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History and identity- Monuments

In a nation as diverse as India that prides itself in a broadened range of history spiraling

from the identity politics, monuments play a big part in the country’s past. India’s Taj Mahal, in

particular, is one of the most significant buildings in the country manifesting India and its

history. However, the building has recently been disregarded as part of the Indian history and

culture, meaning that one of the famous monuments in the world which united India’s national

identity imagining as well as the shared glory that Indians associate with, is being usurped in

creating division in the country. Questioning the Indian-ness of the Taj Mahal monument is

disconnecting the Indian Muslims from a valued part of their history and disconnecting them

from their motherland.

It is noteworthy that Indian Muslims make up a significant percentage of the Indian

population. However, the Hindu nationalists often question the loyalty and right of Muslims to

their homeland (Akins, par 4). The move by the Bharatiya Janata Party government, to exclude

Taj Mahal from the tourism brochure of the state, evidences the divisive communal intent of

disconnecting a vital piece of history constituting the identity of the nation.

The argument that the Taj Mahal was constructed over a destroyed Hindu temple means

that this notion can be applied to other important controversially constructed monuments such as

the Egyptian Pyramids built by slaves. However, the role of such monuments in history is acting
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as reminders of the past, whether good or bad. Unfortunately, some sections of the Indian

society’s prejudice to Muslims has seen them vandalize several other Islamic historical sites

lamenting that, ‘if these people are part of our history, then it is very sad and we will change this

history’ (Akins, par 9). Drawing the line on which part of history to preserve and which to erode,

is unfortunate as it loses the essence of the identity and the past, which is primarily the purpose

of history through such monuments.

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Works Cited

Akins, Harrison. How Hindu Nationalists Politicized Taj Mahal. The Atlantic, 2017