On Monday, a kanwariya attempted to offer ‘Gangajal’ at the Taj Mahal, claiming that ‘Lord Shiv’ had instructed her to do so in a dream. The woman, Meena Rathore, was halted by the monument’s authorities.
“I came to Tejo Mahalaya to offer the ‘Gangajal’. Lord Shiv called me in my dreams and I brought the kanwar to offer at Tejo Mahalaya. But, they (policemen) have stopped me from going ahead,” Rathore, a member of a right-wing group, told the media.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Taj Suraksha, Syed Areeb Ahmad, informed PTI that Rathore was stopped at the west gate barrier and was not permitted to enter the Taj Mahal. “After some time, she decided on her own to offer the ‘Gangajal’ at the Rajeshwar temple,” Ahmad added.
Sanjay Jaat, a spokesperson for the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, supported Rathore’s action, asserting that it was their “right” to offer ‘Gangajal,’ claiming the Taj Mahal is actually a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. “It is our right to offer the ‘Ganga Jal’ in Taj Mahal as Taj Mahal is ‘Tejo Mahalaya,’ a temple of Lord Shiva. She brought the kanwar from Soron ji in Kasganj and reached Agra after two days,” he said.
The Taj Mahal frequently becomes a point of contention with right-wing groups asserting it to be a Shiva temple. However, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had clarified in a 2017 court case that the monument is a tomb, not a temple.
