LUCKNOW, 14 July 2005 — A powerful Indian Muslim religious body said yesterday it owned the Taj Mahal after a court asked it to settle the question of ownership of the centuries-old monument to love.
The claim by the state-funded Sunni Waqf (Trust) Board in Uttar Pradesh state, home to the Taj, was immediately contested by the government-run Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that has maintained the building since the late 19th century.
The state high court had asked the Waqf Board to decide on the Taj’s ownership after some Indian religious groups staked their claim to the marble tomb built by Shahjehan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in Agra, 200 kilometers south of New Delhi.
“As of today, the ASI ceases to have absolute right of possession over the monument,” said Hafiz Usman, chairman of the Waqf Board. “Henceforth, we would have the right to manage all religious rituals carried out inside the Taj Mahal premises.”
The Board had earlier asked the government and the high court to give it ownership of the 350-year-old Taj and seven percent of the takings from the more than 20,000 people who visit each day.
Like other state Sunni Waqfs, the Uttar Pradesh body was granted ownership of Sunni graves in the state and also claims the Taj as a grave under its care. It insists the emperor and his wife were Sunni Muslims.
But some leaders of the state’s Shiite Waqf Board say the mausoleum was built under the supervision of an Iranian Shiite architect and that Shahjehan was in fact a Shiite. So the Shiite Waqf should own it.
Usman, however, said the ASI would continue to look after and maintain the monument as before. The ASI said it would not give up custody.
“We will move the Allahabad High Court to get this order set aside,” said S.K. Sharma, ASI assistant superintending archaeologist.
