A petition has been filed in the Indian High Court regarding the rewriting of the history of the Taj Mahal. The petition argues that the Taj Mahal was not built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, but was instead the property of the Sikh Raja.
Surjit Singh Yadav, the President of the Hindu Sena, filed the petition in the Delhi High Court. According to Yadav, the Taj Mahal was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh, and later, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan renovated it.
The petition seeks to republish or modify the history of the Taj Mahal in history books, but it has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
Yadav alleges that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has provided conflicting and contradictory information about the Taj Mahal. The ASI states that six months after the death of Mumtaz Mahal in 1631, her body was transferred to Agra to be enshrined in the crypt of the main tomb of the Taj Mahal. However, this contradicts the information on the same web page for the Taj Mahal, where the ASI claims that it took 17 years for the monument complex to be completed in 1648.
Yadav claims to have reviewed several books on the Taj Mahal, and one book he cited states that Shah Jahan had a wife named Alia Begum with no mention of Mumtaz Mahal.
He also referred to the book “Taj Museum” by the little-known author ZA Desai, which suggests that a lofty and beautiful place was chosen for Mumtaz’s burial, which was Raja Mansingh’s mansion and was in the possession of Man Singh’s grandson Raja Jai Singh at the time of the burial.
Delhi’s Air Pollution Threatens ICC World Cup 2023 Match Between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Meanwhile, the air pollution crisis in Delhi poses a risk to the World Cup 2023 cricket match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as the city’s hazardous air quality could affect the players’ well-being.
Sri Lanka decided to cancel their training session in India’s capital, Delhi, due to the engulfing toxic smog just days before their scheduled match against Bangladesh. Delhi is consistently ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world, with its annual smog problem being held responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year.
On Saturday, Delhi again claimed the unfortunate title of having the most polluted air in the world, according to monitoring firm IQAir.
An official from the local cricket association in Delhi confirmed that Sri Lanka had canceled their training session, but the reason for the cancellation was not disclosed.
This move came a day after Bangladesh also called off their own training session in Delhi, citing health risks associated with the smog. Some players had developed coughing, raising concerns about their health.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring Delhi’s air quality and stated that they take the well-being of all participants seriously ahead of Monday’s match. They are seeking expert advice to assess the situation.
To combat air pollution, World Cup organizers have banned fireworks at matches in Mumbai and Delhi to prevent exacerbating the already high pollution levels in these cities.
Airborne PM2.5 particles, the most dangerous air pollutants that can enter the bloodstream, were more than 20 times higher than the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization on Saturday evening, according to IQAir.
Severe smog conditions are expected to persist beyond Monday’s match, with school closures ordered by authorities on Friday. Factors contributing to this crisis include smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust, and factory emissions.
