temple” of Multan in Pakistan. This is where the Holi festival originated, according to Puranic lore. According to Puranas, this was the place where Holika was burnt. It was believed by Hindus that this temple was built by Prahalada

Temples built by Ahilyabai Holkar

Ahilyabai was a widow who became Malwa’s queen. After her husband’s death, Ahilya’s father dissuaded her from performing Sati and crowned her the ruler of the kingdom. Here is map showing the temples built by the great Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. She built temples at Srinagar, Haridwar, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rishikesh, Prayaga, Varanasi, Naimisharanya,

Destruction of the Krishna Janmasthan Temple

A Mughal painting which depicts the destruction of Krishna Janmasthan (birthplace of Krishna) temple at Mathura. After the destruction of the temple, the Murti (idol) of Lord Krishna was taken and placed at the footsteps of royal Jahanara Begum Mosque in Agra for the devout Muslims to continually trod the idol with their feet (also

Sharada Devi Temple, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

This is the only available photo of the original Goddess Sharada Devi (Saraswati) temple from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) before its destruction. In ancient India, this temple cum monastery (Peetha) was famed as a great center of learning and it attracted students from all over India. Goddess Sharada is worshiped by 1 Billion Hindus and

The Hindu history of Afghanistan

The provinces of Afghanistan. Many of them STILL retain older Sanskrit names: Balkh = BahlikaNangarhar = NagaraharaKapisa = KapisaLaghman = LampakaKabul = KubhaBadakhshan = DvyakshayanaGhor = GiriBamiyan = VarmayanaWardak = Vartaka The names of all these places are found in ancient Sanskrit literature.

Gauri Marg as Gulmarg

The real paradise on earth: Gaurishvara templeThis is the ancient temple of Lord Shiva and Parvati in Gulmarg. The original name of Gulmarg was “Gauri Marg”( path of Goddess Gauri ). It was the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati. The temple was demolished during Islamist invasions. Chak ruler Yousuf Shah

Kafir Kot temples, Afghanistan

Kafir Kot temples: the last trace of a great past Before Mahmud Ghazni’s invasion in 11th century, Afghanistan was ruled by a Shaivite Hindu dynasty known as Kabul Shahis. These ruined temples lying desolate in the Khyber Pakthunkhwa district near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border are all that remains of Kabul Shahis today. These shaivite temple ruins

The Chausath Yogini Temple, Morena

Is Indian Parliament really the gift of British Architecture? This is the 11th century Chausath Yogini Temple from Morena (Madhya Pradesh). A British architect named Sir Edwin Lutyens visited this place in 1910. In 1912, he designed Indian Parliament. He had never acknowledged the influence of temple. Today, the credit of Parliament design is given

The Ahichhatra Excavation

We all know about Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. How many of us know about Great Pyramid of Ancient India? Bareilly, formerly known as Ahichhatra was mentioned in Mahabharata as capital of Draupada’s kingdom Panchala. It was later conquered by Arjuna and bestowed upon Drona. Drupada had to shift his capital to Kampilya in Southern

Qutub Minar, Delhi

Did you know?The original name of the so called Qutub Minar was “Raja Prithviraj Temple”. In fact, it was known to local Hindus as “Raja Prithviraj Temple” until 1900. Please don’t believe in my words. Check the archives of British Museum. A picture taken by British Museum photographer John Murray in 1858 names the structure