Temple or Tomb?

Taj mahal-

I lived in Agra for 3 years when I was a kid. Visited the Taj Mahal countless times, and every time it looked more beautiful, more awe-inspiring. I remember asking my mom if I could buy those tiny replicas of the wonderful monument they sold almost everywhere in Agra. Mom refused. “We can’t have a mausoleum in the house”, she said, with a frown on her face.

I agreed with the logic, mausoleums represent dead people, why would I want it in the house. Years later however, I found out that the beautiful Taj is not a mausoleum, and moreover, it was a temple!!

A temple for Lord Shiva, no less.
There was this book written by Prof.P.N. Oak.. who says there are a couple of locked rooms one of which has a beheaded statue of Lord Shiva, and points out the architectural motifs like ‘OM’ carved into the flowers and the pinnacle of the tomb shaped like a ‘kalash’.

for more information, check this link:

Taj Mahal

I wondered why this story didn’t come out and make huge news, especially in a country where every silly little thing becomes a breaking story. On the other hand, if this does become an issue, what are the repercussions going to be – another Babri masjid like bloodshed? Though it is outrageous that a temple was seized by force and turned into a tomb, is it worth fighting over something that happened centuries ago?

We’ll never know for sure whether it’s Tejo Mahalaya, the grand Hindu temple, or Taj Mahal , a Muslim queen’s tomb, but its beauty will forevermore be etched in the minds of humanity.

Temple.. tomb.. whatever.. best to let it remain in peace!