Religious row plays out at Taj Mahal

Tourism pundits, general public voice concern regarding damage to the worldfamous heritage site’s reputation

AGRA:Renowned world over as the monument of love, Taj Mahal is again in the throes of controversy, with fringe elements clashing over their “right” to perform ‘namaz’ on all days / ‘aarti’ on its premises. Stakeholders in the city’s tourism sector have raised an alarm over this spiralling conflict, which on one side has some Muslims demanding ‘namaz’ at Taj on days other than Friday, and on the other has right wing activists stressing on organising ‘aarti’ at the monument they insist is in fact a Shiva temple.

A video that went viral on Saturday showed some activists performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj, which opens up every Friday -- its weekly closure day -- for allowing local Muslims to offer ‘namaz’.

While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials said they were verifying the contents of the video, people have voiced concerns against the dangers of letting a communal tug-of-war play out at the globally famed structure that draws numerous tourists to India.

RECENT CONTROVERSIAL DEVELOPMENTS

The latest controversy began on November 3, said Ibrahim Zaidi, president of the Taj Mahal Mosque Management Committee. “The ASI locked up the railing around the ‘wuzhu’ tank (for performing ablution) near the mosque on the premises of the monument,” he alleged.

“This was done on the pretext of security concerns although the central tank, which is visited by tourists of all ages, also remains filled with water,” he said, adding that it was a “planned design” to stop ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque -a tradition older than the monument itself. “The mosque came into existence before the Taj Mahal,” claimed Zaidi.

Meanwhile, ASI officials said the step was taken after it was found that ‘namaz’ was being offered at the Taj on days other than Friday. According to rules, ‘namaz’ can be offered at the structure only on Fridays -- from 12 pm to 2 pm, they said.

An ASI official placed a gazette notification at both the eastern and western gates of the Taj Mahal, detailing the provisions for offering Friday ‘namaz’ at the monument. “We are just complying with orders. The prevailing directives find no sanction for ‘namaz’ on any other day. We had asked those offering ‘namaz’ at the mosque last week not to do so, but no heed was paid,” said Ankit Namdev, conservation assistant, ASI.

On the other hand, Zaidi accused the ASI of pressuring the Imam Sayyad Sadiq Ali, deputed at the mosque, to disallow ‘namaz’ at Taj on all days barring Friday. “This is unacceptable. The forefathers of the present imam have been conducting ‘namaz’ here for 400 years without any hindrance regarding the day of the week. There is no rule saying that ‘namaz’ can be offered here only on Friday -- an assertion that ASI is making without proof or document,” said Zaidi.

He said the recent act of performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj was an “additional complication” that had been introduced in a “planned manner” to stop the ‘namaz’.

‘AARTI’ AT TAJ

Govind Parashar, who is heading the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD) unit in Agra, said, “Who started all this? Why are some people going unpunished despite offering ‘namaz’ at Taj on days other than Friday? I was sent to jail for seven months when I gave the call to offer ‘aarti’ at the monument, which is in fact the Shiva temple ‘Tejo Mahalaya’. A suit is pending in court regarding declaring Taj a Shiva temple and banning ‘namaz’ on its premises.”

“Why are we alone being blamed for turning a tourism destination into a centre of controversies? None can be above law. We did not raise the issue of ‘aarti’ for a long time, but then they (Muslims) began offering ‘namaz’ on weekdays and more than a thousand turned up for the Friday ‘namaz’ at Taj last week. Earlier, only a handful used to come,” he added.

RBD women’s wing district president Meena Diwakar said her group entered the Taj Mahal with ‘dhoopbatti’ (incense sticks), Gangajal and a match box and performed ‘aarti’ at the mosque there.

“We ‘purified’ the location as it is our ‘Shiv Temple’. The identity of the Taj Mahal is because of Tejo Mahalaya, the Shiva Temple. Permission was granted for offering namaz once on Friday but it has been offered on other days too. So we also offered ‘aarti’. We are prepared to face action if those violating the norms by offering ‘namaz’ on weekdays are punished,” she said. Meanwhile, the VHP also offered support to Diwakar for performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj. Sunil Parashar, Braj region vice president of the VHP “justified” the move .

HISTORIAN-SPEAK

Historian Raj Kishore Raje, who moved an application under the Right to Information Act seeking clarity on the status of ‘namaz’ being offered at the Taj mosque, said, “The publication department of the ASI at Delhi and the Information Officer of the ASI circle office in Agra deny there is any order or precedence for offering ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque on any day other than Friday. Otherwise also there are various mosques where ‘namaz’ is not offered. ”

Raje, who has served as the head of a museum in Agra and has penned books on the city’s history, added, “There seems to be no documentation of ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque during the Mughal regime or the British period or in free India. The idea of ‘namaz’ on weekdays seems to be an afterthought. Both ‘namaz’ and ‘aarti’ demands by fringe groups are damaging for Taj.”

TOURISM SECTOR FEARS

Arun Dang, a veteran of tourism trade in Taj city and founder-patron, Tourism Guild of Agra, said, “Taj Mahal’s popularity is fast becoming its curse. People are looking at short-cuts to fame by using the monument for their vested interests.”

LET TAJ BE: TOURISTS

Several tourists visiting the Taj Mahal said that “such issues” should be kept away from the world-famous heritage site. “Taj is an epitome of beauty and controversies on religious lines do not go with its ethos. No one should be allowed to harm its reputation. Many in the west know our country because of the Taj. So, the government should be sensible and sensitive while protecting its sanctity ,” said a visiting tourist.