New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has clarified its stand on whether the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Shahjahan or a Shiva temple gifted to the Mughal emperor by a Rajput king. ASI told that the Taj Mahal is a tomb, not a temple.
After six lawyers filed a petition stating that Taj Mahal was originally a Shiva Temple, ASI was given the responsibility to give its view. The other demand which was mentioned in the petition was that the Hindus be allowed to worship in it.
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According to the news published in The Guardian, Superintending Archeologist, Dr. Bhuvan Vikrama said, “Our written statement called the claims concocted and we asked the court to dismiss the petition. It’s up to the judge to decide what happens.”
The claim that Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple is based on the writing of Historian PN Oak. He published book in 1989 by name, Taj Mahal: the True Story. In the book, he claimed that before the arrival of Muslims, it was a Hindu temple. Supporter of this theory claims that before the arrival of Moghals it was a Hindu structure.
Oak claiming himself to be a historian not only wrote a book but also approached Supreme Court in 2000 to declare Taj Mahal as Shiva Temple. However, Supreme Court reprimanded him for having a bee in his bonnet about the Taj Mahal. Oak died in 2007.
Hari Shankar Jain, one of the lawyers who took the matter to Agra Court said that he wants to perform Hindu prayer at Taj Mahal. When he was asked whether he would remove the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal, he replied, “of course”, The Guardian reports.