General Studies Project

Taj Mahal: The True Story

Mrs. Arti Khillan Shreyansh Singh

Certificate
This is to certify that Mast. Shreyansh Singh of
Class XII A of Carmel Convent Sr. Sec. School,
Ratanpur, Bhopal has successfully completed his
General Studies project on the topic “Taj Mahal: The
True Story”, as pre the obligations of CBSE for the
partial accomplishment of Senior Secondary
examination for the session 2010-11. He has been
awarded …… grade for his work.
Signature
Mrs. Arti Khillan
Carmel Convent Sr. Sec. School,
Ratanpur, Bhopal
Dated:

Acknoswledgements
The road to knowledge is not possible without
collective endeavor and there are many hands that
have, in open or hidden manner, assisted me,
inspired me along the way.
At the onset I would like to thank our school
principal Sr. Shanti for creating an environment
helpful in learning. I would also like to thank Mrs.
Arti Khillan for guiding me throughout the
project. I would also like to extend my heart felt
thanks to my family and friends specially my elder
sister.
Lastly, I would like to thank CBSE for
providing me an opportunity to learn more about
India and its history.

Taj Mahal: What Wikipedia says

The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style
that combines elements from Islamic, Indian and Persian architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj
Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the white domedmarble mausoleum is its most familiar component, the Taj Mahal is
actually an integrated complex of structures. Building began around 1632 and was completed
around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The construction of the Taj
Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision including Abdul-
KarimMa'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The Persian Lahauri is
generally considered to be the principal designer.
Origin and inspiration

In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was
griefstricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their fourteenth child,
Gauhara Begum. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632, one year after her death. The
court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration
for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings
and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these
words:

Should guilty seek asylum here,

The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier
Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings
including; the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand),
Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan's
own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red
sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, and
buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.

Architecture

The central focus of the complex is the tomb. This large, white marble structure stands on a
square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway)
topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in
origin.

The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming
an unequal octagon that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides. On
each of these sides, a massive pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly
shaped, arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on
the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of the
building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing the chamfered
corners. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of MumtazMahal and Shah Jahan; the
actual graves are at a lower level.
The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the most spectacular feature. Its height of around
35 metres (115 ft) is about the same as the length of the base, and is accentuated as it sits on a
cylindrical "drum" which is roughly 7 metres (23 ft) high. Because of its shape, the dome is often
called an onion dome or amrud (guava dome). The top is decorated with a lotus design, which
also serves to accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is emphasised by four smaller domed
chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main dome. Their
columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall
decorative spires (guldastas) extend from edges of base walls, and provide visual emphasis to the
height of the dome. The lotus motif is repeated on both the chattris and guldastas. The dome and
chattris are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative
elements.

The main finial was originally made of gold but was replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze in
the early 19th century. This feature provides a clear example of integration of traditional Persian
and Hindu decorative elements. The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic motif whose
horns point heavenward. Because of its placement on the main spire, the horns of the moon and
the finial point combine to create a trident shape, reminiscent of traditional Hindu symbols of
Shiva.

The minarets, which are each more than 40 metres (130 ft) tall, display the designer's penchant
for symmetry. They were designed as working minarets — a traditional element of mosques,
used by the muezzin to call the Islamic faithful to prayer. Each minaret is effectively divided into
three equal parts by two working balconies that ring the tower. At the top of the tower is a final
balcony surmounted by a chattri that mirrors the design of those on the tomb. The chattris all
share the same decorative elements of a lotus design topped by a gilded finial. The minarets were
constructed slightly outside of the plinth so that, in the event of collapse, (a typical occurrence
with many tall constructions of the period) the material from the towers would tend to fall away
from the tomb.

Construction

The Taj Mahal was built on a parcel of land to the south of the walled city of Agra. Shah Jahan
presented Maharajah Jai Singh with a large palace in the center of Agra in exchange for the land.
An area of roughly three acres was excavated, filled with dirt to reduce seepage, and leveled at
50 metres (160 ft) above riverbank. In the tomb area, wells were dug and filled with stone and
rubble to form the footings of the tomb. Instead of lashed bamboo, workmen constructed a
colossal brick scaffold that mirrored the tomb. The scaffold was so enormous that foremen
estimated it would take years to dismantle. According to the legend, Shah Jahan decreed that
anyone could keep the bricks taken from the scaffold, and thus it was dismantled by peasants
overnight. A fifteen kilometer (9.3 mi) tamped-earth ramp was built to transport marble and
materials to the construction site and teams of twenty or thirty oxen pulled the blocks on
specially constructed wagons. An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system was used to raise the
blocks into desired position. Water was drawn from the river by a series of purs, an animal-
powered rope and bucket mechanism, into a large storage tank and raised to a large distribution
tank. It was passed into three subsidiary tanks, from which it was piped to the complex.

The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The remaining parts of the complex took
an additional 10 years and were completed in order of minarets, mosque and jawab, and gateway.
Since the complex was built in stages, discrepancies exist in completion dates due to differing
opinions on "completion". For example, the mausoleum itself was essentially complete by 1643,
but work continued on the rest of the complex. Estimates of the cost of construction vary due to
difficulties in estimating costs across time. The total cost has been estimated to be about 32
million Rupees at that time.

The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia and over 1,000
elephants were used to transport building materials. The translucent white marble was brought
from Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from
Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the
carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid
into the white marble.

A labour force of twenty thousand workers was recruited across northern India. Sculptors from
Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, inlayers from southern India, stonecutters from
Baluchistan, a specialist in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers were part of
the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit.

