The government has found no evidence that world famous 17th century Mughal monument Taj Mahal was a Hindu Temple, Culture minister Mahesh Sharma told Lok Sabha on Monday.

The minister was responding to the queries with regard to a lawsuit filed in March this year by a group of lawyers who had prayed before an Agra civil court to declare Taj Mahal a Shiva temple.

The Agra district court in April admitted the petition and issued notices to the Union Home Secretary, the Union Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India, asking them to reply by May 6.

The group of six lawyers, who had also made Lord Agreshwar Mahadev a party in their suit, sought court’s direction to allow Hindus to worship in the Taj Mahal.

The lawyers in their petition had also sought restriction on any religious activity performed by Muslims in Taj Mahal and demanded removal of all the graves from the premise of Taj Mahal.

Earlier, the Agra court had dismissed on technical grounds a similar petition filed by the lawyer Harishankar Jain and his five friends. However, the petition was admitted in April.

In the petition, Harishankar Jain had argued that the temple used to be called Tejo Mahalaya.

While acknowledging that the government is aware of the suit, Sharma replied in negative when asked for evidence of Taj Mahal being a Hindu temple. The controversy, according to Mahesh Sharma, has had no affect on tourism.

According to The Hindu, the Approved Guide Association had intervened before the court during the hearing of petition on May 13, saying “The Taj Mahal is a major tourist attraction and a symbol of national pride not only for Agra but also for the entire country. The Mughal monument should not be made controversial. The court should ensure that it is not turned into another Babri Masjid.”