It is not merely about history but about asserting the Hindu civilizational right to truth and justice.
Sambhal is not just a town but a battleground of historical facts, cultural resistance, and the enduring struggle for truth. For centuries, invaders sought to erase its past, dismantling temples, erecting new structures over them, and rewriting history to fit their agenda. What stands today is not merely a site of conflict, but a testament to the resilience of the Bharatiya civilization that has withstood plunder, destruction, and deliberate erasure and humiliation. History cannot exist on shaky and fabricated foundations.
The so-called Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal is an example of historical distortion. Currently functioning as a mosque, this structure should, by law, be a protected heritage site under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in accordance with the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1904. However, instead of being recognized as a historical monument open to proper examination, it continues
This is not an isolated case but part of a larger pattern of land encroachment and historical distortion disguised as religious appropriation. Across India, temple desecration and the subsequent erasure of history have been systematically whitewashed, with historical records manipulated to obscure the truth. The evidence of Hindu temples being repurposed or destroyed under foreign invasions is overwhelming, yet generations of so-called “historians” have deliberately resisted acknowledging these realities.
The erasure of Hindu heritage is not just a relic of the past; it is an ongoing intellectual and cultural struggle. For decades, Left-Islamic historians, drawing from British colonial tactics, have been complicit in this subversion. Their opposition to archaeological investigations and resistance to unearthing historical truths are not accidental. The same forces that suppress facts today are the ideological heirs of those who justified temple desecration centuries ago. Even in independent India, these historians have continued to distort the past, ensuring that any attempt to reclaim or restore Hindu heritage is dismissed as “communal” or “regressive.”
But Sambhal stands as a counterpoint to this erasure. It is not merely about history but about asserting the Hindu civilizational right to truth and justice. The resistance is not about exclusion but reclaiming what has been forcibly taken. If Hindus cannot be given their fundamental rights in their own homeland, where would they get them?
THE HYPOCRISY OF HISTORICAL DENIAL
It is often argued that religious harmony must be preserved by avoiding historical corrections, but such an argument is flawed. Harmony cannot be built on falsehoods. Other communities across the world have taken great pains to protect their sacred sites—why should Hindus be expected to quietly accept historical injustices? No religious denomination, rightly so, does not tolerate the desecration of their holy places. Yet, how such desecration is addressed globally is hypocritical. Even rumours of attacks or encroachment upon Muslim or Christian monuments invite global outrage. But why does the violation of the rights of the Hindus and their sacred spaces not receive any attention? Even worse is how their efforts to the reclamation of plundered temples and spaces are treated as aggression rather than justice.
Yet, it is less about religious conflict, as many so-called “intellectuals” would like us to believe, but it is about historical truth. Dharmic cultural freedom can only be achieved when the truth is acknowledged and respected by all. Viksit Bharat—a developed India—cannot emerge while remnants of historical injustice continue to fester. Restoring sacred sites is not an act of revenge but a cultural revival, a step toward correcting the fraudulent narratives imposed by colonial and post-colonial distortions. Every Bharatiya, irrespective of faith, should take pride in this ancient civilization that has harmonized diversity for millennia.
The struggle over Sambhal is not merely about a structure; it is part of a more significant intellectual and ideological battle that has been raging for centuries. In the early 20th century, as nationalist movements began reclaiming India’s past, Left-dominated historiography sought to counter this by erasing the cultural markers that defined Hindu civilization. The British colonialists had already laid the foundation for this distortion, promoting narratives that painted Hinduism as a passive, fragmented culture that needed external intervention. The Left-Islamic nexus took this further by rejecting any evidence that challenged their preferred version of history.
Archaeology, which could have provided conclusive proof of temple desecrations and religious violence under Islamic rule, was systematically sidelined and marginalized. Excavations that confirmed the presence of Hindu temples beneath mosques were dismissed or suppressed. This intellectual dishonesty was not just about rewriting history but about controlling the present and shaping the future. By denying Hindus their historical grievances, these scholars attempted to delegitimize any claim for cultural restoration.
A VISION OF A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE
Sambhal challenges such imposed narratives by posing as a symbol of Hindu perseverance, a site where historical truth can no longer be ignored. It reminds us that history is not just about the past—it is about identity, justice, and the “right to remember”. Therefore, it has become more than a historical site—a philosophical idea. It embodies the eternal continuity of Dharma—a way of life that has survived the worst onslaughts while keeping its spiritual core intact. This is why it is believed to be the future birthplace of Lord Vishnu’s final avatar, Kalki. It symbolizes the future as connected to its past that is older than the birth of the Abrahamic faiths.
For Muslims, there are no scripturally-mandated holy sites in India, and unlike temples, mosques can be built in any location. This flexibility eliminates any potential source of conflict. However, for Hindus, as well as Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs, Bharat is considered the land of birth (janmabhoomi), the land of action (karmabhoomi), and the land of spiritual merit (punyabhoomi).
Remember that destroying temples and rewriting history were never just about wealth or political control. If it were only about loot, the invaders would have taken the riches and left. But their goal was more sinister: to dismantle the spiritual and cultural foundations of the Bharatiya civilization. Temples were not just places of worship but centres of education, art, and philosophy. Their destruction was an attempt to sever the connection between people and their identity.
Today, the struggle over Sambhal is not about retribution—it is about restoration, resurgence, resistance and renewal. It is about ensuring that historical memory is preserved and that future generations grow up with an accurate understanding of their heritage. A civilization that forgets its past is doomed to repeat its mistakes. A nation that denies its cultural identity will always remain vulnerable to ideological subversion. The rediscovery and assertion of Hindu history are essential to India’s future. As civilizations worldwide preserve their cultural heritage, India must do the same. If the Vatican can protect its religious history, if Mecca remains sacred for Muslims, why should Hindu sacred sites stay in the hands of those who seek to erase their origins? Restoring these temples is not an act of aggression but a reaffirmation of India’s true, unbroken cultural lineage. Hindus seek to reclaim their sacred spaces that were historically plundered and correct the distorted and manufactured history
India’s journey toward becoming Viksit Bharat is not just about economic growth or technological advancements—it is about cultural self-awareness. It is about removing the colonial and humiliating vestiges that have shaped the historical discourse and embracing a future where truth is acknowledged, and heritage is celebrated. Sambhal represents this larger struggle. It is not merely about one site or one temple—it is about the soul of a civilization that harmonizes tradition with modernity, change with continuity, a material with spiritual, professing a way of life that has survived the worst onslaughts on its body and mind but its soul remains eternal.
Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is the Vice Chancellor of JNU.