India Has Existed as a Nation Since BC: Dr. Meenakshi Jain
On the second day of the Guruji Lecture Series, Dr. Meenakshi Jain provided information about Krishna devotion in India and many ancient and historical evidences about Lord Krishna in Mathura.
On the second day of the Guruji lecture series, Dr. Meenakshi Jain gave information about many ancient and historical evidences about Krishna devotion in India and Shri Krishna in Mathura. She said that in 200 BC, a Greek traveler named Hilodorus from Taxila reached Vidisha from Taxila. Impressed by Vasudev Shri Krishna, this Krishna devotee got a pillar built here which is known as Hilodorus Pillar. In the inscription regarding this, he writes that he is getting this pillar built for Vasudev, the god of gods. The interesting thing is that the lines mentioned in this inscription were taken from the Mahabharata, that is, this Greek traveler also knew about the Mahabharata and we all know that it is mentioned in the Mahabharata that the Mahabharata should be taught first in Taxila, so that the students studying there can propagate it in their respective areas.
Mentioned in the Chhadogya Upanishad
Talking about the Puranic texts, Shri Krishna is also mentioned in the Chhandogya Upanishad, which mentions that Devakiputra Krishna received the teachings of the secrets of life from his Guru through his Guru. Interestingly, the teachings given by Lord Shri Krishna to Arjuna in the form of the Gita in the Kurukshetra War are very similar to the teachings given by his Guru.
We have enough evidence of the birthplace of Shri Krishna.
Regarding the current controversy over the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi and the Idgah Mosque, he said that there is not one but many pieces of evidence that can prove that Mathura is the birthplace of Shri Krishna. The evidence that has been found in Mathura regarding Shri Krishna is astonishing. Which is still preserved in museums across the country including the Mathura Museum. An inscription named `Vasudor Jamb’ made 200 years ago BC has been found. This name has been given after the name of Vasu, the creator of this inscription. The inscription on the back of the almost eight feet high door mentions that I am Vasu and Vasudev is making this arch for Shri Krishna. This inscription, discovered by British archaeologists during the British period, and the translation of the text written in it were published in the journal of the Archaeological Survey of India, in which Vasu, who built this door (arch), writes that I am building this for Vasudev Krishna on his Mahasthan. This means that this place could be related to some important event related to the life of Shri Krishna. Then it could also be the birthplace, or it could also be the place where Kas was killed and this place is currently known as Katra Keshav Dev, which the Muslim side is claiming as an Idgah and claiming its rights.
One such inscription revealing the relationship between Mathura and Krishna has been found in a well in a village called Mora near Katra Keshav Dev. It is preserved in the Mathura Museum as the ‘Moravel’ inscription. It mentions that we are building this stone building for the five Vrishni heroes. Krishna also belonged to the Vrishni dynasty and the five Vrishni heroes are Lord Krishna, his brother, Shamakrishna, Padmumna, Shaba and Aniruddha. To collect more evidence in this regard, archaeologists also excavated around the well, in which three headless statues were found. In which there were two male and one female statues. Archaeologists from India and abroad conducted research on the statues, and all unanimously agreed that these statues are of Lord Krishna, his brother Shamakrishna, and sister Subhadra.
An inscription has also been found in Mathura regarding the beginning of Krishna Leela performances. This inscription, made by the family that staged Krishna Leela, mentions that the family was staging Krishna Leela. Thus, Mathura has been the birthplace of Krishna for thousands of years, from ordinary foreign tourists to ordinary Indians.
Islamic extremists destroyed the Sri Krishna temple several times.
Dr. Meenakshi Jain, citing several historical evidences, said that the Shri Krishna temple was destroyed many times by Islamic invaders. It is mentioned in many places in history. When Muhammad Ghaznavi invaded Mathura, his state-sponsored historian Qutbi was also with him. He writes that the grandeur of the temples of Mathura was astonishing, how could any human being build such magnificent buildings! It was impossible to imagine. Mahmud Ghaznavi stayed in Mathura for 19 days and completely destroyed Mathura!
Even after this invasion, there is a history of Mathura being destroyed many times by Mughal rulers like Sikdar Lodhi to Firoz Tughlaq. What barbarity was committed against Mathura by the Islamic invaders. Many foreign travelers have mentioned it in their writings. A Portuguese traveler named Mosard wrote after his trip to Mathura that there is nothing left of the Hindus in Mathura now. Everything has been destroyed. Hindus are worshipping the ruins of their temples and idols of gods.
Veer Singh Budela rebuilt the Shri Krishna temple.
Dr. Meenakshi Jain had said that Mathura kept getting destroyed, but due to our fundamental unity, it kept getting inhabited again. Temples kept getting built again. When the political turmoil of the Delhi Sultanate was going on, the Rajput Veer Veer Singh Budela was given the Rajpat of Orchha as a reward for helping Akbar’s son Jahangir (Salim) become the emperor of Delhi. He built a magnificent Shri Krishna temple that could be seen from many places, even from Orchha to Mathura. Out of envy, the fanatic Aurangzeb attacked it and demolished it.
Giving details of the temple’s destruction, Aurangzeb’s political historian Saqid Musaid Khan writes in `Masir-i-Alamgir’ that when the Krishna temple was being demolished, the brave Rajput kings were watching it with awe. Among those who witnessed the destruction of the temple was the Italian tourist Manucci. He writes that after the magnificent temple of Mathura was demolished, its statues were kept under the steps of the mosque. So that those statues kept coming under the feet of every person going to the mosque and being insulted.
100% of the decisions in British India regarding the temple have been in favor of Hindus.
A somewhat better time came for Mathura when the Marathas won the Battle of Govardhan. After the Maratha victory, the entire region came under their control. But in 1803, the Maratha power ended and the East India Company was established here.
Readers will be surprised to know that in British India, all the cases between the Idgah party and the temple party regarding the land, i.e. 100 percent of the decisions were in favor of the Hindus and the British judges have also accepted the Hindus’ claim on Krishna Janmabhoomi. Then the question arises that even though the Hindu party has all the evidence, why are the Muslims not vacating this place. Our own people are also responsible for that. Because for some reason, in 1968, 3 acres of land out of the 13.3 acres of land of Katra Keshav Dev was given to the Idgah party by the `Shri Krishna Seva Sangh Trust’. Now the Idgah party is defending the Places of Worship Act of 1991 that the case cannot be filed against the land and the mosque on the land, but the Hindu party argues that the Places of Worship Act applies only to religious places built before 1947. While the Idgah Mosque was built on land donated by the 1968 Sri Krishna Janmashtami Institution which was already in the possession of Hindus, it does not fall under this Act.
Now it remains to be seen what the court’s stance on this issue will be. Thus, since the issue of Krishna Janmabhoomi is going to become a big issue in the coming time, it is necessary that the strong evidence that the Hindu side has is disseminated more and more in the Hindu society. So that every Hindu can present his side strongly during any discussion on this issue.