The Controversy
The story of the Taj Mahal that most of us have known about may not be the real truth. Herein
Mr. P. N. Oak presents an interesting set of proofs that show a completely different story.
Contrary to what visitors are made to believe the Taj Mahal is not a Islamic mausoleum but an
ancient Shiva Temple known as Tejomahalay which the 5th generation Moghul emperor
Shahjahan commandeered from the then Maharaja of Jaipur. The Taj Mahal, should therefore, be
viewed as a temple palace and not as a tomb. That makes a vast difference. You miss the details
of its size, grandeur, majesty and beauty when you take it to be a mere tomb. When told that you
are visiting a temple palace you wont fail to notice its annexes, ruined defensive walls, hillocks,
moats, cascades, fountains, majestic garden, hundreds of rooms arched verandahs, terraces, multi
stored towers, secret sealed chambers, guest rooms, stables, the trident (Trishul) pinnacle on the
dome and the sacred, esoteric Hindu letter "OM" carved on the exterior of the wall of the
sanctum sanctorum now occupied by the cenotaphs. Let me place before you, for the time being
an exhaustive summary of the massive evidence ranging over hundred points:

NAME

1. The term Taj Mahal itself never occurs in any mogul court paper or chronicle even in
Aurangzeb's time. The attempt to explain it away as Taj-i-mahal is therefore, ridiculous.
2. The ending "Mahal" is never Muslim because in none of the Muslim countries around the
world from Afghanistan to Algeria is there a building known as "Mahal".
3. The unusual explanation of the term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal, who is
buried in it, is illogical in at least two respects viz., firstly her name was never Mumtaj
Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani and secondly one cannot omit the first three letters "Mum"
from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name of the building.
4. Since the lady's name was Mumtaz (ending with 'Z') the name of the building derived
from her should have been Taz Mahal, if at all, and not Taj (spelled with a 'J').
5. Several European visitors of Shahjahan's time allude to the building as Taj-e-Mahal is
almost the correct tradition, age old Sanskrit name Tej-o-Mahalaya, signifying a Shiva
temple. Contrarily Shahjahan and Aurangzeb scrupulously avoid using the Sanskrit term
and call it just a holy grave.
6. The tomb should be understood to signify NOT A BUILDING but only the grave or
cenotaph inside it. This would help people to realize that all dead Muslim courtiers and
royalty including Humayun, Akbar, Mumtaz, Etmad-ud-Daula and Safdarjang have been
buried in capture Hindu mansions and temples.
7. Moreover, if the Taj is believed to be a burial place, how can the term Mahal, i.e.,
mansion apply to it?
8. Since the term Taj Mahal does not occur in mogul courts it is absurd to search for any
mogul explanation for it. Both its components namely, 'Taj' and' Mahal' are of Sanskrit
origin.

TEMPLE TRADITION

9. The term Taj Mahal is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit term TejoMahalay signifying a
Shiva Temple. Agreshwar Mahadev i.e., The Lord of Agra was consecrated in it.
10. The tradition of removing the shoes before climbing the marble platform originates from
pre Shahjahan times when the Taj was a Shiva Temple. Had the Taj originated as a tomb,
shoes need not have to be removed because shoes are a necessity in a cemetery.
11. Visitors may notice that the base slab of the cenotaph is the marble basement in plain
white while its superstructure and the other three cenotaphs on the two floors are covered
with inlaid creeper designs. This indicates that the marble pedestal of the Shiva idol is
still in place and Mumtaz's cenotaphs are fake.
12. The pitchers carved inside the upper border of the marble lattice plus those mounted on it
number 108-a number sacred in Hindu Temple tradition.
13. There are persons who are connected with the repair and the maintenance of the Taj who
have seen the ancient sacred Shiva Linga and other idols sealed in the thick walls and in
chambers in the secret, sealed red stone stories below the marble basement. The
Archaeological Survey of India is keeping discretely, politely and diplomatically silent
about it to the point of dereliction of its own duty to probe into hidden historical
evidence.
14. In India there are 12 Jyotirlingas i.e., the outstanding Shiva Temples. The Tejomahalaya
alias The Taj Mahal appears to be one of them known as Nagnatheshwar since its parapet
is girdled with Naga, i.e., Cobra figures.
15. The famous Hindu treatise on architecture titled Vishwakarma Vastushastra mentions the
'Tej-Linga' amongst the Shivalingas i.e., the stone emblems of Lord Shiva, the Hindu
deity. Such a TejLinga was consecrated in the Taj Mahal, hence the term Taj Mahal alias
TejoMahalaya.
16. Agra city, in which the Taj Mahal is located, is an ancient centre of Shiva worship. Its
orthodox residents have through ages continued the tradition of worshipping at five Shiva
shrines before taking the last meal every night especially during the month of Shravan.
During the last few centuries the residents of Agra had to be content with worshipping at
only four prominent Shiva temples viz., Balkeshwar, Prithvinath, Manakameshwar and
Rajarajeshwar. They had lost track of the fifth Shiva deity which their forefathers
worshipped. Apparently the fifth was Agreshwar Mahadev Nagnatheshwar i.e., The Lord
Great God of Agra, The Deity of the King of Cobras, consecrated in the Tejomahalay
alias Taj Mahal.
17. The people who dominate the Agra region are Jats. Their name of Shiva is Tejaji. The Jat
special issue of The Illustrated Weekly of India (June 28,1971) mentions that the Jats
have the TejaMandirs i.e., Teja Temples. This is because Teja-Linga is among the several
names of the Shiva Lingas. From this it is apparent that the Taj-Mahal is Tejo-Mahalaya,
The Great Abode of Tej.

DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

18. Shahjahan's own court chronicle, the Badshahnama, says that a grand mansion of unique
splendor, capped with a dome (Imaarat-a-Alishanwa Gumbaze) was taken from the Jaipur
Maharaja Jaisingh for Mumtaz's burial, and the building was known as Raja Mansingh's
palace.
19. The plaque put the archeology department outside the Taj Mahal describes the edifice as
a mausoleum built by Shahjahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal , over 22 years from 1631 to
1653. That plaque is a specimen of historical bungling. Firstly, the plaque sites no
authority for its claim. Secondly the lady's name was Mumtaz-ul-Zamani and not
Mumtaz Mahal. Thirdly, the period of 22 years is taken from some mumbo jumbo noting
 by an unreliable French visitor Tavernier, to the exclusion of all Muslim versions, which
is an absurdity.
20. Prince Aurangzeb's letter to his father, emperor Shahjahan, is recorded in at least three
chronicles titled `Aadaab-e-Alamgiri', `Yadgarnama', and the `Muruqqa-i-Akbarabadi'
(edited by Said Ahmed, Agra, 1931, page 43, footnote 2). In that letter Aurangzeb
records in 1652 A.D itself that the several buildings in the fancied burial place of Mumtaz
were seven storeyed and were so old that they were all leaking, while the dome had
developed a crack on the northern side. Aurangzeb, therefore, ordered immediate repairs
to the buildings at his own expense while recommending to the emperor that more
elaborate repairs be carried out later. This is the proof that during Shahjahan's reign itself
that the Taj complex was so old as to need immediate repairs.
21. The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur retains in his secret personal `Kapad Dwara' collection two
orders from Shahjahan dated Dec 18, 1633 (bearing modern nos. R.176 and 177)
requestioning the Taj building complex. That was so blatant a usurpation that the then
ruler of Jaipur was ashamed to make the document public.
22. The Rajasthan State archives at Bikaner preserve three other firmans addressed by
Shahjahan to the Jaipur's ruler Jaising ordering the latter to supply marble (for Mumtaz's
grave and koranic grafts) from his Makrannaquarris, and stone cutters. Jaisingh was
apparently so enraged at the blatant seizure of the Taj Mahal that he refused to oblige
Shahjahan by providing marble for grafting koranic engravings and fake cenotaphs for
further desecration of the Taj Mahal. Jaising looked at Shahjahan's demand for marble
and stone cutters, as an insult added to injury. Therefore, he refused to send any marble
and instead detained the stone cutters in his protective custody.
23. The three firmans demanding marble were sent to Jaisingh within about two years of
Mumtaz's death. Had Shahjahan really built the Taj Mahal over a period of 22 years, the
marble would have needed only after 15 or 20 years not immediately after Mumtaz's
death.
24. Moreover, the three mention neither the Taj Mahal, nor Mumtaz, nor the burial. The cost
and the quantity of the stone also are not mentioned. This proves that an insignificant
quantity of marble was needed just for some special tinkering and tampering with the Taj
Mahal. Even otherwise Shahjahan could never hope to build a fabulous Taj Mahal by
abject dependence for marble on a non cooperative Jaisingh.

EUROPEAN VISITOR'S ACCOUNTS

25. Tavernier, a French traveler has recorded in his travel memoirs that Shahjahan purposely
buried Mumtaz near the Taz-i-Makan (i.e.,`TheTaj building') where foreigners used to
come as they do even today so that the world may admire. He also adds that the cost of
the scaffolding was more than that of the entire work. The work that Shahjahan
commissioned in the Tejomahalaya Shiva temple was plundering at the costly fixtures
inside it, uprooting the Shiva idols, planting the cenotaphs in their place on two stories,
inscribing the Koran along the arches and walling up six of the seven stories of the Taj. It
was this plunder, desecrating and plundering of the rooms which took 22 years.
26. Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra recorded in 1632 (within only a year of
Mumtaz's death) that `the places of note in and around Agra, included Taj-e-Mahal's
tomb, gardens and bazaars'. He, therefore, confirms that that the Taj Mahal had been a
noteworthy building even before Shahjahan.
27. De Laet, a Dutch official has listed Mansingh's palace about a mile from Agra fort, as an
outstanding building of pre Shahjahan’s time. Shahjahan's court chronicle, the
Badshahnama records, Mumtaz's burial in the same Mansingh's palace.
28. Bernier, a contemporary French visitor has noted that non Muslim’s were barred entry
into the basement (at the time when Shahjahan requisitioned Mansingh's palace) which
contained a dazzling light. Obviously, he referred to the silver doors, gold railing, the
gem studded lattice and strings of pearl hanging over Shiva's idol. Shahjahan
commandeered the building to grab all the wealth, making Mumtaz's death a convenient
pretext.
29. Johan Albert Mandelslo, who describes life in Agra in 1638 (only 7 years after mumtaz's
death) in detail (in his `Voyages and Travels to West-Indies', published by John Starkey
and John Basset, London), makes no mention of the Taj Mahal being under construction
though it is commonly erringly asserted or assumed that the Taj was being built from
1631 to 1653.

