The right-wing group submits a memorandum to the authorities and warned of agitation; Muslims call it an attack on faith and heritage
AGRA — The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha has once again stirred a controversy by opposing the three-day Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan at the Taj Mahal, a long-observed Muslim religious tradition, creating tension days before the event is due to begin.
Leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Agra administration demanding immediate cancellation of the three-day Urs starting on Jan 15. The event, which marks the death anniversary of Shah Jahan, has been observed for decades and is attended by devotees, local residents and visitors from across the country.
Instead of celebrating the Taj Mahal as a shared cultural and historical monument, the organisation questioned its Islamic history and objected to Muslim religious practices at the site.
“This place is Tejomahalaya. No Urs or Islamic ritual should be allowed here,” a Hindu Mahasabha leader said while submitting the memorandum. “Only the flag of Bhole Baba should be hoisted.”
The memorandum claimed that there was no written permission for the Urs during Mughal or British rule, citing RTI replies and selected court documents. The group also referred to a Supreme Court order that allows only local residents of Tajganj to offer Friday prayers at the monument, arguing that other religious activities should be stopped.
The organisation pointed to a petition pending before the Agra Civil Court (Senior Division), registered as case number 63/2024, which seeks a ban on the Urs. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for January 15.
“Until the court gives its verdict, no Urs should take place,” a Hindu Mahasabha functionary said. “If our demand is ignored, we will intensify our protest.”
Muslim community leaders and historians have criticised the move, saying it reflects a pattern of denying Muslim history and traditions linked to India’s heritage sites.
“The Urs is part of the Taj Mahal’s living history,” said a local Muslim cleric from Tajganj. “Trying to stop it is not about law, it is about erasing Muslim presence and faith.”
Another resident said, “For years, the Taj has been targeted with false claims. Today it is the Urs, tomorrow it will be prayers. This creates fear among ordinary Muslims.”
The controversy is not new. For several years, the Hindu Mahasabha and allied groups have claimed that the Taj Mahal is Tejomahalaya, despite repeated rejections of such claims by historians and experts. Similar demands have been raised to restrict or ban Muslim religious activities at other historic sites.
The timing of the latest protest has raised concerns, especially as the Urs traditionally allows free entry to the Taj Mahal for three days, drawing large crowds of devotees and tourists.
While the district administration has not yet issued an official statement, security around the Taj Mahal has been tightened following the memorandum and public warnings. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We are monitoring the situation closely and will maintain law and order during the Urs period.”
As preparations for the Urs continue, many see the latest objections as part of a wider effort to question Muslim traditions and rewrite history, turning a monument admired worldwide into a space of repeated conflict rather than shared heritage.
