<div align="justify">The Taj Mahal was built by demolishing a Shiva temple, a legislator from Uttar Pradesh's ruling BJP said here today as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the 17th century monument.<br /><div align="justify"><br />The Mughals first demolished the temple and then built the Taj Mahal, Agra North MLA Jagan Prasad Garg told reporters at the complex.<br /><br />Several historians believe that there was a Shiva temple at the same place where the Taj Mahal is located. Mughals first demolished the Shiva temple and then built the Taj Mahal. It is a fact, he said.<br /><br />Garg, however, added that the BJP believes in the Taj Mahal and acknowledge its importance.<br /><br />It is the worlds seventh wonder. The Taj Mahal is visited by millions every year and Agra is famous due to this monument, he said.<br /><br />At the time, Adityanath was visiting the Taj Mahal along with several senior BJP leaders, including state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi.<br /><br />Adityanath's visit, the first by a BJP chief minister of the state, is being seen by many as a damage control exercise after a series of controversies erupted, beginning with a UP tourism department booklet not mentioning the white marble monument in its list of development projects in the state.<br /><br />Subsequently, BJP MLA Sangeet Som called Taj Mahal a "blot on Indian history" and BJP MP Vinay Katiyar said it was originally a Shiva temple.<br /><br />However, addressing a rally in Gorakhpur recently, Adityanath called Taj Mahal the "pride of India" and referred to it as a "world class monument".<br /><br />Asked about the recent statements from BJP leaders, Garg said, Even within a family, people have their own opinion and say things.<br /><br />Historians and archaeologists have rubbished the theory that the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, was a temple.</div></div>
<div align="justify">The Taj Mahal was built by demolishing a Shiva temple, a legislator from Uttar Pradesh's ruling BJP said here today as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the 17th century monument.<br /><div align="justify"><br />The Mughals first demolished the temple and then built the Taj Mahal, Agra North MLA Jagan Prasad Garg told reporters at the complex.<br /><br />Several historians believe that there was a Shiva temple at the same place where the Taj Mahal is located. Mughals first demolished the Shiva temple and then built the Taj Mahal. It is a fact, he said.<br /><br />Garg, however, added that the BJP believes in the Taj Mahal and acknowledge its importance.<br /><br />It is the worlds seventh wonder. The Taj Mahal is visited by millions every year and Agra is famous due to this monument, he said.<br /><br />At the time, Adityanath was visiting the Taj Mahal along with several senior BJP leaders, including state Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi.<br /><br />Adityanath's visit, the first by a BJP chief minister of the state, is being seen by many as a damage control exercise after a series of controversies erupted, beginning with a UP tourism department booklet not mentioning the white marble monument in its list of development projects in the state.<br /><br />Subsequently, BJP MLA Sangeet Som called Taj Mahal a "blot on Indian history" and BJP MP Vinay Katiyar said it was originally a Shiva temple.<br /><br />However, addressing a rally in Gorakhpur recently, Adityanath called Taj Mahal the "pride of India" and referred to it as a "world class monument".<br /><br />Asked about the recent statements from BJP leaders, Garg said, Even within a family, people have their own opinion and say things.<br /><br />Historians and archaeologists have rubbished the theory that the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, was a temple.</div></div>