High Middle Ages · South Asia · War
1026
Mahmud of Ghazni raids Somnath temple
January 1026
The Ghaznavid sultan led a camel army across the Thar Desert to Gujarat's coast and stormed the fabulously wealthy Shiva temple at Somnath, where his soldiers shattered the great lingam and carried away treasure that staggered even his own chroniclers. The destruction became the most enduring symbol of Ghaznavid iconoclasm and a wound in Hindu collective memory that persists today.
In context
Also in 1026 (3 other events on record)
- Rajendra Chola builds Gangaikonda Cholapuram · South Asia · Culture
- Cnut makes pilgrimage to Rome · Europe · Religion
- Song canal system reaches peak extent · East Asia · Technology
Before and after in South Asia
Before and after in War
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources