Jaipur’s Royal Family stakes claim of Taj Mahal, still have documents of that land belonging to their ancestors

The land on which the Taj Mahal was built originally belonged to Jaipur’s ruler Jai Singh and it was acquired by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, former Princess Diya Kumari claimed on Wednesday, asserting that records are available with the erstwhile Jaipur royal family.

Diya Kumari’s remark comes after a petition has been filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court asking the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to examine the 22 locked rooms of the Taj Mahal to check for the presence of Hindu idols. The petition was filed by Rajneesh Singh, BJP media in-charge of Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya district, on May 4.

Talking to the media in Jaipur, Kumari who is also a BJP MP supported the petition and said, “It should be investigated what was there before the monument was built. People have the right to know what was there originally before the ‘maqbara’,”She claimed that Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had taken possession of the land belonging to her family.

“Compensation was given in lieu of the land but how much was it, whether it was accepted or not, I cannot say this because I have not studied the records which are there in our ‘pothikhana’. But the land belonged to our family and Shah Jahan had acquired it,” Diya Kumari said.

“Since there was no judiciary, no appeal could have been made at that time. Things will be clear only after examining the records,” she added.

She added that there are records available with the Jaipur family and it would provide these, if required.

When asked if a petition will also be filed in the court on behalf of the former royal family of Jaipur, BJP MP Diya Kumari that they are looking into it now and will examine what steps should be taken.