# Meenakshi Jain counters Romila Thapar on Somnath history 2026-08-19T15:36:26+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Historian Meenakshi Jain has released a new book, Invincible Somnath: A Saga of Millennia, that recounts the geography, history, mythologies and repeated destruction of the Somnath temple, one of Hinduism's holiest shrines. Jain's work directly challenges the account of Marxist historian Romila Thapar, whose Somanatha: The Many Voices of History is described as downplaying the trauma of the temple's destruction. Jain is known for her previous works on temple cities such as Rama and Ayodhya, Vasudeva Krishna and Mathura, and Vishwanath Rises and Rises. She has also written on British efforts to exaggerate negative aspects of Indian society, like sati, to justify colonialism. Her latest book is framed as an antidote to what she calls the Left-inspired and partially jaundiced history of Thapar. The book's title, Invincible Somnath, reflects the enduring faith of Hindu rulers and devotees who repeatedly rebuilt the temple after each destruction. Jain's scholarship is part of a broader flowering of alternative history writing that has emerged since the end of what the source calls the monopoly of 'secular' Marxist historians. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Somnath temple has been destroyed multiple times, most famously by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024-25 AD. Jain's book taps into a longstanding debate about how to interpret temple destruction in medieval India: as part of routine warfare or as targeted iconoclasm. Thapar's 2004 book argued the event had been exaggerated for political purposes. Jain's work is likely to resonate with readers who see historical narratives as central to contemporary identity politics. The next flashpoint will be how academic historians and political figures receive Invincible Somnath. ## Coverage - swarajyamag.com The article frames Jain as a corrective to 'Marxist' history and describes Thapar's work as 'ideologically sanitised' and 'jaundiced', reflecting a right-leaning cultural-nationalist stance. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Meenakshi Jain, Romila Thapar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/meenakshi-jain-counters-romila-thapar-on-somnath-history/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/meenakshi-jain-counters-romila-thapar-on-somnath-history/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/