Taj Mahal or “Tejo Mahalaya”? He explained the legal tussle

A view of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. | Photo credit: RV Moorthy

The Taj Mahal, a seventeenth-century tombis in the news again. Earlier this month, the Allahabad High Court issued a notice to the Center and the Archaeological Survey of India, asking them to respond to a plea challenging the Agra court’s order refusing to survey the Taj Mahal. On a petition filed by advocate Harishankar Jain, who claims that the Taj, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is actually the Tejo Mahalaya, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal passed the order.

Mr. Jain pleaded for a declaration that the Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple and sought permission for Hindus to pray there. The petitioners also requested the appointment of a trustee to inspect the monument and take photographs and video recordings.

Published – 17 Jul 2026 15:17 IST