SANSKIRT INSCRIPTION

30. A Sanskrit inscription too supports the conclusion that the Taj originated as a Shiva
temple. Wrongly termed as the Bateshwar inscription (currently preserved on the top
floor of the Lucknow museum), it refers to the raising of a "crystal white Shiva temple so
alluring that Lord Shiva once enshrined in it decided never to return to Mount Kailash his
usual abode". That inscription dated 1155 A.D. was removed from the Taj Mahal garden
at Shahjahan's orders. Historians and Archaeologists have blundered in terming the
inscription the `Bateshwar inscription' when the record doesn't say that it was found by
Bateshwar. It ought, in fact, to be called `The Tejomahalay inscription' because it was
originally installed in the Taj garden before it was uprooted and cast away at Shahjahan's
command. A clue to the tampering by Shahjahan is found on pages 216-217, vol. 4, of
Archeological Survey of India Reports (published 1874) stating that a "great square black
ballistic pillar which, with the base and capital of another pillar....now in the grounds of
Agra,...it is well known, once stood in the garden of Taj Mahal".

MISSING ELEPHANTS

31. Far from the building of the Taj, Shahjahan disfigured it with black koranic lettering and
heavily robbed it of its Sanskrit inscription, several idols and two huge stone elephants
extending their trunks in a welcome arch over the gateway where visitors these days buy
entry tickets. An Englishman, Thomas Twinning, records (pg.191 of his book "Travels in
India A Hundred Years ago") that in November 1794 "I arrived at the high walls which
enclose the Taj-e-Mahal and its circumjacent buildings. I here got out of the palanquine
 and.....mounted a short flight of steps leading to a beautiful portal which formed the
centre of this side of the `COURT OF ELEPHANTS" as the great area was called."

KORANIC PATCHES

32. The Taj Mahal is scrawled over with 14 chapters of the Koran but nowhere is there even
the slightest or the remotest allusion in that Islamic overwriting to Shahjahan's authorship
of the Taj. Had Shahjahan been the builder he would have said so in so many words
before beginning to quote Koran.
33. That Shahjahan, far from building the marble Taj, only disfigured it with black lettering
is mentioned by the inscriber Amanat Khan Shirazi himself in an inscription on the
building. A close scrutiny of the Koranic lettering reveals that they are grafts patched up
with bits of variegated stone on an ancient Shiva temple.

CARBON 14 TEST

34. A wooden piece from the riverside doorway of the Taj subjected to the carbon 14 test by
an American Laboratory, has revealed that the door to be 300 years older than Shahjahan,
since the doors of the Taj, broken open by Muslim invaders repeatedly from the 11th
century onwards, had to b replaced from time to time. The Taj edifice is much older. It
belongs to 1155 A.D, i.e., almost 500 years anterior to Shahjahan.

ARCHITECHTURAL EVIDENCE

35. Well known Western authorities on architechture like E.B.Havell, Mrs.Kenoyer and Sir
W.W.Hunterhave gone on record to say that the Taj Mahal is built in the Hindu temple
style. Havell points out that the ground plan of the ancient Hindu Chandi Seva Temple in
Java is identical with that of the Taj.
36. A central dome with cupolas at its four corners is a universal feature of Hindu temples.
37. The four marble pillars at the plinth corners are of the Hindu style. They are used as lamp
towers during night and watch towers during the day. Such towers serve to demarcate the
holy precincts. Hindu wedding altars and the altar set up for God Satyanarayan worship
have pillars raised at the four corners.
38. The octagonal shape of the Taj Mahal has a special Hindu significance because Hindus
alone have special names for the eight directions, and celestial guards assigned to them.
The pinnacle points to the heaven while the foundation signifies to the nether world.
Hindu forts, cities, palaces and temples generally have an octagonal layout or some
octagonal features so that together with the pinnacle and the foundation they cover all the
ten directions in which the king or God holds sway, according to Hindu belief.
39. The Taj Mahal has a trident pinnacle over the dome. A full scale of the trident pinnacle is
inlaid in the red stone courtyard to the east of the Taj. The central shaft of the trident
depicts a "Kalash" (sacred pot) holding two bent mango leaves and a coconut. This is a
sacred Hindu motif. Identical pinnacles have been seen over Hindu and Buddhist temples
in the Himalayan region. Tridents are also depicted against a red lotus background at the
apex of the stately marble arched entrances on all four sides of the Taj. People fondly but
mistakenly believed all these centuries that the Taj pinnacle depicts a Islamic cresent and
star was a lighting conductor installed by the British rulers in India. Contrarily, the
pinnacle is a marvel of Hindu metallurgy since the pinnacle made of non rusting alloy, is
also perhaps a lightning deflector. That the pinnacle of the replica is drawn in the eastern
courtyard is significant because the east is of special importance to the Hindus, as the
direction in which the sun rises. The pinnacle on the dome has the word `Allah' on it after
capture. The pinnacle figure on the ground does not have the word Allah.

