Taj Mahal was not built by Shahjahan, it was the palace of a Hindu king… wrongly written in history, case in Delhi High Court, ASI will consider
The Delhi High Court, in a judgment on Friday (3 October 2023), directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to consider the application to publish the ‘true history’ of the Taj Mahal. In its PIL, Hindu Sena said that the Taj Mahal was not built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, but by Kshatriya Raja Man Singh of the Kachhawa dynasty of Rajputana (present-day Rajasthan).
Hearing this PIL, the division bench of Chief Justice Satishchandra Sharma and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela disposed of the petition by giving instructions to ASI in this matter. The bench said that the petitioner had earlier also filed a petition in the Supreme Court with similar prayers. The apex court had then asked the organization to file an application before the ASI.
On Friday, the petitioner told the High Court that the ASI has not yet taken a decision on his representation. Therefore, the bench has asked the Archaeological Survey of India to look into that representation. Hindu Sena president Surjit Singh Yadav has said in the petition that the Taj Mahal was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh and was later renovated by Shah Jahan.
In his petition, Yadav urged the High Court to direct the ASI, the Central Government, the National Archives of India and the Uttar Pradesh government to remove ‘historically incorrect facts’ related to the construction of the Taj Mahal from history books. The petition also sought direction to the ASI to investigate the age of the Taj Mahal and the existence of Raja Man Singh’s palace.
Petitioner Surjeet Yadav says that he has done ‘deep study and research’ about the Taj Mahal. Therefore, it is extremely important to correct the facts of history and give people correct information about the Taj Mahal. He also referred to the book titled ‘Taj Museum’ written by ZA Desai, in which a ‘high and beautiful’ place was selected to bury Mumtaz Mahal.
Citing this book, he further said in his petition that this high and beautiful place was the mansion of Raja Man Singh, which was then in the possession of his grandson Raja Jai Singh. The petitioner said that this mansion was never demolished. Yadav says that the present structure of the Taj Mahal is merely a modification and renovation of Raja Man Singh’s mansion, which already existed.
Surjit Yadav has said, “The book titled Ta Sangrahalaya mentions that the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal was buried under a temporary domed structure within the land complex of Raja Jai Singh. “It is pertinent to mention that there are no details which suggest that Raja Man Singh’s mansion was demolished for the construction of the Taj Mahal.”
The petitioner has said that he checked several books on Taj Mahal and in one book it was stated that Shahjahan’s wife was Alia Begum. There is no mention of Mumtaz Mahal anywhere. Alleging contradictory information on the ASI website, the petition said that ASI has stated on the website that the body of Mumtaz Mahal was brought to Agra for burial in the basement of the main mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, six months after her death in 1631. .
The petition said that the same web page of ASI has given contrary information, where it is said that it took about 17 years to complete the construction of Taj Mahal in 1648. The petition states that when the Taj Mahal took 17 years to complete and was completed in 1648, then how was the body of Mumtaz Mahal brought to Agra for burial in 1631 AD. This is contradictory and confusing.
