Was the Taj originally a temple or a palace?
P.N. Oak, President of The Institute for Rewriting Indian History, has repeatedly asserted that the Taj was a Hindu temple of the god Shiva, usurped and remodeled by Shah Jahan. The temple's name, he says, was originally "Tejomahalya"; this was corrupted over time to "Taj Mahal".
Oak also claims that the tombs of Humayun, Akbar and Itmad-u-Dallah — as well as the Vatican in Rome, the Kaabah in Mecca, and Stonehenge, and "all historic buildings" in India — were also Hindu temples or palaces.
The Taj is only a typical illustration of how all historic buildings and townships from Kashmir to Cape Comorin though of Hindu origin have been ascribed to this or that Muslim ruler or courtier.
He further says that if Taj was not a Shiva temple, that it might then have been the palace of a Rajput king. In any case (he says), the Taj was Hindu in origin, stolen by Shah Jahan and adapted as a tomb — although Oak also claims that Mumtaz is not buried there.
Oak further states that the numerous eyewitness accounts of Taj construction, and Shah Jahan's construction orders and voluminous financial records, are elaborate frauds meant to hide its Hindu origin.
His many provocative assertions have gained a lot of popular interest and made Oak a well-known media figure.
He has sued to break open the cenotaphs, and to tear down brick walls in the lower plinth: In these "fake tombs" and "sealed apartments", Oak says Shivalingams or other temple items were hidden by Shah Jahan
According to Oak, the Indian government's refusal to allow him unfettered access amounts to a conspiracy against Hinduism.
Oak's assertions are not accepted by legitimate scholars. But these stories are widely believed and publicized by some contemporary Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) activists.
In 2000 India's Supreme Court dismissed Oak's petition to declare that a Hindu king built the Taj Mahal, and reprimanded him for bringing the action. In 2005 a similar petition was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court. This case was brought by Amar Nath Mishra, a social worker and preacher who claims that the Taj Mahal was built by the Hindu King Parmar Dev in 1196.
More : *www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm
P.N. Oak, President of The Institute for Rewriting Indian History, has repeatedly asserted that the Taj was a Hindu temple of the god Shiva, usurped and remodeled by Shah Jahan. The temple's name, he says, was originally "Tejomahalya"; this was corrupted over time to "Taj Mahal".
Oak also claims that the tombs of Humayun, Akbar and Itmad-u-Dallah — as well as the Vatican in Rome, the Kaabah in Mecca, and Stonehenge, and "all historic buildings" in India — were also Hindu temples or palaces.
The Taj is only a typical illustration of how all historic buildings and townships from Kashmir to Cape Comorin though of Hindu origin have been ascribed to this or that Muslim ruler or courtier.
He further says that if Taj was not a Shiva temple, that it might then have been the palace of a Rajput king. In any case (he says), the Taj was Hindu in origin, stolen by Shah Jahan and adapted as a tomb — although Oak also claims that Mumtaz is not buried there.
Oak further states that the numerous eyewitness accounts of Taj construction, and Shah Jahan's construction orders and voluminous financial records, are elaborate frauds meant to hide its Hindu origin.
His many provocative assertions have gained a lot of popular interest and made Oak a well-known media figure.
He has sued to break open the cenotaphs, and to tear down brick walls in the lower plinth: In these "fake tombs" and "sealed apartments", Oak says Shivalingams or other temple items were hidden by Shah Jahan
According to Oak, the Indian government's refusal to allow him unfettered access amounts to a conspiracy against Hinduism.
Oak's assertions are not accepted by legitimate scholars. But these stories are widely believed and publicized by some contemporary Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) activists.
In 2000 India's Supreme Court dismissed Oak's petition to declare that a Hindu king built the Taj Mahal, and reprimanded him for bringing the action. In 2005 a similar petition was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court. This case was brought by Amar Nath Mishra, a social worker and preacher who claims that the Taj Mahal was built by the Hindu King Parmar Dev in 1196.
More : *www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm
