Uttar Pradesh: Fresh petition filed to declare Taj Mahal as 'Tejo Mahalaya' - a Shiva temple
Scheduled for hearing on April 9 (Tuesday), the petition is filed by Advocate Ajay Pratap Singh, acting as the patron of Shree Bhagwan Shree Tejo Mahadev and president of Yogeshwar Shree Krishna Janmasthan Sewa Sangh Trust and Kshatriya Shaktipeeth Vikas Trust.
FollowControversy has once again swirled around the iconic Taj Mahal as a fresh petition, this time in an Agra court in Uttar Pradesh, seeking to rename it as Tejo Mahalaya, asserting its Hindu origins as a temple. Filed on Wednesday (March 27), the petition has called for an end to all Islamic activities within the monument and demands adherence to practices deemed suitable for a Hindu place of worship.
Scheduled for hearing on April 9 (Tuesday), the petition is filed by Advocate Ajay Pratap Singh, acting as the patron of Shree Bhagwan Shree Tejo Mahadev and president of Yogeshwar Shree Krishna Janmasthan Sewa Sangh Trust and Kshatriya Shaktipeeth Vikas Trust.
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Citing historical sources, the petitioner argued that the Taj Mahal has a lineage predating its recognition as such, with past petitions also urging its recognition as a Shiva temple. While some petitions were dismissed previously, others remain unresolved.
In April 2015, the Agra District Court entertained a petition by six lawyers advocating the Taj Mahal's status as a Shiva temple. They sought access for Hindu devotees to conduct rituals such as 'darshan' and 'arti' within its premises.
Prompted by this petition, the court directed key governmental bodies including the Centre, Culture Ministry, Home Secretary, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present their responses. The ASI, responsible for archaeological research and preservation, challenged the court's jurisdiction in the matter, asserting that Taj Mahal's ownership was already a subject of legal dispute since 2005.
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In its defense, the ASI reiterated that the monument, revered worldwide as a masterpiece of architecture, is unequivocally a tomb, dismissing assertions of its Hindu origins. These contentions hark back to historian PN Oak's 1989 book "Taj Mahal: The True Story," where he claimed the structure's construction predated the Mughal era and bore roots in Hindu architecture, dubbing it as "Tejo Mahalay" in Sanskrit.
