The Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking to open 22 closed rooms in the Taj Mahal. The plea was filed by Rajneesh Singh, a BJP youth media in-charge, before the Lucknow bench that sought the directions to the Archaeological Survey of India to probe the 22 closed doors in the Taj Mahal to ascertain the presence of the idols of Hindu deities.
The plea also sought the constitution of a fact-finding committee and the submission of a report by the ASI. The petitioner also contended that the Taj Mahal was a Shiva Temple, known as Tejo Mahalaya, and has asked for the government to constitute a fact-finding committee to publish the “real history” of the monument.
Additionally, BJP MP from Rajsamand and Jaipur Royal scion Diya Kumari claimed on Wednesday that the land on which Taj Mahal was built was owned by the erstwhile Jaipur Royal family.
Who built Taj Mahal and when?
Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal ruler after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir. He is considered to be one of the greatest Mughals and his reign has been called the Golden Age of Mughals. Shah Jahan erected many splendid monuments during his life span, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra.
The construction of the Taj Complex began about 1631 AD. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 AD by employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen, whereas, the outlying buildings and gardens were finished five years later in 1653 AD.
Did Shah Jahan chop off the hands of Taj Mahal workers?
The claim – Shah Jahan chopped the hands of those who built the Taj Mahal – is a well-known urban myth. Shah Jahan built a vast settlement called Taj Ganj to house the workers employed to build the Taj Mahal. The settlement still exists today. The claim that he chopped off the hands of his workers stands in contrast with the emperor taking care of his thousands of workers. In multiple findings, this claim has been dismissed as an urban legend. There is no evidence of this claim too.
Here's you need to know more about the case:
What does the plea say?
The petition stated, “It is respectfully submitted that for many years, one controversy is at its peak which is related to the Taj Mahal. Some Hindu groups and reputable saints are claiming this monument as an old Shiv Temple — which is supported by many historians and facts. However, many historians believe it to be the Taj Mahal built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Some people also believe that Tejo Mahalaya appears to be one of the Jyotirling (Nagnatheshwar).”
Filed through advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, the plea further asserts that it’s (our) “collective responsibility” to end controversies which can lead to clashes between two religions, saying the issue has divided Hindus and Muslims.
It also states a monument of world importance “must not be allowed to be the victim of a ‘historical fraud’.” He also called it “an infringement of Indian tradition and heritage” if the Taj Mahal has been “wrongly and falsely” identified as a mausoleum.
Why did the petition demand to open 22 doors of the monument?
The petition notes that according to a response by the ASI, Agra, obtained through the Right to Information Act, the 22 rooms of Taj Mahal have been locked for “security reasons”.
However, the petitioner argues that historians like P N Oak, the author of Taj Mahal: The True Story, believes that within these rooms on the upper and lower portion of the monument lies the Shiva Temple.
Oak, in his book, states the monument was built in 1155 AD and furthers the Tejo Mahalaya claim.
In 2000, the Supreme Court quashed Oak’s petition to declare the Taj Mahal was built by a Hindu king.
Land on which Taj Mahal was built belonged to us: BJP MP's claim
BJP Lok Sabha MP from Rajsamand and Jaipur Royal scion Diya Kumari claimed on Wednesday that the land on which Taj Mahal was built was owned by the erstwhile Jaipur Royal family.
She also claimed having documents to prove that the land was originally owned by the Jaipur Royal family, which was later captured by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
"When Shah Jahan took the land of the Jaipur Royal family, the latter could not oppose him because it was under his control at that time," Kumari said.
"The Jaipur Raj Parivar Trust possesses the land records. If the court orders, then the Royal family will present the documents," the BJP MP told the media.
(with agency inputs)
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