Concerns of threat to Taj Mahal

THE Taj Mahal, a marble mausoleum built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shahjehan, is not just facing serious threats to its existence, but its reputation as India’s iconic tourism destination is being sullied.

The problems began to mount after a Hindu right wing government took office earlier this year in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. The chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, and his government have a problem with the state’s Muslim past and how the minority community was pampered by the previous administration.

They took the Taj off the official list of favoured destinations officially because there were many other places of interest to tourists in the state. A few weeks later, a law maker claimed the Taj Mahal had been built on the debris of a demolished temple to Lord Shiva. This allegation is not new and has been previously asserted by a religious fringe that wants to rewrite history to glorify the valour of Hindu kings and present the Muslim emperors as losers. History suggests exactly the opposite is true, but the school curriculum is being changed in some Bha- ratiya Janata Party(BJP)-ruled states to “correct” this history.

The threats of this fringe cannot be dismissed lightly. In 1992, a mob converged at the mythical birthplace of Hindu god Lord Rama, Ayodhaya, and pulled down a mosque built by a Muslim king.

The author of the book Aurangzeb - The Man and the Myth, Audrey Truschke, in an article raised fears about the ability of the BJP government to look after Mughal monuments. Truschke was heavily trolled, but she had raised a fundamental point about whether history can be undone by demolishing world wonders like Taj Mahal.

International opprobrium compelled Yogi to turn to damage control. He went to Agra to visit the mausoleum, but gave a new spin on why he was there. The city of Taj Mahal, Agra, though, continued to get unwanted publicity. A Swiss couple who went to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the former capital of Mughal Emperor Akbar, ran into local boys aggressively demanding a “selfie”. It seems the couple refused to oblige and they were chased and severely assaulted.

This is not the first instance of foreign tourists being harassed for a selfie.

PICTURE: EPA-EFE A replica of the Taj Mahal landmark made with fibre, metal and stone is installed at an amusement park in Kolkata, India, last year.