The Naga ascetic
soldiers of the Mahanirvani Akhara are said to have fought a battle at Benares.
The akhara's forces scored a huge victory at the Gyan Vapi
well in 1664, according to a handwritten book in the akhara's archives.
This text merely indicates that the Sanyasis defeated
"the Sultan's" army, while historians have speculated that this
person was the Moghul monarch Aurangzeb.
If the legend is genuine, this conflict may have influenced
Aurangzeb's decision to demolish the Vishvanath temple in 1669.
Given this assertion, it's probable that the temple's
demolition was motivated not by intolerant iconoclasm, but by a desire to
punish opposition and rebellion.
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