Taj Mahal is not a Hindu temple: minister Mahesh Sharma

The Indian government had rejected claims by a group of lawyers that Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple. Their legal demand also wanted the court to bar Muslims from visiting the site or offering any prayers at the location.

Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister for Culture informed Lok Sabha yesterday that the government did found any evidence that Taj Mahal located in Agra was a temple. But experts said this will not be enough to quash the suit. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife of three, Mumtaz Mahal.

In the petition, Harishankar Jain had argued that the temple used to be called Tejo Mahalaya.

That, though, has not stopped his writings being widely circulated online.

Today, the same claims have been taken up by some members of the ruling BJP, the Hindu nationalist party led by prime minister Narenda Modi.

The Taj Mahal is a 17th century mausoleum completed in 1653 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

“I am not saying this in air but there are documents to prove this”, he said.

The Taj Mahal brings numerous visitors annually and became a Unesco World Heritage site.

In the written reply Sharma also stated that he was aware of the pending lawsuit in a Agra Court and that the controversy around the religious origin of one of the most popular tourist attractions in India hasn’t had any negative impact on tourism in Agra.