Days before the 369th ‘Urs’ of Mughal Tyrant Shah Jahan to be held at Taj Mahal, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has filed a petition before a Civil Court in Agra seeking a ban on the commemoration of Shah Jahan’s death. Additionally, the petition also challenges the free entry for ‘Urs’ inside the Taj Mahal. The Civil Court accepted the petition and fixed 4th March as the next date of hearing in this matter.
As per Islamic tradition, Urs means the death anniversary of a Sufi saint which is held at the latter’s dargah (shrine or tomb).
The petition was moved by the district president of the Hindu outfit, Saurabh Sharma. Speaking with PTI, his lawyer said, “They have sought for a permanent prohibitory injunction against the committee celebrating the ‘Urs’. The petitioner has also objected to having free entry for the Urs at the Taj Mahal.”
According to the outfit’s national spokesperson Sanjay Jat, under the Right To Information (RTI) they had sought information from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The outfit sought information on whether any permission for the commemoration of the ‘Urs’ was given by the Mughals, the British government, or the Indian government.
The ASI responded that there was no such permission granted to the ‘Urs’ organising committee.
The outfit’s Spokesperson said, “The petition has been filed on the basis of an RTI filed by a Raj Kishore Raje, an historian of Agra city. In the RTI, he asked ASI who permitted ‘Urs’ celebration and ‘Namaz’ in Taj Mahal premises. The ASI replied that neither Mughals, nor the British government or the Government of India have allowed ‘Urs’ celebration in the Taj Mahal.”
Following the ASI’s response, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha moved the court seeking a permanent prohibitory injunction on ‘Urs’. This year, the 369th Urs will be held for three days from February 6 to February 8.
During the three-day event, the death of Shah Jahan under whose reign the Taj Mahal was built, is commemorated. It involves rituals like ‘chadar posh’, ‘sandal’, ‘gusul’, and ‘kul’, while on the final day of the ‘Urs’, a ‘chadar’ (bedsheet), measuring 1,880 metres or more, is offered.
Speaking with India Today, Hindu Mahasabha divisional president Meena Diwakar and district president Saurabh Sharma emphasised that the commemoration of the ‘Urs’ is illegal as no religious programmes could be held inside ASI monuments.
Sharma further stated that the Hindu Mahasabha intends to file a petition for a survey of the Taj Mahal premises on the lines of the petitions in the Kashi Vishwanath and Krishna Janmabhoomi cases where a survey had been ordered.
Meanwhile, during the three days of the Urs, entry to the Taj Mahal will be free, and the schedule will be notified by the ASI soon, as per media reports.
However, the ‘Urs’ organising committee chairman Syed Ibrahim Zaidi claimed that the ASI issues permissions for the event annually. According to him, this year, too, it has been granted. He added that a couple of days before, a meeting was held at the ASI office to discuss the arrangements for the ‘Urs’.
Zaidi further stated that the ‘Urs’ of Mughal tyrant Shah Jahan had been held at the Taj Mahal for centuries. He rejected the claim that there was no permission for the same stating that was completely “bogus”.
He added that the British government and subsequently the Indian government have always permitted the ‘Urs’.
