NEW DELHI: A kanwariya on Monday attempted to offer ‘Gangajal‘ at Taj Mahal claiming that ‘Lord Shiv‘ came in her dreams and asked her to do so. The woman was, however, stopped by the monument authorities.
“I came to Tejo Mahalaya to offer the ‘Gangajal’. Lord Shiv called me in my dreams and I brought kanwar to offer at Tejo Mahalaya. But, they (policemen) have stopped me from going ahead,” Meena Rathore, who is a member of a right-wing group, said.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Taj Suraksha, Syed Areeb Ahmad, informed PTI that she was stopped at the west gate barrier and was not allowed to enter the Taj Mahal.
“After some time, she decided on her own to offer the ‘Gangajal’ at the Rajeshwar temple,” Ahmad added.
However, the spokesperson of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, Sanjay Jaat, supported Rathore saying that it was their “right” to offer ‘Gangajal’ claiming it to be a Lord Shiva temple.
“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 kanwar from Soron ji in Kasganj and reached Agra after two days,” he said.
The monument is often a part of controversy with the right-wing groups claiming it to be a Shiva temple. Rejecting this claim, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had told the court in 2017 that the monument was a tomb and not a temple.
“I came to Tejo Mahalaya to offer the ‘Gangajal’. Lord Shiv called me in my dreams and I brought kanwar to offer at Tejo Mahalaya. But, they (policemen) have stopped me from going ahead,” Meena Rathore, who is a member of a right-wing group, said.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Taj Suraksha, Syed Areeb Ahmad, informed PTI that she was stopped at the west gate barrier and was not allowed to enter the Taj Mahal.
“After some time, she decided on her own to offer the ‘Gangajal’ at the Rajeshwar temple,” Ahmad added.
However, the spokesperson of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, Sanjay Jaat, supported Rathore saying that it was their “right” to offer ‘Gangajal’ claiming it to be a Lord Shiva temple.
“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 kanwar from Soron ji in Kasganj and reached Agra after two days,” he said.
The monument is often a part of controversy with the right-wing groups claiming it to be a Shiva temple. Rejecting this claim, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had told the court in 2017 that the monument was a tomb and not a temple.