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A video of storyteller and child prodigy Lakshmi reciting the Shiva Tandav inside the Taj Mahal in Agra has gone viral. The clip, shared by Lakshmi on X on Tuesday, shows her chanting the powerful verses against the backdrop of the marble monument. Lakshmi said that she recorded the video last month, but couldn’t share it due to health issues. Lakshmi Calls Taj Mahal ‘Tejomahalaya’ In the video, Lakshmi can be heard saying, “What kind of tomb is this, with lotus flowers carved into it? There’s a river nearby.” She then refers to the monument as Tejo Mahalaya, claiming it to be a temple of Lord Shiva. Linking her visit to the recently released film The Taj Story (released on October 31), Lakshmi said, “Bholenath blessed me so much that I came to visit Tejo Mahalaya for the first time in my life.” The film, starring Paresh Rawal in the lead role, presents a fictional retelling of the monument’s origins, portraying it as a temple rather than a Mughal-era tomb. Lakshmi wrote, “All of you should watch The Taj Story as much as possible. Learn your history.” She concluded her post by saying, “The Taj Mahal we see today was once Tejomahalaya. The truth will surely be revealed one day. Yesterday, on my birthday, I visited it for the first time in my life.” Court Cases Claim Taj Mahal as ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ The Tejo Mahalaya claim was first made by historian PN Oak, who argued that the Taj was a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in the 4th century by Raja Paramardi Dev, and taken over by Shah Jahan, who converted it into a mausoleum. Oak also petitioned the Supreme Court in 2000 to “re-establish the truth and cultural heritage of our country”, but his petition was dismissed as “misconceived”. Then, in July 2024, Yogi Youth Brigade State President Kunwar Ajay Tomar filed a petition in the Agra court, alleging that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fraudulently usurped the structure from Jai Singh and falsely presented it as his wife Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb. Tomar’s lawyers, Shiv Adhar Singh Tomar and Jhamman Singh Raghuvanshi, argued that the temple was built by King Parmardidev between 1155 and 1212 AD and later used by Rajput kings Mansingh and Jaisingh as their palace. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Government of India have been named as defendants in the case, whose hearing is ongoing. A second case, filed by the Yogeshwar Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sangh Trust, also claimed that the Taj Mahal is actually the Tejo Mahalaya Shiva Temple. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for November 27. Official Stand The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains that the Taj Mahal is a 17th-century mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and continues to be recognised globally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s greatest symbols of love.
