Monument of love, the Taj Mahal, at heart of political storm
Oct 19, 2017
The white marble monument of love, the Taj Mahal, is at the heart of a political storm, with some members of India's ruling Hindu right-wing party claiming the mausoleum built by a Muslim emperor does not reflect Indian culture
LUCKNOW, India — India's famed Taj Mahal is finding itself at the heart of a political storm, with some members of the country's ruling Hindu right-wing party claiming that the mausoleum built by a Muslim emperor does not reflect Indian culture.
The most recent attack came this week when Sangeet Som, a lawmaker from the Bharatiya Janata Party, called the 17th century monument "a blot on Indian culture" that was built by "traitors."
But Som wasn't the first to attack the mausoleum that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built in the northern city of Agra in memory of his favorite wife.
The federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also been accused of attempting to rewrite history textbooks, especially where India's past Muslim medieval rulers are concerned.
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