Gorakhpur, Sep 24 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday claimed that foreign invaders sought to destroy India’s intellectual and Sanatan heritage along with its wealth, and cited Mahmud Ghaznavi’s attack on the Somnath temple as an example.
“When Mahmud Ghaznavi went to demolish the Somnath temple, the priests told him not to damage the temple or the idol and offered him as much gold and jewellery as he wanted,” Adityanath said while addressing a seminar on Indian knowledge tradition at Gorakhnath temple here.
“He (Ghaznavi) said, ‘I have not come merely to loot.’ Whatever I get, I will take away, but my objective is to destroy India’s Sanatan tradition,” Adityanath claimed.
He said the destruction of temples and institutions of learning was part of a broader attempt to weaken India’s intellectual heritage. “Their objective was not only to loot India’s wealth but also to completely capture and destroy India’s intellect,” the CM said.
He said India was once known as “Vishwaguru” because of its knowledge heritage and not merely because of its natural resources or material prosperity.
“India has the best climate, the most fertile land and abundant water resources. But what was India’s identity in the ancient world? We were called Vishwaguru because of our knowledge tradition. We had a monopoly over this heritage of knowledge,” he said.
Comparing India’s ancient institutions with those of present-day developed countries, Adityanath said, “The history of today’s developed countries is only 400-500 years old” in terms of their prosperity and material achievements, while India had institutions such as Takshashila around 2,600 years ago and Nalanda around 1,700-1,800 years ago.
He said Kashi, Ujjain, Kanchi and other centres had flourished as centres of learning, while the Kumbh tradition was not merely about taking a dip at the confluence but also provided an opportunity for India’s saints and scholars to meet, discuss research and share new ideas.
The CM said India’s knowledge tradition had survived despite centuries of foreign rule. “Who is there in India who has linked our festivals and religious traditions to the English calendar? Our auspicious programmes are not determined according to the English date. They are determined according to the Indian calendar and Indian dates,” he said. PTI KIS SKY
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