GORAKHPUR, Sept. 25 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday claimed that foreign invaders sought to destroy India's intellectual and Sanatan heritage along with its wealth while the British later attempted to distance Indians from their roots by creating doubts about their languages, traditions and indigenous knowledge systems. He cited Mahmud Ghaznavi's attack on the Somnath temple as an example. "When Mahmud Ghaznavi went to demolish the Somnath temple, the priests told him not to damage the temple or the idol and offered him as much gold and jewellery as he wanted," Adityanath said addressing a gathering during a lecture session at the seven-day death anniversary programme organised at Shri Gorakhnath Temple to mark the 57th death anniversary of Mahant Digvijay Nath and the 12th death anniversary of Mahant Avaidyanath. "He (Ghaznavi) said, 'I have not come merely to loot'. Whatever I get, I will take away, but my objective is to destroy India's Sanatan tradition," Adityanath claimed. The CM stressed the need to preserve India's traditional knowledge, establish its relevance through evidence and connect it with modern technology. Referring to British rule, Adityanath said the colonial administration adopted a different approach and attempted to create doubts among Indians about their own languages, medical systems and knowledge traditions. "English was given preference over Sanskrit and modern medicine over traditional systems," he said, adding that this gradually distanced Indians from their traditions, values and roots. He said Kashi, Ujjain, Kanchi and other centres had flourished as centres of learning, while the Kumbh tradition was not merely about taking a dip at the confluence but also provided an opportunity for India's seers and scholars to meet, discuss research and share new ideas. Comparing India's ancient institutions with those of present-day developed countries, Adityanath said, "The history of today's developed countries is only 400-500 years old in terms of their prosperity and material achievements, while India had institutions such as Takshashila around 2,600 years ago and Nalanda around 1,700-1,800 years ago." Adityanath said more than one lakh ancient manuscripts had been collected at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi, where preservation and digitisation work was underway. He said valuable manuscripts, copper plates and inscriptions had also been found in private collections, monasteries and temples. He cited Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Mathura-Vrindavan and Lucknow among the places where such heritage had been found. The CM said India's knowledge tradition had survived despite centuries of foreign rule. "Who is there in India who has linked our festivals and religious traditions to the English calendar? Our auspicious programmes are not determined according to the English date. They are determined according to the Indian calendar," he added. Former UP higher education services commission chairman Prof Ishwar Sharan Vishwakarma said, "Development is not possible by cutting ourselves off from our land and roots."...