P. N. Oak

Purushottam Nagesh Oak (P. N. Oak) (1917-2007) was an Indian writer and self-proclaimed historian known for his controversial theories about Indian history and architecture. He is best known for his book Taj Mahal: The True Story, in which he claimed that the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple palace called Tejo Mahalaya, and not a mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Oak's theories, which also extended to other historical monuments and religious sites globally, asserting their Hindu origins, are widely rejected by mainstream historians and archaeologists due to lack of credible evidence and historical methodology. He founded the "Institute for Rewriting Indian History" in 1964, aiming to research and promote his alternative historical interpretations. His work is often categorized as pseudo-history. He also wrote books asserting that Christianity and Islam originated as distortions of Hinduism and that the Vatican, Westminster Abbey, and Kaaba were originally Hindu temples.