India News

Taj Mahal a Hindu temple, housed Shivling: BJP MP Vinay Katiyar

Published

9 years ago

October 18, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The controversial MP from Kanpur known for his hate speeches against Muslims says Mughals destroyed the temple to build a mausoleum

It appears that even Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s intervention to contain the growing embarrassment for his party being caused by its leaders making controversial statements over the Taj Mahal have had no effect on his party’s loudmouthed colleague.

A day after Adityanath asserted that the Taj Mahal’s past was irrelevant and what mattered was that the stunning marble mausoleum was built by the “blood and sweat of the sons of Bharat Mata”, controversial BJP MP from Kanpur, Vinay Katiyar reignited the row over the 17^th Century Mughal monument by claiming that it “is a Hindu Temple” which once housed a Shivling that was removed by the Mughals when they converted the structure into a mausoleum.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]A Hindutva hardliner Katiyar is known for his hate speeches directed against Muslims and his fanciful theory, which is devoid of any historical evidence, draws inspiration from a line of thought that sympathizers of the BJP’s parent organisation – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – have been pushing for decades.

Reacting to the row over the Taj Mahal on Wednesday, Katiyar told news agency: “The Mughals destroyed our temple. Taj Mahal is a Hindu temple. Symbols of our Gods and Goddesses can be found there…Water from a great height used to drip on the Shivling kept in the temple. They (the Mughals) have removed the Shivling and built a mausoleum.”

Adityanath’s comments on the Taj Mahal, his scheduled visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26 and his plans to oversee the progress in the Rs 370 crore development package that his government has announced for Agra are all being viewed as the chief minister’s attempts at controlling the political damage caused to the BJP due to controversial statements of the party’s leaders against the architectural marvel.

Besides Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik too had warned against playing politics over the Taj Mahal, asserting that the monument is “one of the wonders of the world and the pride of our country”.

Katiyar comments come days after BJP’s Sangeet Som, the party MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Sardhana constituency, claimed that the Taj Mahal is a “blot on Indian culture”. Earlier, the Adityanath government’s tourism department had omitted any reference to the Taj Mahal in a brochure that it published to highlight tourism hot spots of the state.

Adityanath’s deputy, Dinesh Sharma had in September said that Mughals “were not our ancestors but looters” and described Shah Jahan as a “barbaric ruler” while endorsing the falsehood that the Mughal Emperor had got hands of the construction workers who built the Taj Mahal amputated.

The amputation theory – like Katiyar’s claim of the Taj Mahal being a Hindu temple – is one that finds no basis in history but has been in circulation in India for decades, thanks to the misinformation spread by several tourist guides at the Taj and self-styled BJP-sympathizing historians like PN Oak.

It was Oak who floated the absurd theory that the mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife Mumtaj Mahal was built atop a Shiva temple and was originally called Tejo Mahala. Oak’s petition to the Supreme Court over a decade ago, in which he had demanded excavation of the Taj Mahal’s foundation to support his theory had been summarily dismissed. Oak, who dies in 2007, had also floated an equally ridiculous theory – that not just the Taj Mahal but even the Vatican City was once a huge Shiva temple which was later destroyed and converted as into the centre of the Catholic Church by the Christians![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related Topics:Uttar Pradesh Vinay Katiyar Yogi Aditiyanath

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India News

Air India sacks Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after failing drug test

Air India has terminated the Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after a confirmatory test found a psychoactive substance following the August 4 incident.

Published

12 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

Air India has terminated the employment of the pilot-in-command of a Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance.

The pilot was in command of flight AI2379, which was travelling from Phuket to Delhi on August 4 when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude over Odisha. The incident left 24 passengers injured.

Air India said the termination was in line with its zero-tolerance policy regarding safety violations and regulatory requirements.

Air India terminates pilot with immediate effect

In a statement, the Tata-owned airline said the pilot-in-command had tested positive for a psychoactive substance.

The airline said that, considering its zero-tolerance approach to violations related to safety, fitness and regulatory requirements, the pilot’s employment had been terminated with immediate effect.

Air India also said it continues to cooperate fully with the investigation into the incident and has provided access to relevant operational, maintenance and technical records.

What happened on the Phuket-Delhi flight?

According to the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the Airbus A320 was carrying 145 people when it experienced the near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems while cruising at around 36,000 feet.

The technical failure resulted in the autopilot disconnecting and triggered a brief stall warning. The aircraft subsequently lost altitude, resulting in injuries to 24 passengers.

