Gorakhpur, 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.
Whatever I get, I will take away, but my objective is to destroy India’s Sanatan tradition,” Adityanath claimed. “India has the best climate, the most fertile land and abundant water resources. But what was India’s identity in the ancient world?
Because of our knowledge tradition, we were called Vishwaguru.
“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 said, ‘I have not come merely to loot. 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. 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.
