All love lost as religious row plays out at Taj Mahal

Renowned world over as the monument of love, Taj Mahal is again in the throes of controversy, with fringe elements clashing over their “right” to perform ‘namaz’ on all days / ‘aarti’ on its premises. Stakeholders in the city’s tourism sector have raised an alarm over this spiralling conflict, which on one side has some Muslims demanding ‘namaz’ at Taj on days other than Friday, and on the other has right wing activists stressing on organising ‘aarti’ at the monument they insist is in fact a Shiva temple.

A video that went viral on Saturday showed some activists performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj, which opens up every Friday -- its weekly closure day -- for allowing local Muslims to offer ‘namaz’.

While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials said they were verifying the contents of the video, people have voiced concerns against the dangers of letting a communal tug-of-war play out at the globally famed structure that draws numerous tourists to India.

Recent controversial developments

The latest controversy began on November 3, said Ibrahim Zaidi, president of the Taj Mahal Mosque Management Committee. “The ASI locked up the railing around the ‘wuzhu’ tank (for performing ablution) near the mosque on the premises of the monument,” he alleged.

“This was done on the pretext of security concerns although the central tank, which is visited by tourists of all ages, also remains filled with water,” he said, adding that it was a “planned design” to stop ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque -- a tradition older than the monument itself. “The mosque came into existence before the Taj Mahal,” claimed Zaidi.

Meanwhile, ASI officials said the step was taken after it was found that ‘namaz’ was being offered at the Taj on days other than Friday. According to rules, ‘namaz’ can be offered at the structure only on Fridays -- from 12 pm to 2 pm, they said.

An ASI official placed a gazette notification at both the eastern and western gates of the Taj Mahal, detailing the provisions for offering Friday ‘namaz’ at the monument. The notification mentioned no permission for any other day. “We are just complying with orders. The prevailing directives find no sanction for ‘namaz’ on any other day. We had asked those offering ‘namaz’ at the mosque last week not to do so, but no heed was paid,” said Ankit Namdev, conservation assistant, ASI.

On the other hand, Zaidi accused the ASI of pressuring the Imam Sayyad Sadiq Ali, deputed at the mosque, to disallow ‘namaz’ at Taj on all days barring Friday. “This is unacceptable. The forefathers of the present imam have been conducting ‘namaz’ here for 400 years without any hindrance regarding the day of the week. There is no rule saying that ‘namaz’ can be offered here only on Friday -- an assertion that ASI is making without proof or document,” said Zaidi.

He said the recent act of performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj was an “additional complication” that had been introduced in a “planned manner” to stop the ‘namaz’.

‘Aarti’ at taj

Govind Parashar, who is heading the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD) unit in Agra, said, “Who started all this? Why are some people going unpunished despite offering ‘namaz’ at Taj on days other than Friday? I was sent to jail for seven months when I gave the call to offer ‘aarti’ at the monument, which is in fact the Shiva temple ‘Tejo Mahalaya’. A suit is pending in court regarding declaring Taj a Shiva temple and banning ‘namaz’ on its premises.”

“Why are we alone being blamed for turning a tourism destination into a centre of controversies? None can be above law. We did not raise the issue of ‘aarti’ for a long time, but then they (Muslims) began offering ‘namaz’ on weekdays and more than a thousand turned up for the Friday ‘namaz’ at Taj last week. Earlier, only a handful used to come,” he added.

RBD women’s wing district president Meena Diwakar said her group entered the Taj Mahal with ‘dhoopbatti’ (incense sticks), Gangajal and a match box and performed ‘aarti’ at the mosque there.

“We ‘purified’ the location as it is our ‘Shiv Temple’, the sanctity of which was damaged by ‘namaz’. The identity of the Taj Mahal is because of Tejo Mahalaya, the Shiva Temple. Permission was granted for offering namaz once on Friday but it has been offered on other days too. So we also offered ‘aarti’. We are prepared to face action if those violating the norms by offering ‘namaz’ on weekdays are punished,” she said. Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad also offered support to Diwakar for performing ‘aarti’ at the Taj. Sunil Parashar, Braj region vice president of the VHP called the move “justified”.

