Indian film rekindles debate over Taj Mahal's history

'The Taj Story' has controversial take on identity of UNESCO site

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and first lady Melania Trump at the Taj Mahal, in February 2020. It is depicted in a recent film as having been repurposed from a Hindu structure. © Reuters

QURATULAIN REHBAR

November 9, 2025 11:44 JST

NEW DELHI -- A new Bollywood film, "The Taj Story," has reignited one of India's most polarizing cultural debates -- the claim that the Taj Mahal, the country's best-known monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site, was originally a Hindu temple.