AGRA: Noted historian and a leading authority on the Taj Mahal , Professor Ram Nath , has shot a letter to UP CM Yogi Adityanath refuting his ‘belief’ that the 17th century monument has no connection with India’s culture or heritage. Nath, who has written over 50 books on medieval history and several research papers on Taj, rued that by saying that the white marble monument is not a part of Indian culture, Adityanath has brought his 50 years of work to naught.The UP CM had courted controversy on June 15 in his speech in Bihar’s Darbhanga when he stated that the Taj does not reflect Indian culture. “Foreign dignitaries visiting the country used to be gifted replicas of the Taj Mahal and other minarets which did not reflect Indian culture...” Yogi had said. “This is the first time this has happened that when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes abroad, or any foreign president visits India, he is gifted the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita or the Ramayan," Adityanath said in reference to PM’s similar gifts to former US President Barack Obama , Japanese emperor Akihito and PM Shinzo Abe.The 85-year-old historian also gifted the CM one of his books and requested him to go through it before making any controversial statement over Taj in future. “There is a deliberate attempt to erase the medieval history and contributions of kings of that era, just because they were Muslims,” Nath told TOI.“Taj Mahal is situated on Indian land on the banks of Yamuna river. It was built by Indian workers using Indian bricks and mortar in the Indian architectural style,” Nath wrote to CM.“Moreover, it was constructed by an Indian king (Shah Jahan) using India money. He is the same king who gave the 17th century Sanskrit poet Jagannatha, the title of ‘Panditraj’ and compiled dhrupad songs of a 16th century poet in a book titled ‘Saharas’,” he wrote.Along with the letter, Nath also gifted one of his books on the Taj Mahal to CM Yogi. “Please accept it and read. It will clear your myths,” Nath wrote.Nath retired as professor and head of the history and Indian Culture department of the University of Rajasthan in 1993. He taught ‘Islamic Civilization’, ‘Sultanate and Mughal History’ and ‘Medieval Indian Culture’ (including architecture) to graduate, postgraduate and MPhil students.MK Pundhir, an archaeologist at the Centre of Advanced Studies in History, Aligarh Muslim University, said, “Profession Ram Nath has made significant contributions in recording Mughal history and architecture. He is a well-known architectural historian.”