AGRA: Contrary to claims made in a request to the Lucknow HC looking for opening of the Taj Mahal’s “22 forever locked rooms”, many in its storm cellar, “as they could be lodging Hindu icons from old times”, top Archeological Survey of India authorities let TOI on Thursday know that the dispute in the supplication is off-base on the two counts.
One, these rooms – formally called “cells” – are “not forever shut” and they were as of late opened for protection work. What’s more, that all records investigated such a long ways throughout the long term “have not highlighted the presence of any symbols”.
A senior authority conscious of the rebuilding work done only three months prior said, “Different records and reports that have been assessed till presently haven’t shown the presence of any icons”.
Assuming that those with the most profound admittance to the Taj are to be accepted, there are north of 100 cells in different pieces of the sepulcher complex which have stayed shut to general society because of reasons of safety and wellbeing, and none have hurled any such discoveries.
“The solicitor’s case of 22 rooms being forever locked is really mistaken as preservation work – including filling of breaks, re-putting and hostile to maturing medicines – are occasionally finished. As a matter of fact, the latest work cost us Rs 6 lakh,” a senior ASI official told TOI.
One more senior ASI official added that 100 cells in the landmark’s complicated that remain locked to people in general are situated in the cellar, the upper accounts of the primary sepulcher, the corner ‘burjs’, the four minarets, inside the baolis (close to the mosque) and on the Chameli floor on east, west and north sides.
Other than these, few bits of the other world legacy destinations in the locale – Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri – have additionally stayed shut to the general population for a really long time because of safety reasons.
Debate over the Taj Mahal was first blended by antiquarian PN Oak who, in a 1989 book, asserted that the landmark was initially ‘Tejo Mahal’.
He contended that the landmark was initially a Hindu sanctuary and a royal residence worked by a Rajput ruler. Notwithstanding, his hypothesis has been more than once exposed by a few history specialists. Truth be told in 2000, the Supreme Court dismissed a request by Oak to announce that the Taj Mahal was worked by a Hindu lord.
