JK News Today
New Delhi, May 17:
Amid the Taj Mahal controversy, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) released some unseen photos of the monument, which were clicked during restoration work earlier this year.
Recently, the Allahabad High Court rejected the plea to open the 22 “closed rooms” for a “fact-finding inquiry” inside 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. The ASI has uploaded photos on its website “for everyone to see”.
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.
Notably, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Diya Kumari on May 11 claimed that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan captured the land on which the Taj Mahal has been built in Agra that used to be a palace of the Jaipur royal family.
“As per documents with us, the land on which the Taj Mahal has been built that land was a palace. Shah Jahan captured it during his rule. The land belonged to Jaipur royal family (erstwhile) and we have got the documents that it belonged to us,” Kumari told media persons.
“I have heard that he gave some compensation in lieu of it. If the court directs we will provide the documents,” added the Lok Sabha MP from Rajsamand.
