New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking to open the closed rooms of the Taj Mahal .
In this, the petitioner had said that the 22 rooms in the Taj Mahal have always been closed and may contain idols and inscriptions of Hindu gods and goddesses.
However, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials say that both these claims related to the Taj Mahal made in the petition were false.
What is the matter of the petition?
The media in-charge of Ayodhya district of BJP, Dr Rajneesh Singh, filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court, demanding the opening of 22 closed rooms of the Taj Mahal . They demanded that the ASI should inspect these closed rooms so that the truth could come out.
The court dismissed the petition on Thursday, saying that it is a matter of debate in the drawing room and not in the court. This matter should be left to the historians.
What do the officials say about the claims made in the petition?
Talking to TOI , the ASI official said that first of all, Taj Mahal does not have rooms and it is not always closed. Recently they were opened for conservation work.
Along with this, he said that if we look at the records till date, there is no such evidence that there were idols in these cells.
These officials said that due to security reasons common people are not allowed to access these cells.
“More than 100 cells are built inside the Taj Mahal”
According to the people who have access to the inside of the Taj Mahal, there are more than 100 cells in this huge complex. People are not allowed to go here due to security reasons. Till date, there is no evidence of sculptures in any of the records of their repair or opening for other works.
An official said that the claim of ‘rooms’ being kept closed all the time is also factually incorrect.
Cells are not always closed – officials
A senior ASI official said that these cells are opened from time to time for repairs and plastering works etc. Six lakh rupees were spent on the repair work done about three months ago.
Another official said that 100 cells of the Taj Mahal are built in the basement of the Taj Mahal. Agra and Fatehpur Sikri forts are also kept closed for the general public for security.
How did the controversy start?
The controversy over the Taj Mahal started in 1989 with a book by PN Oak.
He claimed in this book that the Taj Mahal was actually ‘Tejo Mahal’ and it was built by a Rajput ruler.
However, many other historians do not agree with his claim. The Supreme Court also rejected Oak’s petition in 2000, seeking that the Taj Mahal be declared by a Hindu king.
Taj Mahal is one of the most important historical heritage of India and the world and it is counted among the seven wonders of the world.
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it in the memory of his wife Mumtaz in the 17th century and for this reason it is considered the ‘biggest image of love’. The tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz are also located in the Taj Mahal.
It is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and its protection is in the hands of the CISF.
