Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Taj Mahal - Not made by Shahajahan!!! BBC

Came across this article, couldn't believe what was written, especially as a name like BBC is involved.

The article produced can be viewed at the following link -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A5220

The Taj Mahal,located near the Indian city of Agra, is one of the world's greatest architectural treasures. The almost supernatural beauty of the Taj Mahal and its grounds transcends culture and history, and speaks with a voice of its own to visitors from all over the world of feelings that are common to all humanity.

There are two stories of how the Taj came to be.

The Taj's Love Story

It has been called the most beautiful temple in the world, despite the fact that it was built at the cost of much human life. The Taj Mahal is a real monument of one man's love for a woman. The story is a sad one, told many times. But it never hurts to tell it again.

In 1631, when his wife died in childbirth, the emperor Shah Jahan brought to Agra the most skilled craftsmen from all Asia and even Europe, to build the white marble mausoleum that is the Taj Mahal. He intended to build a black marble mausoleum for himself, and the link between the two was to be a silver bridge. This fantastic plan suffered a dramatic and permanent setback when the Shah himself died.

Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond description, particularly at dawn and at sunset when it seems to glow in the light. On a foggy morning, it looks as though the Taj is suspended in mid-air when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

This is, of course, an illusion. The Taj stands on a raised square platform with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and a symmetry of architectural elements.

If you don't want the huge crowds to distract you from your view, try arriving just as it opens or is about to close. A few minutes alone in the perpetually echoing inner sanctum will reward you far more than several hours spent on a guided tour. Especially if your tour guide is Murbat Singh, who makes it his job to find a new comic slant on the Taj story every time he tells it.

To really do the Taj Mahal justice, you should plan to spend at least a full day in the grounds, to see this stunning piece of architecture at dawn, midday, and at dusk. The colours and atmosphere of the gardens and the Taj itself constantly change throughout the day. Under moonlight the marble glows.

The Taj's Other Story

If you have ever visited the Taj Mahal then your guide probably told you that it was designed by Ustad Isa of Iran, and built by the Moghul Emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Indian children are taught that it was built in 22 years (1631 to 1653) by 20,000 artisans brought to India from all over the world.

This story has been challenged by Professor P.N. Oak, author of Taj Mahal: The True Story, who believes that the whole world has been duped. He claims that the Taj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz Mahal's tomb, but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya), worshipped by the Rajputs of Agra city.

In the course of his research, Oak discovered that the Shiva temple palace had been usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. Shah Jahan then remodelled the palace into his wife's memorial. In his own court chronicle, Badshahnama, Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai Singh for Mumtaz's burial. The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur is said to retain in his secret collection two orders from Shah Jahan for the surrender of the Taj building.

The use of captured temples and mansions as a burial place for dead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers. For example, Hamayun, Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions.

Oak's inquiries begin with the name Taj Mahal. He says this term does not occur in any Moghul court papers or chronicles, even after Shah Jahan's time. The term 'Mahal' has never been used for a building in any of the Muslim countries, from Afghanistan to Algeria.

'The usual explanation that the term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal is illogical in at least two respects. Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani,' he writes. 'Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name for the building.'

Taj Mahal is, he claims, a corrupt version of Tejo-mahalaya, or the Shiva's Palace. Oak also says that the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale created by court sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy archaeologists. Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time corroborates the love story.

Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting that the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era:

Professor Marvin Miller of New York took samples from the riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan.

European traveller Johan Albert Mandelslo, who visited Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the city in his memoirs, but makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built.

The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of Mumtaz's death, also suggest that the Taj was a noteworthy building long well before Shah Jahan's time.

Oak also points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies that support the belief that the Taj Mahal is a typical Hindu temple rather than a mausoleum.

Many rooms in the Taj Mahal have remained sealed since Shah Jahan's time, and are still inaccessible to the public. Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of Shiva and other objects commonly used for worship rituals in Hindu temples.

Fearing political backlash, Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Oak's book withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the first edition with dire consequences.

The only way to really validate or discredit Oak's research is to open the sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal, and allow international experts to investigate.

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

The world must be made aware of the truth that it was a shiva temple. Also all the facts as presented in the book by the great author P N Oak must be made public and ckecked for correctness infront of neutral representatives of world. Carbon dating of various samples taken from various parts of the building should be carried out to establish the truth and the building should be revived as the shiva temple with all its due prestige.

Anonymous said...

This is a very revealing article. Why don't you start an online petition to get the truth out into the open.

Love
Imogen

Anonymous said...

Government should come forward to reveal the truth.Nevertheless,all our indians should cooperate for this. Whatever it may be,either Lord Shiva's palace or really a tomb built for Mumtaz,we should stay proud,since it belongs tio India.Jai Hind!

Anonymous said...

Our Indian government should take steps to reveal the truth about the TajMahal.Nevertheless,all our indians should cooperate for this. In either case, whether it may be a Tejo Mahalaya, or the tomb for Mumtaz,we should feel proud, since it is our indian's property.The examination is just to know the real truth of India's beautiful monument.

Anonymous said...

Government should take steps to reveal the truth.. after all its a pride of hindus..

