Was the Taj Mahal once a Hindu Temple? For many years now, some have opined that one of the seven wonders of the world had begun as temple before it became a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal.
Several political and religious leaders have in the past claimed that Tejo Mahalaya had existed prior to the creation of the 17th century tomb, with BJP leader Vinay Katiyar opining in 2017 that it had housed a Shivling. Before him, fellow party leader Lakshmikant Bajpayee had also made a similar claim. There have also been court petitions, with lawyers wanting Hindu devotees to be allowed to perform 'aarti' and 'darshan' on the premises.
On Friday, BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who has in the past made headlines for his controversial comments, brought back the Tejo Mahalaya speculation, citing "scientific evidence".
"All scientific evidences prove that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalaya, ancient Hindu vedic temple For 300 years the world was fooled to believe that Taj Mahal was built by the Shahjahan," he wrote.
Mishra also shared an image of the Taj Mahal, dissecting its architecture to support his post.
In this day and age, fact checks and information are not hard to come by. But the Tejo Mahalaya claims continue to persist, having cemented its place even before WhatsApp forwards and social media discourse became a trend.
The Archaeological Survey of India has in the past debunked this, telling an Agra court in August 2017 that the Taj Mahal was a tomb and not a temple. The Central Information Commission too had clarified that there was "no such record" to support the claims that it was "Tejo Mahalaya" and that it had not been constructed by Shahjahan, but was gifted by Raja Maan Singh.
One of the first to put this theory forward was Hindutva historical revisionist PN Oaks, who had filed a petition to declare that the monument had been built by a Hindu ruler several years ago. In 2000, this was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
