Real History: Is Taj Mahal An Old Shiva Temple?

The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition on May 12, 2022, filed by Rajneesh Singh, a BJP functionary in Uttar Pradesh, asking for an investigation of Taj Mahal’s past, and unlocking the 22 hidden chambers. The bench, comprising Justices DK Upadhyay and Subhash Vidyarthi, dismissed the plea, saying, “Tomorrow you will come and ask us to go to chambers of Honorable judges? Please don’t make fun of the PIL system”.

Taj Mahal, the crown of the palace, on the right bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India, is an ivory white marble tomb constructed in 1632 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while delivering their 14th child in the 17^th century. This magnificent structure is one of India’s most popular sightseeing destinations.

During the sweltering summer months, these chambers were part of a cavern. A series of chambers makes up a gallery on the monument’s riverside terrace. The rooms used to have beautiful arches that overlooked the river. It must have been a lovely open space that provided a cool respite for the emperor, his wives and companions when visiting the tomb.

In 2000, PN Oak, a right-wing historian, asserted that the monument was created long before the Mughal era and was a Shiva temple. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the claim. In 2005, the Allahabad High Court rejected a similar plea when a social worker, Amar Nath Mishra, filed a petition, claiming that Taj Mahal was built in 1196 by Hindu King Parmal Dev. In 2017, the Archaeological Survey of India declared in the Agra court that there is no proof that the structure ever housed a temple.

Taj Mahal is not a religious structure. It is a monument erected by a Muslim king in memory of his beloved wife. It is one of the world’s seven wonders.

In 2005, the Allahabad High Court rejected a similar plea when a social worker, Amar Nath Mishra, filed a petition, claiming that Taj Mahal was built in 1196 by Hindu King Parmal Dev. In 2017, the Archaeological Survey of India declared in the Agra court that there is no proof that the structure ever housed a temple.

Jama Masjid, built in Burhanpur, a small city on the bank of the River Tapti in Madhya Pradesh, in 1589, was initially the preferred site for Taj Mahal. The mosque contains the Sanskrit inscription on the front gate and also provides the astronomical position, date and year of construction, according to the Hindu chronology. Indian history even in the time of Muslim rulers was not at all one-sided. There were shining examples of communal tolerance and harmony — that the British destroyed by adopting a divide and rule policy.

Secularism, for years, has been the most abused term in India. The word secular was added to the preamble of the 42^nd amendment of the Indian constitution in 1976, proclaiming India as a secular republic. Is India, however, genuinely a secular nation? The Indian government’s policies are not only anti-secular but also discriminate against Indian Muslims.

The climate of animosity in India is such that Hindus are demanding places, cities, villages, roadways, streets and buildings with Muslim names be given Hindu names. The right wing Hindus basically want all traces of Muslim rule in India to be erased from history.

Narendra Modi’s party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leads this pandemonium. In 2017, a BJP politician Sangeet Som called the Taj Mahal a blot on Indian culture. Later, another BJP leader Vinay Katiyar said that the original name of Taj Mahal was Tejo Mahal, which was Hindu god Shiva’s temple. Recently, a BJP MP Diya Kumari stated that Shah Jahan usurped the property of a Jaipur royal family and later built the monument on it.

The negative intentions of historical revisionism held by religious zealots in India were rightly turned down by the high court. It has given some hope that no state can flourish if their personal interests give rise to communal split.