(1)
Ancient India
Ancient
India has no documented history of large scale religious
violence. However, King Pusyamitra of Sunga is linked in legend with
persecution of Budhhists. There is some doubt as to whether he did or did not
persecute Buddhists actively.
Ancient
India has no documented history of large scale religious
violence. However, King Pusyamitra of Sunga is linked in legend with
persecution of Budhhists. There is some doubt as to whether he did or did not
persecute Buddhists actively.
It has
been suggested that the Budhhist Stupa in Sanchi was vandalized by
Hindu King Pusyamitra of Sunga.
The Divyāvadāna,
or Divine Stories ascribes to him the razing
of stupas and vihars built by Ashoka. This account has
however been described as exaggerated. Archaeological evidence is scarce and
uncertain. However to many scholars, Sunga kings were seen as more
amenable to Buddhism and as having contributed to the building of the stupas
at Bharhut.
With the
possible exception of reign of King Pusyamitra, Buddhism and Hinduism seem to
have co-existed peacefully with almost all Buddhist temples, including the once
at Ajanta Caves, being built under the rule and patronage of Hindu
kings along with Jainism and other religions and there were no
anti-religious bloodshed.
However
there would not be out of place to mention two
well known academicians of Kerala - Prof
KM Bahauddin, former pro-vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim and Osmania
universities, and Dr MS
Jayaprakash, professor of history at Kollam - throw some deep insights into the
history of India when Buddhism was systematically eliminated by Brahminical
forces who control Hinduism, then. Says Jayaprakash: "Hundreds of Buddhist
statues, stupas and viharas have been destroyed in India between 830 and 966 AD
in the name of Hindu revivalism.…. Spiritual leaders like Sankaracharya and
many Hindu kings and rulers took pride in demolishing Buddhist images aiming at
the total eradication of Buddhist culture. "
A. N.
Longhurst, who conducted excavations at Nagarjunakonda,
had recorded this in his invaluable book, “Memoirs of the Archaeological
Survey of India No. 54, The Buddhist Antiquities of
Nagarjunakonda(Delhi,1938,p.6)”.
(2)
Medieval India
(I) Muhammad Bin Quasim:-
Muhammad
Bin Quasim, during his conquest of Sindh (in present
day Pakistan), assaulted the town of Debal and destroyed its great Surya
temple.He then built a mosque over the remains of the original temple
at Debal and later in towns of Nerun and Sadusan (Sehwan). After each battle all
fighting men were executed and their wives and children enslaved. One fifth of
the booty and slaves were dispatched back to Hajjaj and the Caliph. “Chach
Nama” also records instances of conversion of stupas to mosques such
as at Nerun. After the conquest, Muhammad
Bin Qasim adopted a
controversial policy, asking for acceptance of Islamic Sharia law,
in return for non-interference in their religious practice. No further mass conversions
were attempted and the destruction of temples such as the Sun Temple at Multan
was forbidden.
(II) Mahmud of Ghazni:-
Mahmud of
Ghazni invaded the Indian subcontinent from
present-day Afghanistan during the early 11th century. His campaigns
across the gigantic plains are often cited for their iconoclastic
plundering and destruction of Hindu temples such as those at Mathira, Dwarka, and other places. In
1024 AD, Mahmud of Ghazni attacked
and destroyed the third Somnath temple killing over 50,000 men, women
& children and personally destroying the Shiva lingam after
stripping it of its gold.
(III) Qutb-ud-din Aibak:-
Historical
records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid
Abdul Hai attest to the
iconoclasm (Iconoclasm means: The action of attacking or rejecting
cherished beliefs and institutions or established values and practices and
rejection or destruction of religious images as heretical) of Qutb-ud-din Aibak. The
first mosque built in Delhi,
the "Quwwat al-Islam” was built after the demolition of the Hindu
temple built previously by Prithvi Raj and certain parts of the temple were
left outside the mosque proper. (Refer:Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai
"Hindustan Islami Ahad Mein" (Hindustan under Islamic rule), Eng
Trans by Maulana Abdul Hasan Nadwi} Though it has been negated
by many experts in history. However still we can see many remains there
including “Iron Pillar” which is older than Qutub Minar. This pattern of
iconoclasm was common during his reign, although an argument goes that such
iconoclasm was motivated more by politics than by religion.
