Taj Mahal Temple Dispute

Context

The Allahabad High Court recently invited the Central Government and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to provide answers. This move came after a challenge to the decision of Agra trial court which had not appointed an Advocate Commissioner to survey the Taj Mahal. The petitioners wanted to call the UNESCO World Heritage Site a Hindu temple, and thus revive the historical and legal debate which has been ongoing for years.

Historical Origins of the Claim

• Purushottam Nagesh Oak (P.N. Oak) made the claim that, “Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu Temple called “Tejo Mahal”.
• Theories of Oak have been universally rejected in the scientific community, including those of professional historians, structural engineers and archaeologists.
• Incorrect Methodology: Speculative linguistic word play is used in the arguments, and there is no primary source documentation of the argument.

Recorded Historical Evidence of Indo-Islamic origin

The monument was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as his wife Mumtaz Mahal’s grave.There is an abundance of contemporary evidence that the monument was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to serve as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

1. Primary Literary Sources

• Mughal Chronicles: Detailed accounts exist in official court histories, including the Badshahnama by Abdul Hamid Lahori.
• Administrative Records: Royal decrees (farmans) record the purchase of marble, wages paid to artisans and the everyday costs of construction.
• Foreign Accounts: Contemporary European travelers, such as Jean-Baptiste Tavernier and François Bernier, documented the ongoing construction during their visits to Agra.

2. Material and Archaeological Evidence

• Epigraphic Proof: the monument also has a lot of Quranic calligraphy by Amanat Khan al-Shirazi that is part of the structural masonry of the monument.
• Archaeological excavations: There is no scientific excavation or structural study by the ASI which yielded any remains of the complex showing any medieval Hindu temple.

The debate regarding sealed rooms

• The Claim: The advocates of the temple theory say that the rooms in the basement of the Taj Mahal, which are always closed, hold Hindu symbols and images.
• The Reality: The ASI has officially confirmed these “under-the-roof” rooms are locked only for the “structural conservation” by signing and submitting official court affidavits.
• Structural Integrity: Restricting public access to the building reduces the humidity fluctuations, which helps to stabilize the building’s foundation pillars and to prevent the lime plaster from deteriorating rapidly.

Legal Context: Places of Worship Act 1991

• Section 3: The Act prevents conversion of any place of worship even if it was changed from its religious use on August 15, 1947.
• Section 4(2): “All civil actions for altering the character of a place of worship pending in any court shall be abated.
• The Ancient Monuments Exception: Section 5 clearly provides that monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, are not covered under the provisions of the Central Jute Act, 1882, and so the Taj Mahal is a regular choice for loopholes in the law.

Social Flashpoints

• A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2022 to open the 22 locked rooms was rejected by the High Court, which reprimanded the petitioners for the misuse of the judicial system.
• In 2024, right-wing activists tried to carry out religious ceremonies, including pouring Gangajal (holy water into the Ganges), at the monument, which is not in line with the security protocol in place at the monument.
• Societal Impact: This conflict has continued for years, showing the power of pseudohistory when certain political, social and digital media conditions exist.

Source: The Hindu

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