Taj Mahal controversy: Photos of 22 underground rooms revealed by ASI, know what’s inside

Just a few days after the Allahabad High Court rejected the plea for a “fact-finding inquiry” inside the Taj Mahal, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) released some unseen photos of the monument, which were clicked during restoration work earlier this year.

In the midst of the controversy sparked by the High Court petition to open the 22 “closed rooms” of the Taj Mahal, the ASI’s January newsletter included photographs of some of the underground rooms, which were clicked during restoration work in the monument.

According to TOI reports, the restoration work in the Taj Mahal took place between December 2021 and May 2022, and the photos have been uploaded on the ASI website “for everyone to see”.

Click on the link to download/view the January issue of @ASIGoI's Newsletter.https://t.co/tIJmE46UR4 pic.twitter.com/UKWsTA2nPZ

— Archaeological Survey of India (@ASIGoI) May 9, 2022

Amid the Taj Mahal controversy, the ASI website reads, “The maintenance work of underground cells on the riverside of the Taj Mahal was taken up a few months ago. Decayed and disintegrated lime plaster was removed and a fresh coat was laid. Traditional lime processing took place before application.”

The newsletter by the Archeological Survey of India further states that the restoration and conservation of monuments in the country is the duty of the ASI, and they conduct routine checks, no matter if the area is open to visitors or not.

Last week, the Allahabad High Court ruled against the petition seeking the opening of the 22 closed rooms in the Taj Mahal and launching a “fact-finding inquiry”. The high court bench said that the petitioner failed to point out which one of his constitutional rights was being infringed by keeping the doors closed.

Rajneesh Singh, who is the media in charge of the BJP's Ayodhya unit, had filed a petition earlier this month, urging the ASI to open the 22 underground rooms in the Taj Mahal to check if there are idols of Hindu deities behind the doors.

The petitioner further brought up claims from several Hindutva groups that the Taj Mahal is actually an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva called the Tejo Mahalaya.

READ | Sec 144 imposed in MP's Neemuch as two groups clash over installation of Hanuman statue