(IV) Shams-ud-din Iltutmish:-
Another
ruler of the sultanate, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish,
conquered and subjugated the Hindu pilgrimage site Varanasi in
the 11th century and he continued the destruction of Hindu temples and idols
that had begun during the first attack in 1194. (From Elliot, Henry
Miers (1953). The History of India: as told by its own historians; the
Muhammadan period (Excerpt from Jamiu'l-Hikayat). University of Michigan)
(V) Firuz Shah Tughlaq:-
Firuz
Shah Tughlaq was the third ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The
"Tarikh-i-Firuz Shah" is a historical record written
during his reign that attests to the systematic persecution of Hindus under his
rule. (Refer Banerjee, Jamini(1967):History of Firuz Shah Tughluq.
Munshiram Manoharlal) In particular, it records atrocities committed
against Hindu Brahmin priests who refused to convert to Islam: “An
order was accordingly given to the Brahman and was brought before Sultan. The
true faith was declared to the Brahman and the right course pointed out but he
refused to accept it. A pile was risen on which the Kaffir with his hands and legs
tied was thrown into and the wooden tablet on the top. The pile was lit at two
places his head and his feet. The fire first reached him in the feet and drew
from him a cry and then fire completely enveloped him. Behold Sultan for his
strict adherence to law and rectitude.” Under his rule,
Hindus who were forced to pay the mandatory Jizya tax were recorded as infidels, their
communities monitored and, if they violated Imperial
ordinances and built temples,
they were destroyed. In particular, an incident in the village of Gohana in Haryana was recorded in
the "Insha-i-Mahry" (another historical record
written by Amud Din Abdullah bin Mahru) where Hindus had erected a deity
and were arrested, brought to the palace and executed en-mass.
(VI) Ulugh Khan’s expedition and attack
on Srirangam:-
In 1323
Ulugh Khan began his invasions of the Hindu kingdoms of South India. At Srirangam the invading army treated sacred places with
violent disrespect; violated the
shrine and killed 12000 ascetics, including the great scholar Sri Sundarsana Bhatta. The
illustrious Vaishnava philosopher Sri Vedanta Desika,
hid himself amongst the corpses together with the sole manuscript of the Srutaprakasika, the magnum opus of Sri Sudarsana, and
also the latter’s two sons. When the massacre was over, Sri Vedanta Desika and
his followers fled to Satyamangalam in Mysore, where Sri Vedanta Desika
published the Srutaprakasika.
(VII) Malik Kafur's raid of South India:-
The
Muslim army lead by Malik
Kafur, a slave turned general of Allauddin Khilji attacked the beautiful temples of Hoysalas in the 14th century. The temple of Belur was protected and saved as soon as the
attack started, so it didn't incur too much of damage. However, Halebid was destroyed to a great extent and is
in a pretty dilapidated state.
In 1311 Malik Kafur entered the magnificent Srirangam temple massacred the Brahmin priests
of the temple who resisted the invasion for three days, plundered the temple
treasury and the storehouse and desecrated and destroyed numerous religious
icons.
(VIII) Timur's massacre of Delhi:-
Timur's campaigns in India were marked by systematic
slaughter and other atrocities on a truly massive scale inflicted mainly on the
subcontinent's Hindu population. In Timur's own words in Tuzk-i-Timuri –"About the year 800 A.H. (1398
A.D.), there arose in my heart the desire to lead an expedition against the
infidels and to become a Champion of the Faith, for it had reached my ears that
the slayer of infidels is a Champion and that, if he is slain, he becomes a
martyr. It was for this reason that I formed my resolution, but I was
undetermined in my mind whether I should direct my expedition against the
infidels of China or against the infidels and polytheists of India. In this
matter I sought an omen from the Koran, and the verse to which I opened was
this: “O Prophet, make war upon infidels and unbelievers, and treat
them with severity."
Timur stormed the fort of Kator on the border of Kashmir and ordered his soldiers "to kill
all the men, to make prisoners of women and children, and to plunder and lay
waste all their property". Next, he laid siege to Bhatnir defended by Rajputs. They
surrendered after some fight, and were pardoned. But Islam did not bind Timur to keep his word given to the
"unbelievers". His Tuzk-i-Timuri records: "In a
short space of time all the people in the fort were put to the sword, and in
the course of one hour the heads of 10,000 infidels were cut off. At Sarsuti,
the next city to be sacked, "these
entire infidel Hindus were slain, their wives and children were made prisoners
and their property and goods became the spoil of the victors". Timur was now moving through Haryana,
the land of the Jats. Loni which was captured before he arrived
at Delhi was predominantly a Hindu town. But some Muslim inhabitants were also
taken prisoners. Timur ordered that "the Musulman prisoners should be
separated and saved, but the infidels should all be dispatched to hell with the
proselytizing sword".
By now Timur had captured 100,000 Hindus. As he
prepared for battle against the Tughlaq army after crossing the Yamuna, his
Amirs advised him "that on
the great day of battle these 100,000 prisoners could not be left with the
baggage, and that it would be entirely opposed to the rules of war to set these
idol worshipers and enemies of Islam at liberty". Therefore, "no other course remained but
that of making them all food for the sword". Tuzk-i-Timuri continues: "I proclaimed throughout the camp
that every man who had infidel prisoners should put them to death and whoever
neglected to do so should himself be executed and his property given to the
informer. When this order became known to the Ghazis of Islam, they drew their
swords and put their prisoners to death. One hundred thousand infidels, impious
idol worshipers, were on that day slain. Maulana
Nasiruddin Umar, a counselor and man of learning, who, in all his life, had
never killed a sparrow, now, in execution of my order, slew with his sword
fifteen idolatrous Hindus, who were his captives."
The Tughlaq army was defeated in the battle that
ensued next day. Timur entered Delhi and learnt that a "great number of Hindus with
their wives and children, and goods and valuables, had come into the city from
all the country round".
(IX) Bahmani attack on Vijayanagara:-
When Ramaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire was captured during the battle
of Talikota he was dragged to the Muslim camp and
the Sultan Adil Shah asked him to acknowledge Allah as the
only god. Ramaraya instead cried "Narayana
Krishna Bhagavanta", and Nizam
Shah slit the Hindu king's
throat and declared himself a Ghazi in Jihad. Ramaraya's severed head was then fixed to a pole
and waved before the Hindu troops. The Hindus panicked at the death of their commander
and chaos broke out in their midst. After the defeat of the Vijayanagara dynasty by the Bahmani Sultanates at the battle of Talikota, the Muslim armies of Adil Shah ransacked the great city of Hampi, massacred its denizens
and destroyed its temples and palaces and looted its riches.
De Couto writes - "The
third day saw the beginning of the end. The victorious Mussulmans had halted on
the field of battle for rest and refreshment, but now they had reached the
capital, and from that time forward for a space of five months Vijayanagar knew
no rest. The enemy had come to destroy, and they carried out their object
relentlessly. They slaughtered the people without mercy, broke down the temples
and palaces; and wreaked such savage vengeance on the abode of the kings, that,
with the exception of a few great stone-built temples and walls, nothing now
remains but a heap of ruins to mark the spot where once the stately buildings
stood. They demolished the statues, and even succeeded in breaking the limbs of
the huge Narasimha monolith. Nothing seemed to escape them. They broke up the
pavilions standing on the huge platform from which the kings used to watch the
festivals, and overthrew all the carved work. They lit huge fires in the
magnificently decorated buildings forming the temple of Vitthalasvami near the
river, and smashed its exquisite stone sculptures. With fire and sword, with
crowbars and axes, they carried on day after day their work of destruction.