The preliminary report also noted that the pilot tested non-negative for a psychoactive substance in a confirmatory test.

However, the report did not establish that the pilot’s drug-test result caused or contributed to the hydraulic system failure or the subsequent loss of altitude.

AAIB recommends action over psychoactive substance finding

The AAIB described the confirmation of psychoactive substance use as a serious concern and recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take appropriate action against the pilot on priority.

The investigation into the technical and other aspects of the incident is still underway.

The preliminary report also noted that the co-pilot was flying the aircraft when the incident occurred and attempted to bring the situation under control.

Air India said safety remains its highest priority and that its pilots undergo training, proficiency checks, medical examinations and other regulatory assessments in accordance with applicable requirements.

India News

India offers forensic DNA support to identify Nepal flood victims

India will make forensic laboratory facilities available for DNA profiling of first-degree relatives of people missing after Nepal’s August 26 flash floods.

Published

17 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

India has offered forensic laboratory support to help identify people who remain missing after the devastating flash floods in Nepal.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said central and state forensic laboratories in India will make their DNA profiling facilities available for first-degree biological relatives of people missing after the August 26 flash floods in Nepal.

DNA samples can be provided by relatives in India

According to the MEA, first-degree biological relatives living in India can have their biological samples collected and DNA profiles prepared.

The relatives can include a person’s father, mother, son, daughter or sibling. DNA profiling can be carried out at Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs), State Forensic Science Laboratories (SFSLs), laboratories of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), and NABL-accredited laboratories with DNA profiling capabilities.

The initiative is intended to support Nepal’s ongoing process of identifying mortal remains recovered after the flash floods.

DNA profiles to be compared with unidentified remains

The MEA said the DNA profiling may use Autosomal STR DNA profiling, as advised by Nepal Police, subject to the technical requirements communicated by the Nepali authorities.

Once prepared, DNA profiles and the preliminary information required by Nepalese authorities can be sent to Nepal Police by email for comparison with DNA profiles obtained from unidentified mortal remains.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu will also facilitate coordination, with copies of the DNA profiles to be shared with the embassy for this purpose.

Nepal flood death toll rises

The death toll from the flash floods has risen to at least 1,259, according to Nepalese authorities, after rescue workers recovered additional bodies from affected areas.

More than 12,000 people have been rescued, while around 5,000 people remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.

The flash floods, which followed an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, caused extensive destruction across towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.

India News

PM Modi hails ISRO after successful GSLV-F17 launch, calls it proud moment

PM Modi congratulated ISRO after GSLV-F17 successfully launched EOS-05, calling the achievement a proud moment for India.

Published

22 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the successful launch of the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite, describing the achievement as a proud moment for the nation.

The GSLV-F17 lifted off at 2:55 a.m. IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The EOS-05 satellite was subsequently placed into its designated sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit.

PM Modi praises ISRO’s growing capabilities

In a post on X, PM Modi said the successful mission reflected the excellence, innovation and expanding capabilities of India’s space sector.

Yet another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a proud moment for our nation.

The successful launch of GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05, India’s first-ever imaging satellite from Geosynchronous orbit is a reflection of the excellence, innovation and growing capabilities that define… https://t.co/fXzwnSmwAF
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2026

He also highlighted the growing partnership between ISRO and Indian industry, saying it was strengthening India’s space programme and expanding capabilities across the wider space ecosystem.

The prime minister described the successful launch of GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 as another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a matter of national pride.

EOS-05 strengthens earth observation capabilities

According to the report, EOS-05 is India’s first-ever imaging satellite from geosynchronous orbit. The satellite is designed to provide continuous observation of the country from an altitude of nearly 36,000 km above Earth.

The mission is expected to strengthen India’s earth observation capabilities and support advanced imaging and observation applications.

ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan expressed satisfaction with the mission, saying the satellite was precisely injected into its intended orbit.

Mission Director Thomas Kurian described the launch as a significant milestone for the GSLV programme. He said it was the 19th flight of the GSLV and noted that EOS-05 is the heaviest satellite the launch vehicle has placed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit or sub-GTO orbit.

GSLV-F17 launch vehicle details

The GSLV-F17 stands 51.7 metres tall and has an approximate liftoff mass of 420.5 tonnes.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh also congratulated the ISRO team following the successful mission. He described EOS-05 as a state-of-the-art Earth observation satellite capable of advanced imaging across visible, infrared, multispectral and hyperspectral bands.