Taj Mahal’s “closed rooms” photos were made public by ASI.
Posted on May 20, 2022 by Ghoomophiro
Taj Mahal is one of the most famous landmarks, if not the most famous one, in India, both historically and for tourism. It is what people worldwide think of when they think of India. It has been in the news for a number of reasons recently, and unfortunately, not all of them are good reasons. Most recently, this beautiful marvel made in white-marble structure has been in the news as a legal petition was made to open the “locked rooms” of the Taj Mahal premises and conduct an investigation to ascertain the presence or absence of idols of Hindu deities. Lucknow High Court has dismissed the petition.
The petitioner, Mr. Rajneesh Singh, seeks to approach the Supreme Court. He is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) media in charge of the Ayodhya district. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has released photos of some of the “closed rooms” in question. These photos are in the public domain and can be accessed by everyone. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials have already stated that the rooms below the main structure of the Taj Mahal are not always locked, and “various records and reports reviewed till now have not shown the existence of any (Hindu) idols.”
These photos of the opened basement rooms have been released in the public domain, and Mr. Raj Kumar Patel, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) superintending archaeologist for the region, has claimed that the pictures show the restoration work and are on Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) website “for everyone to view.” One can also access the photos via the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) newsletter available online.
Recently, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Divya Kumari claimed that the Taj Mahal was built on the land that belonged to the royal family of Jaipur. She is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of Jaipur. She has also supported the legal plea to open the closed rooms at the Taj Mahal.
Her claim has been refuted by several notable historians, including Ira Mukhoty and Rana Safvi. Both of them have expressed that the land was not “occupied.”
Rana Safvi also took to social media and stated, “While Raja Jai Singh was willing to donate the land for free, four Havelis were given instead of Raja Man Singh’s haveli by Shah Jahan. This farm is locked up in the Kapad Dwara collection in the City Palace Museum.”
There have also been rumors that the Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple. These rumors are utterly baseless, as is proven by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) ‘s statements regarding the same.
That Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple is a theory first discussed by P. N. Oak’s theory in his 1989 book “Taj Mahal: The True Story”. . He had also claimed it was built in 1155 AD and not in the 17th century as stated by the ASI. In August 2017, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said there was no evidence to suggest the great monument ever housed a temple. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Vinay Katiyar has also claimed that the 17th-century memorial was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan after destroying a Hindu temple called “Tejo Mahalaya” and that it housed a Shiva linga. This claim had also been made by another Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Laxmikant Bajpai in 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) government’s Union Minister of Culture Mahesh Sharma stated in November 2015 during a session of the parliament that there was no evidence whatsoever that it was a temple.
Now, with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) releasing the said photos in the public domain, many controversies surrounding this massive historical monument will be put to rest.
