Taj Mahal dropped from UP tourism booklet? Here's why the controversy erupted

The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world does not excite the imagination of Yogi Adityanath's administration

The Taj Mahal may be one of the ‘seven wonders of the world,’ attracting millions of tourists each year, but it has failed to feature in Uttar Pradesh’s latest tourism booklet.

The 32-page booklet, which has the famed Ganga aarti as its cover image, has been printed to promote the tourist spots in Uttar Pradesh, but surprisingly the most prominent and popular one is missing.

Latest Current Affairs : Titled Apaar Sambhavnaye or ‘Boundless Possibilities’, the brochure released by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department displays most of the other cultural and heritage sites in the State, particularly those associated with the Hindu religious tourism. Earlier, it was also reported that the BJP Government in the state had not included Taj Mahal as part of Uttar Pradesh's "cultural heritage".

Taj Mahal irrelevant to Indian culture - UP CM

Yogi Adityanath, earlier this year, said that Taj Mahal and other minarets - monuments made during the medieval and Mughal era - were not reflective of Indian culture.

Last month, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister made the controversial statement that Mughals were "plunderers" and not "our ancestors" as depicted in Indian history.

He also called Shah Jahan "barbaric" for amputating the hands of the artisans who constructing the Taj Mahal."The Taj Mahal is an outstanding monument depicting Indian craftsmanship but Shahjahan amputated the hands of artisans who made the Taj. This is not Indian culture and shows he was barbaric.

The deputy chief minister's remarks come about three months after his boss, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Read More