Anonymous said...

What will happen after revealing the truth....Killings of people, riots....or may be turns to a temple where only hindus can go...but now both hindus and muslim go together... please dont break India.........

Anonymous said...

this is not true

Anonymous said...

I agree that as Indians we should be proud of Taj Mahal, regardless of whether it was a temple or a grave!
Personally, out of sheer academic interest, I would like to find out the truth.
But who is going to take the responsibility for the consequences of such a survey? The academic interest should not lead to a communal riot!
Hinduism being much, much older than Islam and Christianity, practically almost every monument in India would turn out to be of Hindu origin! The same is true about the people. Almost all muslims and christians in India are 'hindus' of the past! Can they now become 'hindus' again? The answer is a clear no.
Similarly, all these buildings, including the Taj, have to stay as they are, even if one day a survey is carried out!
Are the hindus ready for this decision? The answer is once again a clear no!
That is why, let us 'bury' our 'academic interest' with the dead and enjoy the present!

Unknown said...

Dont insert such a fake information on such place like internet.
This is proved false by indian govt. itself that TAJ MAHAL was a tomb.

Anonymous said...

Surely the truth should be revealed and religion is not the matter. This is a matter of truth so that the next generation should know the facts and not myths. It is hoped that archeological department should take the steps and definitely the people supporting the truth will be with them.

Anonymous said...

I dont believe such People!!! they are all so communal , always trying to make communal disharmony in the country.......

F*** Mr. Oak

Anonymous said...

why dont we all be honest here? P. N. Oak is obviously an anti-muslim indocentric who seeks to discredit all the centuries of credible knowledge with his revisioning of history. It honestly makes me laugh that people believe him. He basically is saying that Muslims do not have the capacity to build something as the Taj and that only Indians have that capacity. Read his other articles and you'll find out what a crackpot ethnocentrist he really is

Ketan said...

i hv read the book by Mr. P. N. Oak and i think there's something to it... i believe that it is a Shive Temple and extensive research is required to be carried out to bring it in front of the public... Being an Architect it hurts when the credit of such a structureis not given to actual builders....

Yog said...

How will bringing out the truth couse riots? Why cant the muslims of India be more liberal and allow the international experts to inspect the basements and let the truth come out once and for all.If it is a hindu structure isnt it a injustice to the hindus? will that injustice be right?

Anonymous said...

if u a word brahma and place last letter of it at first then it becomes abrahm who is the prophet of in islam. and his wife name was sarah. as brahma's wife's name was saraswati ie; sarah + athi. then al hindus shud believ shud become muslim..if what is written u can accept thn accept this too

Anonymous said...

Regarding name it is on the name of mumtaz and it was caled as mumtaz mahal in ancient time.If u see brahma and just replace the last letter a in front of it, ul rread it as abrahm.Abrahm was a prophet in islam. And his wife name was sarah which was similar to saraswati(sarah+ athi). According to this all hindus should believ in him and should convert to islam. Coming to the topic if its a not a joke dn i have never seen a temple in masjid shape. Their is no temple in the whole world made in mosque shape. If its true then their might be a case that those hindu might have built a mosque at that time...3dr point is their is not even a single image or broken image in the wall of taj mahal. Quranic verses are carved in that. In temples too the images are carved. bt in taj mahal its not. If they could find a single in image in that then their could be any chance. over that saying they have closed the places where dr is images n all...so i should say that even washrooms of tajmahals are closed..dat doesnt mean shiva image was present their also...stupidity..if u believ in hinduism believe in one god as sai baba says sabka malik ek hai...dn follow wat he speaks rather than fighting this land belongs to hindu or muslim. ull die leaving the taj mahal n all. drs no point in arguing such on such a waste topic.

ANAND said...

I believe u MR.OAK coz this is the truth that the world won't agree to digest this

ANAND said...

I believe u Mr.OAK coz this is the truth that the world won't agree to digest..

Anonymous said...

Taj mahal is our national pride and is belong to every indian so please enjoy it rather than thingking why it is not belong to your religion or community.

Anonymous said...

The archaeological department should carry out extensive studies of the monument and reveal the true story.If indeed the Taj is a Hindu temple than it's a pity that the splendid work is wrongly attributed to the undeserving ones.

Anonymous said...

Well, India was under British rule for more than a century. If there were any closed rooms the Britishers would have made those things public.
Well I am a Hindu and I will be happy if this story is true. But I doubt it.

Unknown said...

taj mahal is not built by shah jahan p.n oak claimed it by showing proofs.
taj mahal is a hindu temple

Anonymous said...

Honestly speaking, this truth should never be reveled.....

Because if it is reveled it might trigger a war between hindu and muslim.

Some mistakes where made in tge past but if we try to correct it now then it might cost many inocent lives.

Some things r better hidden.

ABTC said...

great post

Unknown said...

world must be made aware of the fact that weather taj mahal was a lord shivas temple perviously or not. government should take steps so that the truth can be unfolded.

