Is the iconic Taj Mahal a symbol of love or Tejo Mahalaya, a Shiva temple? The long-standing controversy is back in the spotlight after the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) claimed to have offered ‘ganga jal’ at the site, leading to the arrest of two associates during the ongoing month of Shravan.
To make matters worse, another ABHM activist was detained for waving a saffron flag on the mausoleum’s marble platform, while a woman was held for attempting to enter with a Kanwar — a bamboo pole with two pitchers attached to opposite ends and carried by devotees of Lord Shiva — further intensifying the row in Uttar Pradesh.
‘DID NOTHING WRONG’
According to ABHM, the monument is a Lord Shiva temple. Talking to News18, state president of the organisation, Rishi Trivedi, said they were not in the wrong since they had offered ‘ganga jal’ at a Shiv temple and not at Taj Mahal. “I don’t think offering jal or doing ‘jal abhishek’ at a temple is a crime,” he said.
Trivedi said the outfit would launch a massive protest against the apathy of Agra Police if its activists were not released soon.
Seema Rathore, the woman who waved the saffron flag at the monument, said carrying out ‘jal abhishek’ was “Lord Shiva’s own wish”. “I saw him in my dreams and hence, I brought the Kanwar to Tejo Mahalaya to offer ganga jal. The policemen stopped me but I managed to wave the saffron flag. That is our victory,” she said.
Sanjay Jaat, spokesperson of ABHM, said: “Carrying out puja at Tejo Mahalaya is our right. When the administration can allow the other community to observe Urs, why can’t we Sanatanis do ‘jal abhishek’ at the monument to seek blessings of Lord Shiva? Our struggle to reclaim the status of Tejo Mahalaya will continue.”
ROOTS OF THE CONTROVERSY
The Tejo Mahalaya claim was first made by historian PN Oak in his 1989 book ‘Taj Mahal: The True Story’.
Oak, founder of the Institute for Rewriting Indian History, believed many monuments attributed to Muslim rulers were originally Hindu. His other works include ‘Lucknow’s Imambaras are Hindu Palaces’ and ‘Delhi’s Red Fort is Hindu Lalkot’. However, his 1989 book on the Taj Mahal continues to fuel present-day controversies.
Oak argued that the Taj was a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in the 4th century by Raja Paramardi Dev. He claimed that Taj Mahal is a mispronunciation of Tejo Mahalaya and the temple was taken over by Shah Jahan, who converted it into a mausoleum.
Oak also petitioned the Supreme Court in 2000 to “re-establish the truth and cultural heritage of our country”, but his petition was dismissed as “misconceived”. Oak died in 2007 but, by then, his theory had spread among the Hindu Right-wing, with many adding their own ideas to it.
Oak’s theory, however, was not limited to Taj Mahal. A few historians, while terming Oak’s theory as pure imagination, said according to him, Vatican City, Kaaba, Westminster Abbey, and Notre Dame were once Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. He also believed Christianity and Islam were both derivatives of Hinduism, and the Papacy was originally a Vedic priesthood. In his books, Oak also talks about Christianity, stating that the religion was originally a Vedic religion following Krishna and claims that Christianity was originally referred to as ‘Krishna Neeti’.
Oak’s claim resonated in the year 2017 when then BJP MP Vinay Katiyar claimed that Taj Mahal was originally a temple. The theory, however, was later dismissed by court. At present, a case is pending before an Agra court where certain petitioners, including lawyers, have sought stopping of the ‘namaz’ at the mosque within the 17th century monument and allowing offering of prayers by Hindus after declaring it a Shiva temple.
NOT ALL AGREE
Taj Mahal, one of the Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built between 1632 and 1648 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is an iconic symbol of India, renowned the world over for its breath-taking beauty and architectural splendour.
“The Taj Mahal exemplifies Indo-Islamic and Timurid architecture, seen as a natural progression from older Mughal monuments such as Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. The white marble mausoleum, set in a geometrically designed garden, was completed in 1653 with additional structures like a mosque, a guest house, the main gateway, and the outer courtyard,” said Raj Kishore Raje, a local historian.
Raje said the monument is adorned with Quranic calligraphy and features minarets on each corner of its platform. “The garden, divided into quadrants by waterways, mirrors the ancient Persian concept of a garden of paradise, which the Mughals adopted,” he added. He said Taj Mahal is indeed an Indo-Islamic structure but added that there were many theories that it is a transformed version of Tejo Mahalaya.
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