INCONSISTENCIES

40. The two buildings which face the marble Taj from the east and west are identical in
design, size and shape and yet the eastern building is explained away by Islamic tradition,
as a community hall while the western building is claimed to be a mosque. How could
buildings meant for radically different purposes be identical? This proves that the western
building was put to use as a mosque after seizure of the Taj property by Shahjahan.
Curiously enough the building being explained away as a mosque has no minaret. They
form a pair of reception pavilions of the Tejomahalaya temple palace.
41. A few yards away from the same flank is the Nakkar-Khana alias Drum House which is a
intolerable incongruity for Islam. The proximity of the Drum House indicates that the
western annex was not originally a mosque. Contrarily a drum house is a neccesity in a
Hindu temple or palace because Hindu chores, in the morning and evening, begin to the
sweet strains of music.
42. The embossed patterns on the marble exterior of the cenotaph chamber wall are foliage of
the conch shell design and the Hindu letter "OM". The octagonal laid marble lattices
inside the cenotaph chamber depict pink lotuses on their top railing. The Lotus, the conch
and the OM are the sacred motifs associated with the Hindu deities and temples.
43. The spot occupied by Mumtaz'scenotaph was formerly occupied by the Hindu TejaLinga
a lithic representation of Lord Shiva. Around it are five perambulatory passages.
Perambulation could be done around the marble lattice or through the spacious marble
chambers surrounding the cenotaph chamber, and in the open over the marble platform. It
is also customary for the Hindus to have apertures along the perambulatory passage,
overlooking the deity. Such apertures exist in the perambulatory in the Taj Mahal.
44. The sanctum sanctorum in the Taj has silver doors and gold railings as Hindu temples
have. It also had nets of pearl and gems stuffed in the marble lattices. It was the lure of
this wealth which made Shahjahan commandeer the Taj from a helpless vassal Jaisingh,
the then ruler of Jaipur.
45. Peter Mundy, a Englishman records (in 1632, within a year of Mumtaz's death) having
seen a gem studded gold railing around her tomb. Had the Taj been under construction
 for 22 years, a costly gold railing would not have been noticed by Peter Mundy within a
year of Mumtaz's death. Such costly fixtures are installed in a building only after it is
ready for use. This indicates that Mumtaz's cenotaph was grafted in place of the
Shivalinga in the centre of the gold railings. Subsequently the gold railings, silver doors,
nets of pearls, gem fillings etc. were all carried away to Shahjahan's treasury. The seizure
of the Taj thus constituted an act of highhanded Moghul robbery causing a big row
between Shahjahan and Jaisingh.
46. In the marble flooring around Mumtaz's cenotaph may be seen tiny mosaic patches.
Those patches indicate the spots where the supports for the gold railings were embedded
in the floor. They indicate a rectangular fencing.
47. Above Mumtaz'scenotaph hangs a chain by which now hangs a lamp. Before capture by
Shahjahan the chain used to hold a water pitcher from which water used to drip on the
Shivalinga.
48. It is this earlier Hindu tradition in the Taj Mahal which gave the Islamic myth of
Shahjahan's love tear dropping on Mumtaz's tomb on the full moon day of the winter eve.

TREASURY WELL

49. Between the so-called mosque and the drum house is a multistoried octagonal well with a
flight of stairs reaching down to the water level. This is a traditional treasury well in
Hindu temple palaces. Treasure chests used to be kept in the lower apartments while
treasury personnel had their offices in the upper chambers. The circular stairs made it
difficult for intruders to reach down to the treasury or to escape with it undetected or
unpursued. In case the premises had to be surrendered to a besieging enemy the treasure
could be pushed into the well to remain hidden from the conqueror and remain safe for
salvaging if the place was recaptured. Such an elaborate multistoried well is superfluous
for a mere mausoleum. Such a grand, gigantic well is unnecessary for a tomb.

BURIAL DATE UNKNOWN

50. Had Shahjahan really built the Taj Mahal as a wonder mausoleum, history would have
recorded a specific date on which she was ceremoniously buried in the Taj Mahal. No
such date is ever mentioned. This important missing detail decisively exposes the falsity
of the Taj Mahal legend.
51. Even the year of Mumtaz's death is unknown. It is variously speculated to be 1629, 1630,
1631 or 1632. Had she deserved a fabulous burial, as is claimed, the date of her death had
not been a matter of much speculation. In a harem teeming with 5000 women it was
difficult to keep track of dates of death. Apparently the date of Mumtaz's death was so
insignificant an event, as not to merit any special notice. Who would then build a Taj for
her burial?
 BASELESS LOVE STORIES

52. Stories of Shahjahan's exclusive infatuation for Mumtaz's are concoctions. They have no
basis in history nor has any book ever written on their fancied love affairs. Those stories
have been invented as an afterthought to make Shahjahan's authorship of the Taj look
plausible.

COST

53. The cost of the Taj is nowhere recorded in Shahjahan's court papers because Shahjahan
never built the Taj Mahal. That is why wild estimates of the cost by gullible writers have
ranged from 4 million to 91.7 million rupees.

PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION

54. Likewise the period of construction has been guessed to be anywhere between 10 years
and 22 years. There would have not been any scope for guesswork had the building
construction been on record in the court papers.

ARCHITECTS

55. The designer of the Taj Mahal is also variously mentioned as Essa Effendy, a Persian or
Turk, or Ahmed Mehendis or a Frenchman, Austin de Bordeaux, or Geronimo Veroneo,
an Italian, or Shahjahan himself.