Anonymous said...

if you look at some of the old pictures of the Taj, you'll find that there's a sacred well, a red lotus motif, a music hall along with the sealed rooms that appear to be living quarters. and no matter how anybody feels about it, carbon dating and written records of the time- both Indians & non-Indians- show that the Taj was there(as a complete structure), not being built during Shah Jahan's time. And truth be told, even Rama's temple that's been converted into a mosque 400yrs ago would have been told the same- that some Shah built it 4 centuries ago, if the lawsuit for its return wasn't ongoing by the time the British colonized India a century later, providing us with perhaps the longest living lawsuit in the history of the world with extensive paper trail documenting the claims of its rightful owners. Another scholar has also observed that the foundational plan for the Taj is identical to Java Hindu temple, although the exterior looks different.

I agree that scholars should investigate, while preparing people to embrace the outcome (whatever it may be) peacefully. Let's start with what other Agra mansion Shah Jahan could have been referring to as one he took from the Raja to bury Mumtaz and *why* does carbon dating contradict the official story. Carbon dating proving the accounts of travellers and Jahan's own account should suffice in establishing a reasonable doubt for investigation. The stance by the Indian govt doesn't surprise me at all, given how they chose to address the Rama temple controversy.

Anonymous said...

I see your point but that was the logic the Indian govt used to address the Rama temple controversy and that proved to be fatal and divisive than returning it to the Hindus. In fact, this situation not being an isolated incident, and that other sites and historical structures considered to be of religious and cultural heritage of Hindus have been historically confiscated and converted to mosques & royal tombs show just how deep this problem is and raise more tension bc it does show preferential treatment towards those currently occupying the spaces. no other religious or ethnic group can take away places deemed sacred by Muslims; in fact, even if there was a case in which that happened 600yrs ago, they would be demanding for its return right this minute. so, why the double standards?

Anonymous said...

Almost all the responses against the theories of P.N. Oak warn of violence and bloodshed...??

Why is P.N. Oak's find to be buried ?
Because there will be violence and bloodshed...

Unknown said...

In this country of almost a billion Hindus, no one has the courage to touch the Mussalmans. Call it secularism or vote bank politics; Minorities rule over here and political bosses give a damn to majority aspirations. Investigation is out of question. But the author and the publisher could well have been assacinated.

Unknown said...

one of the wonders of the world, and we r not even sure about its true history. I think everyone who has ever visited or adored this building deserves to know the truth, the govt should rise above vote bank politics and issue an order to open the closed doors of this building so that reality is revealed to the world.

Unknown said...

one of the wonders of the world, and we r not even sure about its true history. I think everyone who has ever visited or adored this building deserves to know the truth, the govt should rise above vote bank politics and issue an order to open the closed doors of this building so that reality is revealed to the world.

Unknown said...

When the honourable supreme court can order to unearth the Great Sri padmanab temple in kerala why not Taj Mahal not know the truth , why bias on religion enough is enough no more vote bank politics , ek bharath shresht bharath to be implemented

Anonymous said...

if u carefully observe the interiors and exterior of taj mahal,it does'nt look like a tomb.the truth should be revealed .i request the archaeological department to carefully examine the monument and reveal the truth
it is matter of truth not of any relegion.
the govt. of india should come forward for the case.and all indians should maintain peace.
whatever it is a temple or tomb, it is indian monument....

Anonymous said...

if u carefully observe the interiors and exterior of taj mahal,it does'nt look like a tomb.the truth should be revealed .i request the archaeological department to carefully examine the monument and reveal the truth
it is matter of truth not of any relegion.
the govt. of india should come forward for the case.and all indians should maintain peace.
whatever it is a temple or tomb, it is indian monument....

Anonymous said...

Let's just keep aside Mr.oak statement from his book.how would anyone in their right mind say carbon dating is bullshit.its proved that taj mahal is built approx 300 years before shajahan's reign through carbon dating method.
No one can change the fact that its Hindu origin.Indian government should focus on this.the next generations should learn about the facts that really happened not some stories n myths.

Anonymous said...

Few things maybe hidden not an entire Indian history.Taj mahal is just a begining.most temples in India are conquered and changed by foreign rulers.

oas said...

Fu..k mugals not Mr. Oak .. these people are trying to destroy our culture our religion ... n if sum1 is really trying to revel the truth .. u r simply abusing them ... just go n read the history .. n have n survey that how many mandirs are converted by Muslims ...

oas said...

Do u really belive in Indian government ???

oas said...

Do u really belive in Indian government ???

oas said...

Oh.. thank god u r Indian ... I have a doubt

oas said...

Yes .. diz is very true...

Unknown said...

First up all this announcement is not by BBC... it can be do by any web sites.. Sulekha.com says about this BBC how they created website address ...

P.N.Oak is a Basically Indian Soldier.. he is not historia. ... He work for RSS.

Unknown said...

Fake story creater... P.N.Oak is not professor nor Historian .. he is a soldier of India and RSS writer.

Unknown said...

First up all this announcement is not by BBC... it can be do by any web sites.. Sulekha.com says about this BBC how they created website address ...

P.N.Oak is a Basically Indian Soldier.. he is not historia. ... He work for RSS.