Historian-Speak

Historian Raj Kishore Raje, who moved an application under the Right to Information Act seeking clarity on the status of ‘namaz’ being offered at the Taj mosque, said, “The publication department of the ASI at Delhi and the Information Officer of the ASI circle office in Agra deny there is any order or precedence for offering ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque on any day other than Friday. Otherwise also there are various mosques where ‘namaz’ is not offered. These include the Nagina Masjid, the Meena Masjid and the Moti Masjid on the premises of Agra Fort.”

Raje, who has served as the head of a museum in Agra and has penned books on the city’s history, added, “There seems to be no documentation of ‘namaz’ at the Taj mosque during the Mughal regime or the British period or in free India. The idea of ‘namaz’ on weekdays seems to be an afterthought. This has given rise to demands for ‘aarti’ at the monument. Both ‘namaz’ and ‘aarti’ demands by fringe groups are damaging for Taj.” He said Mughal emperor Shah Jahan bought the land for building the Taj Mahal in exchange of land he offered to Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur through a ‘shahi farman’ (royal order).

Tourism sector fears

Arun Dang, a veteran of tourism trade in Taj city and founder-patron, Tourism Guild of Agra, said, “Taj Mahal’s popularity is fast becoming its curse. People are looking at short-cuts to fame by using the monument for their vested interests.”

“Taj stands for ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’ (composite culture). Such controversies are not only damaging for tourism, but also bring bad name to the city and the country,” said Dang, adding that authorities needed to handle the “problem causing elements” with toughness.

Let Taj be: tourists

Several tourists visiting the Taj Mahal said that “such issues” should be kept away from the world-famous heritage site. “Taj is an epitome of beauty and controversies on religious lines do not go with its ethos. No one should be allowed to harm its reputation. Many in the west know our country because of the Taj. So, the government should be sensible and sensitive while protecting the sanctity of a key tourism destination,” said a tourist who was visiting the monument with his family.

Built over a period of more than two decades, the 17th century monument stands on the southern bank of Yamuna.

It is widely believed that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan got the Taj Mahal constructed it in the memory of his departed wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The white marble mausoleum is flanked by a ‘mehmankhana’ on the east and a mosque on the west, where ‘namaz’ has traditionally been offered on Eid, Bakrid and Fridays. Till the 1970s, the monument remained open throughout the week without any entry charge.

This changed with security threats emerging in the 80s. The gates of the Taj closed at night and a ticket had to be bought to visit it during the day. However, entry remained free on Fridays when ‘namaz’ was offered at the mosque on the premises.

In the 90s, the Supreme Court said that the monument should be closed for a day in the week for maintenance and conservation. Monday was chosen as the weekly closure. But, about a decade later, it was moved to Friday -- the day when the crowd of visitors swelled up, as there were no entry charges.

On January 15, 2001, a government order stated that the Taj gates were to remain open for ‘namazis’ for two hours on Friday afternoon.

There remained the issue

of Muslim tourists making

visits on Friday, although entry was barred for non-Muslims. The matter reached the Supreme Court that ordered in July this year that only local Muslims were to be allowed inside Taj on Fridays for

offering ‘namaz’.

The ‘namaz’/ ‘aarti’ controversy is the latest to dog the Taj Mahal. Earlier, right wing activists had asserted that the monument should be recognised as ‘Tejo Mahalaya’, a Shiva temple that was converted into a mausoleum.

The issue of Taj Mahal building being harmed by pollutants is also a sensitive one. Industries in Agra have faced closure, as the government took steps to check the effect of pollution on the monument.

Taj premises have also been a favourite destination of protesters, especially lawyers seeking a high court bench in western UP who have gatecrashed the monument to get a wide audience for their demand. The Supreme Court had to intervene and ban all publicity seeking gatherings or protests on the Taj premises and its vicinity.