Never perhaps in the history of the world has such havoc been wrought, and
wrought so suddenly, on so splendid a city; teeming with a wealthy and
industrious population in the full plenitude of prosperity one day, and on the
next seized, pillaged, and reduced to ruins, amid scenes of savage massacre and
horrors beggaring description." Couto also states that amongst other
treasures was found a diamond as large as a hen's egg, which was kept by the Adil Shah.
Caesaro
Federici, an Italian traveller writes - "The
Citie of BEZENEGER is not altogether destroyed, yet the
houses standstill, but emptied, and there is dwelling in them nothing, as is
reported, but Tigress and other wild beasts."
(X) Mughal Empire & Aurangzeb (4
November 1618 - 3 March 1707):-
The
Mughal Empire was marked
by periods of tolerance of non-Muslims, such as Hindus and Sikhs, as well as periods of violent oppression and
persecution of those people. Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of converting
India into a land of Islam and his reign was particularly brutal. Aurangzeb
banned Hindu festival of Diwali, placed Jizya
Tax which was abolished by
his Great-Grandfather “Akbur the Great” on non-Muslims and killed the
ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.
The reign
of Aurangzeb was particularly brutal. Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of converting
India into a land of Islam and his reign was particularly brutal. Aurangzeb
banned Hindu festival of Diwali, placed Jizya Tax which was abolished by
his Great-Grandfather “Akbur the Great” on non-Muslims and killed the
ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.
During
his reign, tens of thousands of temples were desecrated: their facades and
interiors were defaced and their Murtis (divine images) looted. In many
cases, temples were destroyed entirely; in numerous instances mosques were
built on their foundations, sometimes using the same stones. Among the temples
Aurangzeb destroyed were two that are most sacred to Hindus, in Varansi and Mathura. In
both cases, he had large mosques built on the sites.
The Kesava Deo temple in Mathura,
marked the place that Hindus believe was the birthplace of Shri Krishna. In 1661 Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the temple,
and constructed the Katra
Masjid. Traces of the ancient Hindu temple can be seen from the back of the
mosque. Aurangzeb also destroyed what was the most
famous temple in Varanasi- the Vishwanath
Temple. The temple had changed its location over the years, but in
1585 Akbar had authorized its location at Gyan Vapi. Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and
constructed a mosque on the site, whose minars stand 71 metres above the
Ganges. Traces of the old temple can be seen behind the mosque. Centuries
later, emotional debate about these wanton acts of cultural desecration
continues. Hindu nationalists claim that Mughals destroyed
the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, located at the birthplace
of Rama, and built the Babri Masjid on the holy site, which has
since been a source of tension between the Hindu and Muslim communities.
Writer
Fernand Braudel wrote in “A History of Civilizations (Penguin
1988/1963, p. 232-236)”, Islamic rule in India as a "colonial
experiment" was "extremely violent", and "the Muslims could
not rule the country except by systematic terror. Cruelty was the norm –
burnings, summary executions, crucifixions or impalements, inventive tortures.
Hindu temples were destroyed to make way for mosques. On occasion there were
forced conversions. If ever there were an uprising, it was instantly and
savagely repressed: houses were burned, the countryside was laid waste, men were
slaughtered and women were taken as slaves."
(xi) Nadir Shah's massacre and plunder of
Delhi:-
Emperor Nadir Shah, the Shah of Iran
(1736–47) and founder of the Afsharid
dynasty invaded India with a
fifty-five thousand strong army, eventually attacking Delhi in March 1739 where
he sacked the city, after issuing orders for a general massacre to take place.
