Plea in Allahabad HC to open rooms inside Taj Mahal ‘to check for scriptures, idols of Hindu Gods’

Lucknow: A petition filed in the Allahabad high court has sought directives to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to open 20 rooms inside the Taj Mahal to check for the possible presence of Hindu idols

A petition filed in the Allahabad high court has sought directives to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to open 20 rooms inside the Taj Mahal to check for the possible presence of Hindu idols.

The petition said that many Hindu groups have been claiming that the Taj Mahal is an old Shiva temple which was known as Tejo Mahalaya, adding that the same is supported by many historians as well. (File Photo) (HT_PRINT)

The petition, filed by Rajneesh Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) media in-charge of Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya district, is yet to come up for hearing.

“Around 20 rooms in the Taj Mahal are locked and no one is allowed to enter. It is believed that in these rooms, there are idols of Hindu gods and scriptures,” Singh said.

In the plea filed before the Lucknow bench on May 4, the petitioner has sought directives to the state government to constitute a committee to examine the 20 rooms inside the 17th century monument and look for any evidence related to the presence of Hindu idols or scriptures there.

“There is no harm in opening these rooms and setting to rest all controversies,” he said.

The petition said that many Hindu groups have been claiming that the Taj Mahal is an old Shiva temple which was known as Tejo Mahalaya, adding that the same is supported by many historians as well.

“It is said that Taj Mahal was named after the name of Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal. However, in many books, the name of the wife of Shah Jahan was described as Mumtaz-ul-Zamani, not Mumtaz Mahal. Also, the fact that the construction of a mausoleum takes 22 years for completion is beyond reality and totally an absurdity,” the petition stated.

The petitioner said he has been trying to ascertain the facts since 2020 through the Right to Information Act. “Replying to the RTI, the Union ministry of culture informed the Central Information Commission (in Delhi) that these rooms were locked due to security reasons,” said Singh. And no detail was provided about these rooms, he added.

“In the RTI, I had sought details about locked rooms (what is inside them) and directives to open them,” he said.

“It is an old controversy. There is no harm in authorising ASI to examine these rooms to ascertain facts. This will put to rest all controversies related to the Taj Mahal,” said DP Tewari, former professor of ancient history at the Lucknow University.