Taj Mahal to be renamed as Tejo Mahalaya? Agra Municipal Corporation to discuss proposal

New Delhi: The Agra Municipal Corporation is expected to discuss a proposal put forward by a BJP councillor for renaming the Taj Mahal – the world-famous eternal monument of love – as Tejo Mahalaya. The proposal has been prepared by BJP Councillor Shobharam Rathore. It will be tabled before the Agra Municipal Corporation for discussion and further consideration on Wednesday.

After the proposal is tabled, the members of Agra Municipal Corporation will take a call on further proceedings in this regard while also considering all other aspects, sources said. In his proposal, Rathore claimed that he has "proof" that a lotus urn exists in the Taj Mahal – the royal resting place of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The proposal for renaming the Taj Mahal comes several months after the Allahabad High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking direction to “find the truth” behind the 22 locked rooms in the Taj Mahal to resolve the "controversy” around the monument’s origins.

This is also not the first time that demands for renaming the Mughal-era mausoleum have been made. Several right-wing activists, citing ASI findings and ancient scriptures, have claimed that the Taj Mahal was actually a Lord Shiva temple.

Recently, a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, Surendra Singh said that Agra's historical monument Taj Mahal will soon be renamed ‘Ram Mahal’ by the Yogi Adityanath government.

The Taj Mahal, which is one of the major historical sites in India, was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Agra from 1631 to 1653 in memory of his beloved wife. It has high artistic value and was highly praised by Gurudev Tagore as "a tear on the eternal cheek".