Sunday, August 13, 2006
Shiv Sena 'Guerrilla Operation' to Pray at Taj Foiled
By Brij Khandelwal
Agra: Attempts by the rightwing group Shiv Sena to enter India's famed Taj Mahal were foiled Monday when police cordoned off the area forcing them to perform a series of Hindu rituals called 'maha aarti' outside.
About 20 Shiv Sena activists were arrested Monday as police cordoned off the 500-metre area around Taj Mahal. They had then moved to the area around the complex called the Taj Corridor from where they performed the ritualistic aarti.
The failed effort to perform the rituals inside Taj, a 17th century mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, comes 2 days after thousands of Muslim pilgrims returning from the Sufi shrine at Ajmer entered the complex to offer prayers and see the monument.
As a reaction to the incident, the Shiv Sena had announced the rituals to reassert their claim that the mausoleum was built at the site of a Shiva temple. When asked how they would enter, a Sena official had said Friday: "This will be a guerrilla operation."
Shiv Sainiks believe that Taj Mahal was originally a Rajput structure, which housed a Shiva temple. They have prepared a long list of evidence in support of their claim, which most historians do not accept.
Taj Mahal, a white domed monument considered one of the wonders of the world, is closed to visitors on Fridays, but opens for about two hours in the afternoon to allow local Muslims to offer prayers at the mosque inside.
Archaeological Society of India officials told Www.mediabharti.com that the government directive failed to distinguish between locals and outsiders, who took advantage of this ambiguity, resulting in utter chaos this past Friday.
Agra: Attempts by the rightwing group Shiv Sena to enter India's famed Taj Mahal were foiled Monday when police cordoned off the area forcing them to perform a series of Hindu rituals called 'maha aarti' outside.
About 20 Shiv Sena activists were arrested Monday as police cordoned off the 500-metre area around Taj Mahal. They had then moved to the area around the complex called the Taj Corridor from where they performed the ritualistic aarti.
The failed effort to perform the rituals inside Taj, a 17th century mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, comes 2 days after thousands of Muslim pilgrims returning from the Sufi shrine at Ajmer entered the complex to offer prayers and see the monument.
As a reaction to the incident, the Shiv Sena had announced the rituals to reassert their claim that the mausoleum was built at the site of a Shiva temple. When asked how they would enter, a Sena official had said Friday: "This will be a guerrilla operation."
Shiv Sainiks believe that Taj Mahal was originally a Rajput structure, which housed a Shiva temple. They have prepared a long list of evidence in support of their claim, which most historians do not accept.
Taj Mahal, a white domed monument considered one of the wonders of the world, is closed to visitors on Fridays, but opens for about two hours in the afternoon to allow local Muslims to offer prayers at the mosque inside.
Archaeological Society of India officials told Www.mediabharti.com that the government directive failed to distinguish between locals and outsiders, who took advantage of this ambiguity, resulting in utter chaos this past Friday.
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 4:48 AM 
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