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DUBAI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stated in court last week that the Taj Mahal is a tomb and not a temple, in its first such statement after six lawyers filed a suit claiming the site is a Hindu temple in 2015.
In April 2015, six lawyers filed a suit with the Agra district court claiming the Taj Mahal is a temple in honor of a Hindu deity and added that Hindu devotees should be allowed to worship inside the building.
The court called on the central government, Union ministry of culture, home secretary and ASI to file their replies, the latest of which was filed Thursday by the ASI.
In November 2015, the Union ministry of culture clarified that there is no evidence of any temple within the grounds of the Taj Mahal during a session of the lower house of India’s bicameral Parliament, the Lok Sabha.
On Thursday, the ASI made its own statement.
“Historically and even according to records as available there is an ancient monument named as Taj Mahal alone at the bank of river Yamuna at Agra duly declared by the government to be of national importance having gained the worldwide recognition as the 7th wonder of the world. As per available records right from the British period since 1904, the monument Taj was declared a protected monument by notification on December 22, 1920,” the ASI stated in its affidavit on Thursday.
The body also challenged the jurisdiction of the local court to “hear and decide” the case, according to the newspaper.
The reported that “the archaeological body categorically denied that no such temple or Shiv Linga, as stated by the plaintiffs, existed in the Taj Mahal.”
The ASI further stated that the claims of the six lawyers were a “concoction” of their imaginations, according to the newspaper’s report.