RECORDS DON'T EXIST

56. Twenty thousand laborers are supposed to have worked for 22 years during Shahjahan's
reign in building the Taj Mahal. Had this been true, there should have been available in
Shahjahan's court papers design drawings, heaps of labour muster rolls, daily expenditure
sheets, bills and receipts of material ordered, and commissioning orders. There is not
even a scrap of paper of this kind.
57. It is, therefore, court flatterers, blundering historians, somnolent archeologists, fiction
writers, senile poets, careless tourists officials and erring guides who are responsible for
hustling the world into believing in Shahjahan's mythical authorship of the Taj.
58. Description of the gardens around the Taj of Shahjahan's time mention Ketaki, Jai, Jui,
Champa, Maulashree, Harshringar and Bel. All these are plants whose flowers or leaves
are used in the worship of Hindu deities. Bel leaves are exclusively used in Lord Shiva's
worship. A graveyard is planted only with shady trees because the idea of using fruit and
flower from plants in a cemetery is abhorrent to human conscience. The presence of Bel
and other flower plants in the Taj garden is proof of its having been a Shiva temple
before seizure by Shahjahan.
59. Hindu temples are often built on river banks and sea beaches. The Taj is one such built on
the bank of the Yamuna river an ideal location for a Shiva temple.
60. Prophet Mohammad has ordained that the burial spot of a Muslim should be
inconspicuous and must not be marked by even a single tombstone. In flagrant violation
of this, the Taj Mahal has one grave in the basement and another in the first floor
chamber both ascribed to Mumtaz. Those two cenotaphs were in fact erected by
Shahjahan to bury the two tier Shivalingas that were consecrated in the Taj. It is
customary for Hindus to install two Shivalingas one over the other in two stories as may
be seen in the Mahankaleshwar temple in Ujjain and the Somnath temple raised by
Ahilyabai in Somnath Pattan.
61. The Taj Mahal has identical entrance arches on all four sides. This is a typical Hindu
building style known as Chaturmukhi, i.e., four faced.

THE HINDU DOME

62. The Taj Mahal has a reverberating dome. Such a dome is an absurdity for a tomb which
must ensure peace and silence. Contrarily reverberating domes are a necessity in Hindu
temples because they create an ecstatic din multiplying and magnifying the sound of
bells, drums and pipes accompanying the worship of Hindu deities.
63. The Taj Mahal dome bears a lotus cap. Original Islamic domes have a bald top as is
exemplified by the Pakistan Embassy in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, and the domes in the
Pakistan's newly built capital Islamabad.
64. The Taj Mahal entrance faces south. Had the Taj been an Islamic building it should have
faced the west.

TOMB IS THE GRAVE, NOT THE BUILDING

65. A widespread misunderstanding has resulted in mistaking the building for the grave.
Invading Islam raised graves in captured buildings in every country it overran. Therefore,
hereafter people must learn not to confound the building with the grave mounds which
are grafts in conquered buildings. This is true of the Taj Mahal too. One may therefore
 admit (for arguments sake) that Mumtaz lies buried inside the Taj. But that should not be
construed to mean that the Taj was raised over Mumtaz's grave.
66. The Taj is a seven storied building. Prince Aurangzeb also mentions this in his letter to
Shahjahan. The marble edifice comprises four stories including the lone, tall circular hall
inside the top, and the lone chamber in the basement. In between are two floors each
containing 12 to 15 palatial rooms. Below the marble plinth reaching down to the river at
the rear are two more stories in red stone. They may be seen from the river bank. The
seventh storey must be below the ground (river) level since every ancient Hindu building
had a subterranean storey.
67. Immediately bellow the marble plinth on the river flank are 22 rooms in red stone with
their ventilators all walled up by Shahjahan. Those rooms, made uninhabitable by
Shahjahan, are kept locked by Archeology Department of India. The lay visitor is kept in
the dark about them. Those 22 rooms still bear ancient Hindu paint on their walls and
ceilings. On their side is a nearly 33 feet long corridor. There are two door frames one at
either end of the corridor. But those doors are intriguingly sealed with brick and lime.
68. Apparently those doorways originally sealed by Shahjahan have been since unsealed and
again walled up several times. In 1934 a resident of Delhi took a peep inside from an
opening in the upper part of the doorway. To his dismay he saw huge hall inside. It
contained many statues huddled around a central beheaded image of Lord Shiva. It could
be that, in there, are Sanskrit inscriptions too. All the seven stories of the Taj Mahal need
to be unsealed and scoured to ascertain what evidence they may be hiding in the form of
Hindu images, Sanskrit inscriptions, scriptures, coins and utensils.
69. Apart from Hindu images hidden in the sealed stories it is also learnt that Hindu images
are also stored in the massive walls of the Taj. Between 1959 and 1962 when Mr. S.R.
Rao was the Archeological Superintendent in Agra, he happened to notice a deep and
wide crack in the wall of the central octagonal chamber of the Taj. When a part of the
wall was dismantled to study the crack out popped two or three marble images. The
matter was hushed up and the images were reburied where they had been embedded at
Shahjahan's behest. Confirmation of this has been obtained from several sources. It was
only when people began their investigation into the antecedents of the Taj they came
across the above information which had remained a forgotten secret. What better proof is
needed of the Temple origin of the Taj Mahal? Its walls and sealed chambers still hide in
Hindu idols that were consecrated in it before Shahjahan's seizure of the Taj.

