How Jaunpur Got Its Name

As per ASI, the Archeological Survey of India, report, “The original name of Jaunpur was Yavanapura. Even in the 19th century, no Hindu called it by the name ‘Jaunpur’. The local Sharqi Sultans were great destroyers, and every mosque in Jaunpur was built on an existing Hindu temple. There is a Sanskrit inscription dating back to the 8th century in the Southern Gate of the Jaunpur’s Jami mosque. There is at present not any trace of old temples standing, for the Muhammadan conquerors did their work of destruction with unusual completeness.

As per Tarikh I Jaunpur, after destroying Karar Bir temple, Firoz Shah saw Atala Devi temple. He ordered the temple to be destroyed immediately. But Hindus violently attacked the workmen & pelted the emperor with stones. Hindus were initially victorious. But fresh Muslim troops arrived from Jaunpur Capital Zafarabad. An order for slaughter was issued. Thousands of Hindu infidels became food to the dogs of death. The river Gomati ran red with Hindu blood. Yet, Hindus did not refrain from fighting. Seeing as how the Hindus did not stop fighting, the Sultan called for a truce. The part of the Atala Devi temple that was broken would remain so. It would neither be rebuilt nor damaged further. This stalemate lasted for a while. But after many years elapsed, the strength of Muslims increased and the strength of Hindus diminished. Then in 1404 CE, Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi expelled Hindus from Jaunpur. Their houses were given over to maulanas. t was then that Sultan Ibrahim ordered the Atala Devi temple to be destroyed and the Mosque built on its foundation. The pillars of the mosque still show the impressions obtained after scraping the idols and carvings.

Source: https://twitter.com/TIinExile/status/1320728660135923713