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We have all heard how the Taj Mahal, which is considered one of the great
wonders of the world, was built as the preeminent expression of a man's love
for a wife. That it was built by emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his
wife Mumtaz. However, in our continuous effort to get to the truth, we have
recently acquired some very important documents and information. There is
evidence that the Taj Mahal was never built by Shah Jahan. Some say the Taj
Mahal pre-dates Shah Jahan by several centuries and was originally built as a
Hindu or Vedic temple/palace complex. Shah Jahan merely acquired it from
its previous owner, the Hindu King Jai Singh.
These photographs are taken from an album that was found and then
smuggled out of India. On the back of each photo there is a stamp mark that
says, "Archaeology Survey of India." This signifies their authenticity and that
they were the property of that institution. This means a number of things: That
the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) has been researching the evidence that
proves the Taj Mahal and many other buildings were not of Muslim origin, and
that they know this information but remain silent about it. It also shows that in
spite of this evidence they refuse to open up further research that would
reveal the true nature and originality of the buildings, and lead to
understanding another part of the real history and glory of India.
These photos are black and white and were found in a simple photo album in
India. Except for old age and some water damage on some of them (creating
white spots in areas), most are still in relatively good condition. Each
photograph was accompanied by a typed caption taped in the album near the
photo, each of which gives a very interesting explanation of the subject and
the Vedic influence recognized on the building and what it means. The
captions accompany the photos on the following pages just as they
were written in the album, so the style of English and the explanations
are kept the same. I did not write them myself. They are obviously written
from an Indian perspective. Whatever I may say about the photos are
displayed in brackets [ ]. Otherwise I let the captions and photos speak for
themselves. Some of these photos will show areas of the Taj where the public
has no access, or what is rarely seen or noticed.
"The Question of the Taj Mahal" (Itihas Patrika, vol 5, pp. 98-111, 1985)
by P. S. Bhat and A. L. Athavale is a profound and thoroughly researched and
well balanced paper on the Taj Mahal controversy. This paper goes well with
the photographs listed below. It uncovers the reasons for the rumors and
assumptions of why it is said that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, and
presents all the inconsistencies of why that theory doesn't hold up. It also
covers such things as the descriptions found in the old Agra court papers on
the Taj; descriptions and measurements of the building in the old records;
Aurangzeb's letter of the much needed repairs even in 1632 which is unlikely
for a new building; records that reveal Shah Jahan acquired marble but was it
enough for really building the Taj or merely for inlay work and decorative
coverings; the observations of European travelers at the time; the actual age
of the Taj; how the architecture is definitely of Indian Hindu orientation and
could very well have been designed as a Shiva temple; the issue of the arch
and the dome; how the invader Timurlung (1398) took back thousands of
prisoner craftsmen to build his capital at Samarkhand and where the dome
could have been incorporated into Islamic architecture; how it was not Shah
Jahan's religious tolerance that could have been a reason for Hindu elements
in the design of the Taj; how the direction of the mosque does not point
toward Mecca as most mosques do; the real purpose of the minarets at the
Taj; the Hindu symbolism recognized in the Taj which would not have been
allowed if it was truly Muslim built; and even as late as 1910 the
Encyclopaedia Britannica included the statement by Fergusson that the
building was previously a palace before becoming a tomb for Shah Jahan;
and more. A most interesting paper.
"An Architect Looks at the Taj Mahal Legend" by Marvin Mills, is a great
review of the information available on the Taj Mahal and raises some very
interesting questions that make it obvious that the Taj could not have been
built the way or during the time that history presents, which makes it more like
a fable than accurate history. This suggests a construction date of 1359 AD,
about 300 years before Shah Jahan.
The True Story of the Taj Mahal. This article by P. N. Oak (from Pune,
India) provides an overview of his research and lists his 109 proofs of how the
Taj Mahal was a pre-existing Hindu temple palace, built not by Shah Jahan
but originally at least 500 years earlier in 1155 AD by Raja Paramardi Dev as
a Vedic temple. Mr. P. N. Oak is another who has done much research into
this topic, and such a study is hardly complete without considering his
findings. The evidence he presents here is a most interesting read, whether
you agree with it all or not, or care for some of the anger in his sentiment. Mr.