PRE-SHAHJAHAN REFERENCES TO THE TAJ

70. Apparently the Taj as a central palace seems to have anchequered history. The Taj was
perhaps desecrated and looted by every Muslim invader from Mohammad Ghazni
onwards but passing into Hindu hands off and on, the sanctity of the Taj as a Shiva
 temple continued to be revived after every Muslim onslaught. Shahjahan was the last
Muslim to desecrate the Taj Mahal alias Tejomahalay.
71. Vincent Smith records in his book titled `Akbar the Great Moghul' that `Babur's turbulent
life came to an end in his garden palace in Agra in 1630'. That palace was none other than
the Taj Mahal.
72. Babur's daughter Gulbadan Begum in her chronicle titled `HumayunNama' refers to the
Taj as the Mystic House.
73. Babur himself refers to the Taj in his memoirs as the palace captured by Ibrahim Lodi
containing a central octagonal chamber and having pillars on the four sides. All these
historical references allude to the Taj 100 years before Shahjahan.
74. The Taj Mahal precincts extend to several hundred yards in all directions. Across the
river are ruins of the annexes of the Taj, the bathing ghats and a jetty for the ferry boat. In
the Victoria gardens outside covered with creepers is the long spur of the ancient outer
wall ending in a octagonal red stone tower. Such extensive grounds all magnificently
done up, are a superfluity for a grave.
75. Had the Taj been specially built to bury Mumtaz, it should not have been cluttered with
other graves. But the Taj premises contain several graves at least in its eastern and
southern pavilions.
76. In the southern flank, on the other side of the Tajganj gate are buried in identical
pavilions queens Sarhandi Begum, and Fatehpuri Begum and a maid Satunnisa Khanum.
Such parity burial can be justified only if the queens had been demoted or the maid
promoted. But since Shahjahan had commandeered (not built) the Taj, he reduced it
general to a Muslim cemetery as was the habit of all his Islamic predecessors, and buried
a queen in a vacant pavilion and a maid in another identical pavilion.
77. Shahjahan was married to several other women before and after Mumtaz. She, therefore,
deserved no special consideration in having a wonder mausoleum built for her.
78. Mumtaz was a commoner by birth and so she did not qualify for a fairyland burial.
79. Mumtaz died in Burhanpur which is about 600 miles from Agra. Her grave there is intact.
Therefore, the cenotaphs raised in stories of the Taj in her name seem to be fakes hiding
in Hindu Shiva emblems.
80. Shahjahan seems to have simulated Mumtaz's burial in Agra to find a pretext to surround
the temple palace with his fierce and fanatic troops and remove all the costly fixtures in
his treasury. This finds confirmation in the vague noting in the Badshahnama which says
that the Mumtaz's (exhumed) body was brought to Agra from Burhanpur and buried `next
year'. An official term would not use a nebulous term unless it is to hide some thing.
81. A pertinent consideration is that a Shahjahan, who did not build any palaces for Mumtaz
while she was alive, would not build a fabulous mausoleum for a corpse which was no
longer kicking or clicking.
82. Another factor is that Mumtaz died within two or three years of Shahjahan becoming an
emperor. Could he amass so much superfluous wealth in that short span as to squander it
on a wonder mausoleum?
83. While Shahjahan's special attachment to Mumtaz is nowhere recorded in history his
amorous affairs with many other ladies from maids to mannequins including his own
daughter Jahanara, find special attention in accounts of Shahjahan's reign. Would
Shahjahan shower his hard earned wealth on Mumtaz's corpse?
84. Shahjahan was a stingy, usurious monarch. He came to throne murdering all his rivals.
He was not therefore, the doting spendthrift that he is made out to be.
85. A Shahjahan disconsolate on Mumtaz's death is suddenly credited with a resolve to build
the Taj. This is a psychological incongruity. Grief is a disabling, incapacitating emotion.
86. An infatuated Shahjahan is supposed to have raised the Taj over the dead Mumtaz, but
carnal, physical sexual love is again an incapacitating emotion. A womanizer is ipso facto
incapable of any constructive activity. When carnal love becomes uncontrollable the
person either murders somebody or commits suicide. He cannot raise a Taj Mahal. A
building like the Taj invariably originates in an ennobling emotion like devotion to God,
to one's mother and mother country or power and glory.
87. Early in the year 1973, chance digging in the garden in front of the Taj revealed another
set of fountains about six feet below the present fountains. This proved two things.
Firstly, the subterranean fountains were there before Shahjahan laid the surface fountains.
And secondly that those fountains are aligned to the Taj that edifice too is of pre
Shahjahan origin. Apparently the garden and its fountains had sunk from annual monsoon
flooding and lack of maintenance for centuries during the Islamic rule.
88. The stately rooms on the upper floor of the Taj Mahal have been striped of their marble
mosaic by Shahjahan to obtain matching marble for raising fake tomb stones inside the
Taj premises at several places. Contrasting with the rich finished marble ground floor
rooms the striping of the marble mosaic covering the lower half of the walls and flooring
of the upper storey have given those rooms a naked, robbed look. Since no visitors are
allowed entry to the upper storey this despoliation by Shahjahan has remained a well
guarded secret. There is no reason why Shahjahan's loot of the upper floor marble should
continue to be hidden from the public even after 200 years of termination of Mogul rule.
89. Bernier, the French traveler has recorded that no non Muslim was allowed entry into the
secret nether chambers of the Taj because there are some dazzling fixtures there. Had
those been installed by Shahjahan they should have been shown the public as a matter of
pride. But since it was commandeered Hindu wealth which Shahjahan wanted to remove
to his treasury, he didn't want the public to know about it.
90. The approach to Taj is dotted with hillocks raised with earth dugout from foundation
trenches. The hillocks served as outer defences of the Taj building complex. Raising such
hillocks from foundation earth is a common Hindu device of hoary origin. Nearby
Bharatpur provides a graphic parallel.
91. Peter Mundy has recorded that Shahjahan employed thousands of labourers to level some
of those hillocks. This is a graphic proof of the Taj Mahal existing before Shahjahan.
92. At the backside of the river bank is a Hindu crematorium, several palaces, Shiva temples
