The temple commanded significant fame in the subcontinent — as a place of pilgrimage and wealth — under Hindu as well as Islamic rule before being destroyed in the late tenth century.

[5] Chach Nama offers a pre-history of the temple; it was supposedly constructed by Jibawin, a devout Brahmin ruler who went on to bury enviable treasure underneath it.

[4] Xuanzang described[a] the temple to have a gem-studded golden idol; attracting pilgrims from far and wide, it was a magnificent structure and was patronaged by the King and the regional elites.

remains the earliest narrative-history to cover the history of the temple under Umayyad rule; he noted that all wealth—amounting to thirteen thousand and two hundred maunds of gold[8]—were confiscated from what was the "preeminent site of pilgrimage" for local Sindhis.

[7][b] Al-Biruni, visiting the site about a century later, would record that the Sun Temple was spared by bin-Qasim only after he came to know about its prominent role in the regional economy; nonetheless, a piece of cow-flesh was mockingly hang around the neck of the idol.

[7][c] Pilgrims were apparently compelled to pay a sum between one hundred and ten thousand dirhams, adjudged according to their financial capacity: a third went to the Muslims per Qasim's agreement, another third went to the maintenance of city facilities, and the rest went to the priests.

[9] Wholly draped in red leather except for the eyes and studded with gems[d], the idol adorned a crown of gold and sat in a "quadrangular position" on a brick throne under the cupola with fists in the gyan mudra, rested on its knees.

[5][9][e] Al Masudi, a contemporary of Istakhri, reiterates this strategical use of the temple; besides, he notes the ritual offerings—consisting of money, precious stones, perfumes, and especially aloe-wood of Kumar—as the greatest contributor to state revenues.

[7][14] While there appears to have been a total loss of financial autonomy when compared to the days immediately after the conquest,[7] the temple continued to maintain its prominence under Muslim Governors, in what Finbarr B.

Halam) in 959 C.E., to replace the old Da'ai who had not only exhibited "reprehensible syncretism" by allowing neo-converts to maintain their traditional practices but also disputed the noble origins of the Fatimids.

However, Jean de Thévenot visiting Multan in 1666, under Aurzangzeb's rule (1658–1707), mentioned a Hindu temple[k] — attracting pilgrims from far and wide — whose offerings contributed to the provincial exchequer; the description of the idol ran similar to Istakhri's though he claimed ignorance about the identity of deity.

[20][n] However, it is doubtful if Cunningham was accurate;[12] his claim of coming across coins of local rulers, from around the site, inscribed with the Sun God, has been rejected by modern scholars.

[..] The kings and high families of the five Indies never fail to make their offerings of gems and precious stones.They have founded a house of mercy, in which they provide food and drink, and medicines for the poor and sick, affording succor and sustenance.

On the four sides of the temple are tanks with flowering groves where one can wander about without restraint.I saw an extraordinary dense mass, black as ink, with a clearly defined outline, rising slowly out of the fort.

Gradually as it rose the upper part spread out assuming the form of a gigantic tree, but losing its sharp outline in upper air till it became a dark brown cloud hanging as a pall over the fort and city.It was evident too that within that dark mass were certain solid bodies, whether the debris of building or human beings it was impossible to say, hurled some hundreds of feet upwards and looking like specks in the air...