Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them v2.c19.s2.26

v2.c19.s2.26

There is, however, no doubt that Ahmad Shah I (AD 1411- 43), the Sultan of Gujarat, destroyed the Rudramahalaya and raised a mosque on the site. Soon after his return to Ahmadabad, writes S.A.I. Tirmizi, Ahmad marched to Sidhpur, which was one of the most ancient pilgrim centres in north Gujarat. It was studded with beautiful temples, some of which were laid low.¹⁶ A.K. Majumdar is more specific. Ahmad Shah like his grandfather, he says, was a bigot and seized every opportunity to demolish Hindu temples. In 1414, he appointed one Taj-ul-Mulk to destroy all temples and to establish Muslim authority throughout Gujarat. According to Firishta, the task was executed with such diligence that the names of Mawass and Girass (i.e. Hindu *zamindars*) were hereafter unheard of in the whole kingdom. Next year Ahmad attacked the celebrated city of Sidhpur in north Gujarat where he broke the images in the famous Rudramahalaya temple and converted it into a mosque.¹⁷