and bathing of ancient origin. Had Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal, he would have
destroyed the Hindu features.
93. The story that Shahjahan wanted to build a Black marble Taj across the river, is another
motivated myth. The ruins dotting the other side of the river are those of Hindu structures
demolished during Muslim invasions and not the plinth of another Taj Mahal. Shahjahan
who did not even build the white Taj Mahal would hardly ever think of building a black
marble Taj. He was so miserly that he forced laborers to work gratis even in the
superficial tampering necessary to make a Hindu temple serve as a Muslim tomb.
94. The marble that Shahjahan used for grafting Koranic lettering in the Taj is of a pale white
shade while the rest of the Taj is built of a marble with rich yellow tint. This disparity is
proof of the Koranic extracts being a superimposition.
95. Though imaginative attempts have been made by some historians to foist some fictitious
name on history as the designer of the Taj others more imaginative have credited
Shahjahan himself with superb architectural proficiency and artistic talent which could
easily conceive and plan the Taj even in acute bereavement. Such people betray gross
ignorance of history in as much as Shahjahan was a cruel tyrant, a great womanizer and a
drug and drink addict.
96. Fanciful accounts about Shahjahan commissioning the Taj are all confused. Some
asserted that Shahjahan ordered building drawing from all over the world and chose one
from among them. Others assert that a man at hand was ordered to design a mausoleum
and his design was approved. Had any of those versions been true Shahjahan's court
papers should have had thousands of drawings concerning the Taj. But there is not even a
single drawing. This is yet another clinching proof that Shahjahan did not commission the
Taj.
97. The Taj Mahal is surrounded by huge mansions which indicate that several battles have
been waged around the Taj several times.
98. At the south east corner of the Taj is an ancient royal cattle house. Cows attached to the
Tejomahalay temple used to rear there. A cowshed is an incongruity in an Islamic tomb.
99. Over the western flank of the Taj are several stately red stone annexes. These are
superfluous for a mausoleum.
100.The entire Taj complex comprises of 400 to 500 rooms. Residential accommodation on
such a stupendous scale is unthinkable in a mausoleum.
101.The neighboring Tajganj Township’s massive protective wall also encloses the Taj
Mahal temple palace complex. This is a clear indication that the Tejomahalay temple
palace was part and parcel of the township. A Street of that township leads straight into
the Taj Mahal. The Tajganj gate is aligned in a perfect straight line to the octagonal red
stone garden gate and the stately entrance arch of the Taj Mahal. The Tajganj gate
besides being central to the Taj temple complex is also put on a pedestal. The western
gate by which the visitors enter the Taj complex is a comparatively minor gateway. It has
become the entry gate for most visitors today because the railway station and the bus
station are on that side.
102.The Taj Mahal has pleasure pavilions which a tomb would never have.
103.A tiny mirror glass in a gallery of the Red Fort in Agra reflects the Taj Mahal. Shahjahan
is said to have spent his last eight years of life as a prisoner in that gallery peering at the
reflected Taj Mahal and sighing in the name of Mumtaz. This myth is a blend of many
falsehoods. Firstly, old Shahjahan was held prisoner by his son Aurangzeb in the
basement storey in the Fort and not in an open, fashionable upper storey. Secondly, the
glass piece was fixed in the 1930's by Insha Allah Khan, a peon of the archaeology dept.
just to illustrate to the visitors how in ancient times the entire apartment used to scintillate
with tiny mirror pieces reflecting the Tejomahalay temple a thousand fold. Thirdly, a old
decrepit Shahjahan with pain in his joints and cataract in his eyes, would not spend his
day craning his neck at an awkward angle to peer into a tiny glass piece with bedimmed
eyesight when he could as well his face around and have full, direct view of the Taj
 Mahal itself. But the general public is so gullible as to gulp all such prattle of wily,
unscrupulous guides.
104.That the Taj Mahal dome has hundreds of iron rings sticking out of its exterior is a
feature rarely noticed. These are made to hold Hindu earthen oil lamps for temple
illumination.
105.Those putting implicit faith in Shahjahan authorship of the Taj have been imagining
Shahjahan-Mumtaz to be a soft hearted romantic pair like Romeo and Juliet. But
contemporary accounts speak of Shahjahan as a hard hearted ruler who was constantly
egged on to acts of tyranny and cruelty, by Mumtaz.
106.School and College history carry the myth that Shahjahan reign was a golden period in
which there was peace and plenty and that Shahjahan commissioned many buildings and
patronized literature. This is pure fabrication. Shahjahan did not commission even a
single building as we have illustrated by a detailed analysis of the Taj Mahal legend.
Shahjahan had to enrage in 48 military campaigns during a reign of nearly 30 years
which proves that his was not an era of peace and plenty.
107.The interior of the dome rising over Mumtaz's cenotaph has a representation of Sun and
cobras drawn in gold. Hindu warriors trace their origin to the Sun. For an Islamic
mausoleum the Sun is redundant. Cobras are always associated with Lord Shiva.

FORGED DOCUMENTS

108.The Muslim caretakers of the tomb in the Taj Mahal used to possess a document which
they styled as "Tarikh-i-Taj Mahal". Historian H.G. Keene has branded it as `a document
of doubtful authenticity'. Keene was uncannily right since we have seen that Shahjahan
not being the creator of the Taj Mahal any document which credits Shahjahan with the
Taj Mahal must be an outright forgery. Even that forged document is reported to have
been smuggled out of Pakistan. Besides such forged documents there are whole
chronicles on the Taj which are pure concoctions.
109.There is lot of sophistry and casuistry or at least confused thinking associated with the
Taj even in the minds of professional historians, archaeologists and architects. At the
outset they assert that the Taj is entirely Muslim in design. But when it is pointed out that
its lotus capped dome and the four corner pillars etc. are all entirely Hindu those worthies
shift ground and argue that that was probably because the workmen were Hindu and were
to introduce their own patterns. Both these arguments are wrong because Muslim
accounts claim the designers to be Muslim, and the workers invariably carry out the
employer's dictates.