Story of attack on Somnath temple in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film ‘Jai Somnath’

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s new film ‘Jai Somnath’ announced

New Delhi . Famous film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has announced his new film ‘Jai Somnath’ this Shivratri. This film will depict the story of 17 attacks on Somnath temple and its reconstruction. Over the centuries, the Somnath Temple has been not just a religious place, but has also become a symbol of the steadfast courage of our civilization.

Bringing history to the screen with grandeur

Bhansali has collaborated with renowned filmmaker Ketan Mehta for this project. Together, they will grandly bring to the audiences the story of the attacks on Somnath by Mahmud of Ghazni and the conquest of the temple.

Historic attacks on Somnath temple

History tells us that the Somnath temple was repeatedly attacked for almost six centuries. The first major attack was carried out by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 AD, in which the temple was looted and the Jyotirlinga was damaged. Subsequently, in 1299 Alauddin Khilji’s general Ulugh Khan attacked the temple, including taking the idol to Delhi.

Furthermore, the temple was damaged by Zafar Khan in 1395 and Mahmud Begada in 1451, and the temple was also demolished on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1665. After every attack, Somnath temple was rebuilt and today it has become an important center of crores of devotees.

Bhansali’s historical perspective

Bhansali often brings issues related to history on the big screen through his films. His earlier film ‘Padmavat’ depicted the story of Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji. Apart from this, films like ‘Hiramandi’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ have also depicted real events.

Importance of ‘Jai Somnath’

Through ‘Jai Somnath’, the audience will get a glimpse of an untouched part of Indian history, which has never been shown on the big screen before. The faith of the temple and the bravery of Indian civilization amidst the attacks of Mahmud of Ghazni and other invaders will be presented in a grand manner.