Oak has presented his own conclusions in his books, most notably Taj Mahal-
-The True Story (ISBN: 0-9611614-4-2).
The Letter of Aurangzeb ordering repairs on the old Taj Mahal in the year
just before it is said to have been completed.
The Badshahnama is the history written by the Emporer's own chronicler.
This page shows how Aurangzeb had acquired the Taj from the prevous
owner, Jai Singh, grandson of Raja Mansingh, after selcting this site for the
burial of Queen Mumtaz.
This site http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5220 gives the BBC's view on
the Taj Mahal and briefly explains both sides of the story, that maybe Shah
Jahan built the Taj and maybe he didn't.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS
The Taj Mahal has seven stories. Five of them lie sealed and barred
concealing rich evidence. The marble building in the centre is flanked by two
symmetrical ones. The one in the foreground is the eastern one. The one in
the background is being represented as a mosque because it is to the west.
They should not have been identical if only one was to be a mosque. In the
courtyard at the foot of the eastern building is inlaid a full scale replica of the
trident pinnacle [found at the top of the dome]. The tiny tower at the left near
the western building, encloses a huge octagonal multi-storied well.
The towers at the four plinth corners served as watch towers during the day,
and to hold lights at night. Hindu wedding altars and Satyanarayan worship
altars invariably have such towers at corners. [Many other Hindu temples,
such as those at Khajurao, also can be found to have four towers or temples,
one at each corner of the temple foundation.]
The lotus flower cap on the head of the dome is a Hindu feature. Muslim
domes are bald. This marble edifice has four stories. Inside the dome is an 83
ft. high hall. The Taj has a double dome. The dome one sees from inside ends
like an inverted pan on the terrace. The dome seen from outside is a cover on
the inner dome. Therefore, in between them is an 83 ft. hall. This may be
considered as one storey. Underneath may be seen the first storey arches
and the ground floor rooms. In the basement, visitors are shown one room. All
these constitute the four storeys in the marble edifice. Below the marble
structure are two stories in red stone reaching down to the river level. The 7th
storey must be below the river level because every ancient Hindu historic
building did have a basement. Thus, the Taj is a seven-storied structure.
.
Taj Mahal Photo # 5
A close up of the upper portion of the pinnacle of the Taj Mahal, photographed
from the parapet beneath the dome. The Hindu horizontal crescent and the
coconut top together look like a trident from the garden level. Islamic
crescents are always oblique. Moreover they are almost always complete
circles leaving a little opening for a star. This Hindu pinnacle had all these
centuries been misinterpreted as an Islamic crescent and star or a lightning
conductor installed by the British. The word "Allah" etched here by Shahjahan
is absent in the courtyard replica. The coconut, the bent mango leaves under
it and the supporting Kalash (water pot) are exclusive Hindu motifs.
Taj Mahal Photo # 6
The full scale figure of the pinnacle on the dome has been inlaid on the red
stone courtyard of the Taj Mahal. One may see it to the east at the foot of the
riverside arch of the flanking building wrongly dubbed as Jamiat Khana
(community hall) by Muslim usurpers. Such floor sketches in courtyards are a
common Hindu trait. In Fatehpur Sikri it is the backgammon board which is
sketched on a central courtyard. The coconut top and the bent mango leaves
underneath, resting on a kalash (i.e. a water pot) is a sacred Hindu motif.
Hindu shrines in the Himalayan foothills have identical pinnacles [especially
noticed at Kedarnath, a prominent Shiva temple]. The eastern location of the
sketch is also typically Hindu. The length measures almost 32 ft.
Taj Mahal Photo # 7
The apex of the lofty entrance arch on all four sides of the Taj Mahal bears
this red lotus and white trident--indicating that the building originated as a
Hindu temple. The Koranic lettering forming the middle strip was grafted after
Shahjahan seized the building from Jaipur state's Hindu ruler.
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