His brutal and bloody actions gave rise to the word Nadirshahi, meaning holocaust. “On the 22 March 1739 within six hours
somewhere around 20,000 to 30,000 Indian men, women and children were
slaughtered by the Persian troops in the city. All across the city, gunshots
were heard, explosions were set off, shops were looted and houses were set on
fire. Persian troops stood outside the burning buildings and then slaughtered
the Indians as they made their way out, trying to escape from the fire, smoke
and flames. Men were chased down alleyways and killed. Women were assaulted,
raped and abducted, some had their breasts hacked off whilst others chose to
commit suicide. Children had their bellies ripped open whilst babies were torn
from their mothers' arms, swung by their ankles and had their heads smashed
against walls. The screams of those being killed, chilled everyone who heard
them. An enormous fine of 20 million rupees was levied on the people of Delhi.
Muhammad Shah handed over the keys to the royal treasury, and lost the Peacock
Throne, to Nadir Shah, which thereafter served as a symbol of Persian imperial
might. Amongst a treasure trove of other fabulous jewels, Nadir also gained the
Koh-i-Noor and Darya-ye Noor diamonds; they are now part of the British and
Iranian Crown Jewels, respectively. Persian troops left Delhi at the beginning of
May 1739. Nadir's soldiers also took with them thousands of elephants, horses
and camels that were laden with the booty that they had seized.”
Though
it may be cruel joke but Nadir Shah was only Muslim Ruler who was
secular when he ordered to genocide of all in Delhi irrespective of religion,
caste, color, gender, age & creed.
(xi) Ahmad Shah Abdali:-
After 3rd Panipath Battle & mass of surrendered Maratha
soldiers, the Afghan cavalry and pikemen ran wild through the streets of
Panipat, killing tens of thousands of Maratha soldiers and civilians. The
women and children seeking refuge in streets of Panipat were hounded back in
Afghan camps as slaves. Children over 14 were beheaded before their own mothers
and sisters. Afghan officers who had lost their kin in battle were permitted to
carry out massacres of 'infidel' Hindus the
next day also, in Panipat and the surrounding area. They arranged victory
mounds of severed heads outside their camps. According to the single best
eye-witness chronicle- the bakhar by Shuja-ud-Daula's
Diwan Kashi Raj, about 40,000 Maratha prisoners were slaughtered in cold
blood the day after the battle. According to Mr. Hamilton of Bombay
Gazette about half a million Marathi people were present there in Panipat
town and he gives a figure of 70,000 prisoners as executed by
Afghans. Many of the fleeing Maratha women jumped into the Panipat wells rather than risk rape and
dishonour. Abdali's soldiers took about 22,000 Hindu women and young children
and brought them to their camps. The women were raped in the camp, many committed
suicide because of constant rapes perpetrated on them. All of the prisoners
were exchanged or sold as sex slaves in Afghanistan, transported on bullock
carts, camels and elephants in bamboo cages. Siyar-ut-Mutakhirin says : “The
unhappy prisoners were paraded in long lines, given a little parched grain and
a drink of water, and beheaded... and the women and children who survived were
driven off as slaves - twenty-two thousand, many of them of the highest rank in
the land.”
(XII) Tipu Sultan:-
The ruler
of Mysore, Tipu Sultan is
regarded to be Anti-Christian by many historians (Stephen Conway, N. Shyam Bhat, J. B.
Prashant More) The captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at
Seringapatam, which began on 24 February 1784 and ended on 4 May 1799, remains
the most unhappy memory in their history.
The Bakur Manuscript reports him as having said: "All Musalmans should
unite together, and considering the annihilation of infidels as a sacred duty,
labor to the utmost of their power, to accomplish that subject." (Refer: Sarasvati’s Children, Jeo
Labo) Soon after the Treaty
of Mangalore in 1784, Tipu gained control of Canara. He issued orders
to seize the Christians in Canara,
confiscate their estates and deport them to Seringapatam,
the capital of his empire, through the Jamalabad Fort route. However,
there were no priests among the captives. Together with Father Miranda, all the 21
arrested priests were issued orders of expulsion to Goa, fined Rupees 2 lakhs,
and threatened death by hanging if they ever returned.
