Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha Hindutva Protests Eid al-Adha Namaz at Taj Mahal.

Hindutva Group Protests Eid al-Adha Prayers at Taj Mahal, Rekindles Debate Over Monument’s Religious Identity.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | May 29, 2026::  Members of the All India Hindu Mahasabha (AIHM) staged a protest in Agra on Thursday after authorities permitted Eid al-Adha prayers and granted free entry for worshippers at the Taj Mahal complex. The demonstration prompted heightened security measures, with police detaining several protesters and placing key leaders under preventive restrictions to maintain public order.

According to local officials, law enforcement agencies had anticipated opposition to the prayers and deployed personnel across the area surrounding the monument. Several members of Hindu nationalist organizations were taken into custody as a precautionary measure. Vishal Kumar, Metropolitan President of the Hindu Mahasabha, was later placed under house arrest at his residence in Shahganj.

“The Hindu Mahasabha opposes the permission for namaz at the Taj Mahal,” said Meera Rathore, the district president of the organization. Other leaders, including Nitesh Bhardwaj and Mahila Morcha Metropolitan President Nisha Thakur, also voiced strong objections to the prayers being held within the monument complex.

During the protest, demonstrators raised religious slogans such as “Bam Bam Bhole” and “Jai Shri Ram” while police maintained a strong presence in the area. Security arrangements were reinforced around the Taj Mahal, with officers deployed from Shahganj police station and other nearby units to prevent any disruption during the prayers.

Religious Practices at the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a protected Monument of National Importance, is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Religious activities within the complex are governed by specific regulations.

While namaz is permitted at the mosque located inside the Taj Mahal complex, it is subject to strict conditions. Only local Muslim residents of Agra are generally allowed to offer prayers there and are required to carry valid identity documents proving local residence. Regular prayers are primarily restricted to Fridays, while special provisions are made during major Islamic festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, when traditional morning prayers are permitted.

Authorities prohibit other forms of religious worship, including Hindu rituals and puja, within the monument complex. These regulations have periodically become the focus of controversy, particularly among groups that challenge the monument’s historical identity.

But members of the Hindu organizations claimed that a large number of outsiders participated in the Bakrid Eid namaz congregation this time, allegedly violating existing norms due to the negligence of security personnel and the authorities.

The Tejo Mahalaya Claim

The latest protest is part of a broader campaign by several Hindu organizations that contend the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple known as “Tejo Mahalaya,” allegedly dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Supporters of this theory frequently cite the work of author P. N. Oak, who argued in his book Taj Mahal: The True Story (also published as Taj Mahal: A Temple Palace) that the structure predated the death of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and was later repurposed as a mausoleum. Oak claimed historical records had been altered to portray the building as an Islamic monument.

These assertions have long been rejected by pro-Muslim leftist historians, archaeologists, and the Archaeological Survey of India, who maintain that the Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in the 17th century as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal. Indian courts have also repeatedly declined petitions seeking official recognition of the monument as a Hindu temple.

Continuing Dispute

Amid these conflicting historical claims, organizations such as the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and other Hindu groups continue to question the monument’s origins and oppose Islamic prayers within the complex. Their position is rooted in the belief that the site was originally a Hindu place of worship and should be reclaimed as such.

The issue has resurfaced periodically in recent years, particularly around religious festivals and court petitions concerning access to certain parts of the monument. While authorities have consistently maintained existing regulations governing worship at the site, the debate over the Taj Mahal’s historical and religious identity remains a politically and socially sensitive subject.

For now, police and administrative officials say their priority remains ensuring peace and maintaining security at one of India’s most iconic and heavily visited heritage monuments.
..
_Agency Inputs.