Guest guest Posted March 23, 2005 Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 Taj Mahal was a Shiva temple: Vinay Katiyar Press Trust of India Lucknow, March 23, 2005|21:57 IST Seeking to rake up a controversy, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday claimed the Taj Mahal in Agra was actually a Shiva temple built by Raja Jai Singh and and named 'Tejo Mai Mahal'. "The Taj Mahal was, in fact, a Shiva temple and was built by Raja Jai Singh. Its name was Tejo Mai Mahal (shining palace)," Katiyar said in Lucknow. "This fact finds mention in the book 'Badshahnama' by Abdul Hamid Lahori, a close associate of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan," he claimed. Samajwadi Party leader and UP Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan's statement that the Taj Mahal was a graveyard 'is only a half truth', Katiyar said and added "it is no doubt a graveyard as Shah Jahan brought back the body of his wife Mumtaz Mahal from Burahanpur village, where she had died, and buried it in the temple after removing the Shivalinga". "It (the Taj) actually belongs to us (Hindus) and we will do everything possible to reclaim it," Katiyar said adding a 'Shankar Sena' (Shiva army) would soon be formed and 'Damrus' (Shiva's drum) distributed among the people to create awareness on this issue. His statement came close on the heels of claims of ownership of the Taj by the Shia community and Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf board, with the support of UP minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan to the 17th century architectural marvel. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1292044,000900010004.htm? headline=After~Ayodhya,~new~'Sena'~to~target~Taj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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