Question

Compare the reasons why temples were built and destroyed?

Answer 1

Hint: Before the advent of the British, there were several Rulers ruled over the vast Indian Subcontinent. It includes large Empires to small rulers. They had different religions, cultures, and art traditions. To maintain their tradition, they built several temples and pilgrimage places.

Complete answer:
Let us discuss temples. Temples shows the wealth, art and architecture, knowledge of the nation. The names of God in the temple were related to the name of kings. The people of the nation treated them as Gods. The subordinate positions of the king were depicted as minor gods in the temple. Religion classified humans based on their divinity in their worship and ethical issues, morals. There were several religions in the world. The caste system was mostly followed by the Hindus. Some leaders also followed a non-religion policy. Temples were built for religious patronage. Muslims built mosques, Christians built Churches and Hindus built temples for their worship. They were also other structures for worship.
We will discuss about destruction. Several Rulers followed several religions. Some rulers considered the destruction of temples of other religions shows their power. During the invasions of Muhammad Ghazi, he looted from the temples and also destroyed the Hindu temples to show himself as a hero among the Islamic community.
Hence the temples were built and destroyed.

Note: Temples also had underground canals and silos for storage and passage. They were used as a refugee camp during natural calamities like floods, heavy rains, and during invasion times. The Mundeswari Temple in Bihar was the oldest Hindu temple constructed in India.