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Was Taj Mahal really built by Shah Jahan?
Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, undoubtedly stands as a fabulous jewel in the world of architecture. It is an inter-fusion of Indian, Persian and Turkish style. Residing on the bank of Yamuna, with a large, beautiful dome enlightens the heart of visitors. It is considered as a symbol of love. It is said that it was built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaj. But, some facts strongly oppose this. Is Taj Mahal really built by Shah Jahan?
It is
said that Taj Mahal was previously a temple of Lord Shiva, a God of Hindus. It
is said that Shah Jahan acquired Tejo Mahalaya, the name by which the temple
was called from the king of Jodhpur. Some facts which support that that Taj
Mahal is not built by Shah Jahan are:
- Aurangzeb wrote letters to his father Shah Jahan in 1652 which is recorded in three firmans called as `Aadaab-e-Alamgiri', `Yadgarnama', and the `Muruqqa-i-Akbarabadi' (edited by Said Ahmed, Agra, 1931). His letter described that second floor of Taj Mahal must be repaired immediately with the help of motors. This clearly depicts that Taj Mahal was old by that time. Those firmans are still present at bikaner in Rajasthan.
- These firmans describe that
a large quantity of marble was ordered by Shah Jahan to Jaisingh. This
happened just after 2 years from the death of Mumtaj. As it was
built for 22 long years, marble should be required at least 10-15 years
after the construction had started.
- A wooden piece from the
river side doorway was subjected to Carbon test and it was found that the
wooden piece belongs to 1155 A.D, around 480 years prior to the
construction of Taj Mahal.
- When a Britisher named
'Peter Mundy' visited India in 1632, he described about Taj-e-Mahal . It
is said that Mumtaj died in 1631. If this is the case, how could Taj Mahal
be built in one year? Many visitors like 'Bernier' and 'Tavarnier' who
were French visitors expressed same opinion in their writings.
- There was not even a single
record describing about the death of Mumtaz in the court papers of Shah
Jahan. If Mumtaj is honoured with such a great love, there should have
been a description regarding her death. Moreover, there is no painting or
sculpture showing the construction of Taj Mahal as it such a unique
construction.
- Babur's daughter
'Gulbadan Begum' described Taj Mahal as a 'mystic house' in "Humayun
Nama." This is about 100 years before the construction of it. Even
Babur mentioned about the ancient Shiva temple with four pillars on its
four sides.
- It was described that the
gardens of Taj Mahal are filled with trees like Bel, Jai, Jui, Champa,
Ketaki which are considered to be holy by Hindus. The leaves of the Bel
tree are used to serve Lord Shiva. This supports the existence of a Shiva
temple there.
- Shah Jahan became emperor
two years after the death of Mumtaj. It questions if Taj was built by Shah
Jahan as the cost of construction was described as 91.4 million rupees.
The above facts strongly support that a Lord Shiva temple was modified as Taj Mahal but it was not constructed. Whether Taj Mahal is built by Shah Jahan is true or not, but it is true that Taj Mahal stands as one of the fabulous constructions this world has ever seen.- These firmans describe that
a large quantity of marble was ordered by Shah Jahan to Jaisingh. This
happened just after 2 years from the death of Mumtaj. As it was
built for 22 long years, marble should be required at least 10-15 years
after the construction had started.
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very informative post . Yes there are many documents and ethics which shows that Tajmahal was initially a Hindu Temple.
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