A careful reading of historical sources helps separate legend from fact in the long-debated Manāt-Somnath narrative.

Somnath and a Question That Endures After 1,000 Years
In January 1026, Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the Somnath Temple, a prominent Hindu shrine on the Gujarat coast. Exactly a thousand years later, in 2026, the temple continues to stand as a powerful civilizational symbol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described Somnath as a name that evokes pride and faith, underlining its enduring significance despite repeated destruction and rebuilding over centuries.

Alongside the well-documented attack, another dramatic claim has survived for generations: that an idol of the Arabian goddess Manāt was secretly installed at Somnath, and that Mahmud's invasion aimed to destroy this last remnant of pre-Islamic Arabian worship. But how credible is this assertion?

Who Was Manāt in Arabian Tradition?
Manāt (or Manāh) was a major deity in pre-Islamic Arabia, associated with fate, fortune, and destiny. Linguistically, her name is linked to the Arabic root for "measuring" or "allotment," reinforcing her role as a goddess of destiny. Along with al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā, Manāt formed the triad of principal goddesses worshipped in the Meccan region, with Manāt considered the most ancient among them.

Historical Islamic sources place her main shrine in the al-Mushallal area, between Mecca and Medina along the Red Sea coast. After the rise of Islam, idols across Arabia were systematically destroyed. According to The Sealed Nectar by Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, Saʿd bin Zaid al-Ashhali led an expedition to demolish Manāt's shrine. The account describes a mysterious black-clad woman emerging from the temple before being killed, after which the idol was completely destroyed. In Islamic tradition, such figures are often described as jinn or demonic entities associated with pagan worship.