Is Taj Mahal actually Tejo Mahalaya, asks PIL

A petition has been filed before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court seeking a direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to open doors of over 20 rooms inside the Taj Mahal premises so that the alleged controversy related to the “history of Taj Mahal” can be put to rest, reports Bar and Bench.

The petition has been filed by one Dr Rajneesh Singh who claimed to be the media incharge of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ayodhya unit.

The plea sought a direction to the government to constitute a fact finding committee and to “look for important historical evidence” like idols and inscriptions that are believed to be hidden inside Taj Mahal on the orders of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

The plea, filed through advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, argued that many Hindu Groups have been claiming that Taj Mahal is an old Shiva Temple which was known as Tejo Mahalaya and this is supported by many historians as well.

These claims, the petition said, has led to a situation where Hindus and Muslims are fighting with each other and therefore the controversy needs to be put to rest.

“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 Shahjahan was described as Mumtaz-ulZamani not Mumtaj Mahal; also the fact that the construction of a mausoleum takes 22 years for completion is beyond the realm of reality and totally an absurdity,” the plea stated.

It added, “It is there in many history books that in 1212 AD, Raja Paramardi Dev had built Tejo Mahalaya temple palace (presently Taj Mahal). The temple was later inherited by Raja Maan Singh, the then Maharaja of Jaipur. After him, the property was held and managed by Raja Jai Singh but was annexed by Shah Jahan (in 1632) and later it was converted into memorial for the wife of ShahJahan.”