Tipu ordered the destruction of 27 Catholic churches, all
beautifully carved with statues depicting various saints. Among them included
the Church of Nossa Senhora de
Rosario Milagres at Mangalore, Fr Miranda's Seminary at Mante
Matiano, Church of Jesu Marie Jose at Omzoor, Chapel at Bolar,
Church of Merces at Ullal, Imaculata Conceiciao at Mulki,
San Jose at Perar, Nossa Senhora dos
Remedios at Kirem, Sao Lawrence at Karkel, Rosario
at Barkur, Immaculata Conceciao at Baidnur. All
were razed to the ground, with the exception of The Church of Holy
Cross at Hospet, owing to the friendly
offices of the Chauta Raja of Moodbidri.
“Even in
those days friendship with Raja (equivalent to Political Leaders) &
Government officers was fruitful”.
Tipu
Sultan's rule of the Malabar Coast had an adverse impact on
the Syrian Malabar Nasrani community. Many churches in the Malabar and Cochin were
damaged. The old Syrian
Nasrani seminary at Angamaly which had been the centre of Catholic
religious education for several centuries was razed to the ground by Tipu's soldiers. A lot of
centuries old religious manuscripts were lost forever. The church was
later relocated to Kottayam where it still exists. The Mor Sabor church at Akaparambu and the Martha Mariam Church attached to the seminary were
destroyed as well. Tipu's
army set fire to the church at Palayoor and attacked the Ollur Church in 1790. Furthernmore, the Arthat church and the Ambazhakkad seminary was also destroyed. Over the
course of this invasion, many Syrian Malabar Nasrani were killed or forcibly
converted to Islam. Most of the coconut, areca-nut, pepper and cashew plantations
held by the Syrian Malabar farmers were also indiscriminately destroyed by the
invading army. As a result, when Tipu's
army invaded Guruvayur and adjacent areas, the Syrian
Christian community fled Calicut and small towns like Arthat to new centres
like Kunnamkulam, Chalakudi, Ennakadu, Cheppadu,
Kannankode, Mavelikkare, etc.
where there were already Christians. They were given refuge by Sakthan Tamburan, the ruler of
Cochin and Karthika Thirunal, the ruler of Travancore, who gave them lands,
plantations and encouraged their businesses. Colonel
Macqulay, the British resident of Travancore also helped them.
Hindus,
particularly the Nair and Kodava communities
were also persecuted by Tipu Sultan. They were subjected to
forcible conversions to Islam, death, and torture. The Nairs were treated with extreme brutality by
the Muslims due to their strong adherence to the Hindu faith and martial
tradition. The captivity ended when Nair troops from Travancore, with the help
of the East India Company, defeated Tipu Sultan in the Third
Anglo-Mysore War. It is estimated that out of the 30,000 Nairs put to
captivity (including women and children), only a few hundred returned to
Malabar alive.
In 1783, the Kodavas erupted in revolt against Tipu Sultan and threw their forces out of Kodagu. In 1785, Tipu declared the Kodava of being guilty of polyandry. He
threatened the Kodavas that he would not revile or molest a single individual among them
and instead make Ahmadis out of the whole of them, transplanting them from their homeland
in the Coorg to Seringapatam.
(Disclaimer:
All the material used in this blog is taken from online. This study &
its analysis is purely academic & does not intend to criticise or
spread show any person (Past or Present)or any ethical group or
religious person or group. This study & its analysis does not aim to
spread hatred or violence among any group or person. If any person or group
finds any thing offensive, he or they are requested to bring in my knowledge
immediately to rectify or delete such remark/remarks. An apology for such
mistake is expressed in advance)
