Indian government won’t declare Taj Mahal a Hindu monument

A legal claim to have the Taj Mahal declared a Hindu monument has been rejected by the Indian government.

The Taj Mahal. Image by Ananth BS / CC BY 2.0

Archaeological investigations have found evidence of an older structure beneath the Taj, and Hindu nationalists have seized on this as proof of the legend that the Taj was built over the foundations of a ruined Shiva temple. Historically, the Mughal empire built many mosques and palaces over the ruins of Hindu temples, so the idea is not as far fetched as it might sound, but the claims about the Taj are an ongoing source of contention for Indian Muslims and the government is keen to defuse potential sources of intercommunal tension. Read more: bbc.co.uk