In a historic development, the ancient Somnath Jyotirling which was destroyed by Islamic invader Mahmud of Ghazni hundreds of years ago is set to be revived after its broken pieces were recently discovered.
As per reports, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be performing the consecration of the fragmants of the Somnath Jyotirling. The broken pieces of the Jyotirlinga were being preserved by generations of Agnihotri Brahmins since its destruction. The pieces are still very active and behave like magnets, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said.
An Agnihothri Vedic pandit from near my native village, Papanasam, visited and presented pieces of the original Jyotirlinga. These sacred pieces will be kept here for puja for a mandalam. pic.twitter.com/HyFrb11cex
— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@Gurudev) January 25, 2025
Sitaram Shastry preserved Somnath Shivling parts for 21 years
Last month, an Agnihotri priest named Sitaram Shastry met Sri Sri Ravishankar and handed over the parts of the Jyotirling which he has been preserving for 21 years. Shastry said that two generations of his family have been preserving the parts of the Jyotirling. He informed that his uncle preserved the parts for his life time before handing them over to him. “I received these statues 21 years ago. Before this, my uncle had kept this. He gave me this and ordered me to install at least two of them in Somnath temple in Gujarat. This is the real idol of Somnath. It’s been 1000 years… My uncle ordered me to install it in Somnath Ji. It was give to him by his guru Pravendra Saraswati Ji. After that my uncle worshipped it for 60 years. The statue has come to me, him and his guru with Guru-pratha only,“ Sri Sri Ravishankar said.
Shastry’s uncle has received the shivling parts from his guru named Parvendra Saraswati Ji who took them to Kanchi Shankaracharya 100 years ago in 1924, as per Sri Sri Ravishankar. Shankaracharya told him that it would take a hundred years for the Shivling to be consecrated in the Somnath temple. He directed him to preserve the parts till that time. Parvendra Saraswati preserved and worshipped the Shivling parts during his life before giving them to Shastry’s uncle.
Saints collected the parts of the destroyed Shivalinga and worshipped them for years
The Somnath Jyotirling is said to have been 3 feet tall Shivling suspended in the air 2 feet above the ground. “A thousand years ago, this Shiva Lingam, that was 3 feet tall and remained suspended 2 feet from the floor, defying gravity. There were multiple attacks by invaders to destroy this Shiva Lingam. The temple was looted too. Invader Mahmud of Ghazni killed almost 50,000 people to enter the Somnath temple. He looted all the precious things that was adorned in the temple and destroyed the Shiva Lingam,” Shastry added.
He further said the broken parts of the Shivling were collected by priests who worshipped them anonymously for years. “After this incident, various saints came and collected the broken fragments, made several statutes from it and started worshipping them. They consensually decided that statues made from these fragmented pieces would be installed in the temple again when the right time will arrive,” he said.
Kanchi Shankaracharya assured Shastry that the Shivalinga will be consecrated after the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya
Shastry said that he took the Shivaling parts to Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal to seek his advice. The Shankaracharya asked him to wait till the consecration of Ram Nadir in Ayodhya. However, the Shankaracharya attained Samadhi before the consecration of Ram Mandir after which Shastry did not know what to do with the Shivaling parts. “I took him to Shankaracharya Ji. He told me that once the work of Ram Mandir gets complete, they will initiate the process of installation of this Shiv Lingam but now he attained the Samadhi,” he said.
After the consecration of Ram Mandir, Shastry took the Shivalinga parts to Jagadguru Sri Shankara Vijyendra Sarawathi Swamigal who succeeded Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi. He advised Shastry to take the parts to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. “Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has assured that it would be installed in Somnath temple. I am happy. My birth would be successful. The real Somnath Shivling would be installed in the Somnath temple, this is our resolution,” he said.
How Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed the Somnath temple
The Somnath temple in Gujarat was destroyed in the 10th century by Mahmud of Ghazni, Muslim invader from the Ghaznavids dynasty. He demolished the Somnath Jyotirling and slaughtered thousands of devotees who were attempting to protect the temple. Mahmud is said to have looted and plundered India 17 times. He also destroyed temples in Kangra, Mathura, and Jwalamukhi and that’s why was infamously called ‘idol breaker’.
Mahmud of Ghazni destroyed the Somnath temple in 1025, during his 16th invasion in India. He destroyed the Somnath Jyotirling into four pieces, and is said to have taken its pieces tread over the footsteps of the Jama Masjid in Ghazna, Afghanistan.
