Taj Mahal not a Hindu temple, says Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma
The Narendra Modi-led government on Monday said that it has found no evidence that the Taj Mahal in Agra was a Hindu temple.
New Delhi, Dec 1: The
Narendra Modi-led government on Monday said that it has found no
evidence that the Taj Mahal in Agra was a Hindu temple. Union Cultural
Minister Mahesh Sharma told Lok Sabha that the government didn’t find
any evidence that Taj Mahal, the the 17th century Mughal monument, was a
Hindu temple.
Replying to a query about the evidence
claiming that the Taj Mahal was originally a temple, Mahesh Sharma
clarified that the government has not found any evidence backing the
theory of Taj Mahal was originally a place of worship for Hindus.
Recently, a group of lawyer filed a
lawsuit claiming the Taj Mahal was originally a Shiva temple. They also
demanded permission for worship for Hindus and restriction for Muslims
from offering prayers at the location. Mahesh Sharma also government is
aware of the suit but the controversy hasn’t affected the tourism so
far.
The Taj Mahal is a white marble
mausoleum located on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in the Indian
city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife of three, Mumtaz Mahal. The
Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal
architecture and is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in
India”. On 7 July 2007 it was declared one of the Seven winners of
New7Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative in Lisbon.
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