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TAJ MAHALAND

THE GREAT BRITISH CONSPIRACY :

Part I

By V.S. Godbole

PREFACE

Prof.P.N.Oak of New Delhi, put forward a theory in 1965 that the Taj Mahal was not amausoleum built by Shahjahan but a Rajput Palace. In 1968 he found a confession to that effect

in Shahjahan's official chronicle Badshahnama and in 1974 he came across Au rangzeb's letter of

1652 [the year when Taj Mahal is supposed to have been just completed] complaining that Taj

Mahal was leaking all over. In 1978 I read his extended book The Taj Mahal is a Temple Palace.Over the next two years I went through all th e references and was convinced of his assertion.

My paper Taj Mahal- Simple Analysis of a Great Deception was appreciated by some prominent

European scholars in 1980.

Dr V V Bedekar of Thane [India] started a historical quarterly named itihas patrika in March

1982. He published my paper on Taj Mahal in the first issue of the quarterly. He also publishedmy extended paper as a booklet in March 1986.

In 1981 my research went deeper. I asked myself, " Were the British scholars just a third neutralparty who were misled by the prolonged misuse of Hindu buildings as Mosques and Tombs and

were not cunning enough to see through chauvinistic Muslim claims ?

Or did they know the truth about Taj Mahal and other monuments all along but had, for political

reasons, vowed to hide the truth ? "

By the end of 1981 I prepared an eighty page dossier on the subject. When I placed the

information in a chronological order I was surprised at my findings. There was a British

conspiracy of suppression of truth about Taj Mahal and other monuments over the last 200 years.The main personalities involved either knew each other and/or referred to works of each other.

As the time passed by new information came to light which confirmed my findings. Some

important, contemporary events were added to give the rea ders a better picture of the times.These may be ignored if reader is not familiar with them.
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The Chronology was serialised in the itihas patrika during September 1983 and September 1985.

It is now being made available as a thesis, with some modifications and additions to the original

series.

My Architect friends M/s Paithankar and Pradhan suggested improvements to presentation and

checked my typing meticulously. My wife Mrs Vinita and my daughters Vaidehi and Varshasupported me throughout. Dr Bedekar has made this publication possible. I am grateful to them

all.

V.S.Godbole

14 Tur nberr y Walk

Bedford, MK 41 8 AZ

U.K

10 Januar y 1994

CONTENTS

Part Period And Main Event Pages

I 1784 to 1853 : Rise of the British Power in India 1 to 27

II1854 to 1875 : Aftermath of the Indian War of

Independence28 to 51

III 1876 to 1885 : Rise of Lokamanya Tilak 52 to 73

IV 1886 to 1906 : High noon of the British Raj 74 to 100

V1907 to 1921 : Age of Revolutionaries and Civil

Disobedience

101 to

127

VI 1922 to 1948 : India wins freedom128 to

158

VII 1949 to 1984 : Post Indian Independence159 to

202

VIII1784 to 1984 : Two hundred years in retrospect203 to

265

IX The Great British Conspiracy266 to

298

PART I : 1784 to 1853 RISE OF THE BRITISH POWER IN INDIA

1784
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On 15 January, Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded in Calcutta by 30 officers

of the East India Company. Sir William Jones was the President for first ten years.

1785

Charles Wilkins translates Bhagvad Geeta into English.

1786

Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell, two English painters visited

India at the request of the East India Company. They made several paintings andsketches of various scenes of daily life in India and of objects of interest such as

temples. They visited Taj Mahal in January 1789. After visiting many other places

they returned to England in 1794.

1787

Charles Wilkins translates Hitopadesha from Sanskrit into English.

1788

Lt-Col William Henry Sleeman was born. He is well known for his book Ramblesand Recollections of an Indian Official published in 1844.

1789

The French Revolution.

1790

Sir William Jones translates Shakuntala the famous drama by Kalidas, from

Sanskrit into English. The Calcutta edition was followed by two London editions

within the space of three years.

1794

November/December : Thomas Twining, an eighteen year old employee of the

[English] East India Company visited Taj Mahal, Agra and Delhi. [Sir William

Jones, the second Englishman who learnt Sanskrit, Mahadaji Shinde andAnandibai of Peshwa family die.]

1795

Thomas and William Daniell published Oriental Scenery - 24 views taken in

1789-90. Plate no. XVIII shows the principal gate leading to the Taje Mah'l. Thedescription reads, " The Taje Mah'l is a mausoleum of white marble built by the


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Emperor Shahjehan in the year 1631, for his favourite Queen [but no name is

given].....The Emperor also lies interred here "

1801

The book Oriental Scenery contained only two minor views of Taj Mahal.Daniells were probably criticised for not showing the mausoleum in greater detail.

They therefore published two good views and a plan of Taj Mahal in the booklet

Views of the Taje Mahe l at the city of Agra in Hindoostan taken in 1789. Theplan shows minute details of the Taj complex and the Tajganj market on the south

side of Taj. The main question is - who prepared it ? Daniells were painters and

had neither the time nor skills for pr eparing the plan. It has been drawn to a scalewhich seems to be 5 1/2 inches to 1000 foot [R.F 1/2185]

On the plan Daniells name various structures. They also give the followinginformation :

River Jumna 500 Guz in width. A Guz is 2 ft 9 inches. The breadth of the river isnot in proportion to the Scale.

A marble platform 19 ft high on which is erected the Taje Mahel.

The so called Jawab is described as " A building corresponding in general formwith the Mosque." The word Jawab is not used. In the booklet accompanying the

plan we find :

p 3 " This majestic edifice stands on the Southern bank of the River

Jumna, and was erected by the Emperor Shah Jahan as a Mausoleum forhis favourite wife Mumtaza Zamani. ..... Stretched on an immense

basement 40 feet high and 900 in length. ...."

p 4 " ... the dimensions of which ( i.e. whole complex ) are about 3000 feet

in length, and 900 in width, and its whole area is enclosed by a strongwall."

p 5 " ... The building on the right with three marble domes is a Mosque;

the one on the left, though similar in its general form, differs in its internal

arrangement and decorations, having been appropriated to the

accommodation of visitors of distinction ..."

p 7 " This Mausoleum was begun to be built in the fifth year of the

Emperor Shah Jehan and the whole completed in sixteen years fourmonths and twenty one days, at the expense of 9,815,426 Rupees 13

Annas 3 paisa. The Emperor it is said, intended also to have erected a

Mausoleum of corresponding magnificence for himself on the opposite


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side of the river, which is more than a quarter of a mile wide, and to have

connected them by a bridge of white marble. ..."

Moreover, in the plan, in place of the tomb of Satiunnisa Khanum we see the

tomb of Futtehporee and in place of the tomb of Sarhani Begum we see the tomb

of Akabarabadee. [This is also confirmed by Fanny Parks. See events of 1850]This raises the question. " How did the historians decide that these tombs belong

to Satiunnisa Khanum [South-West corner] and Sarhani Begum ? [South-East

corner]

Historian Yadunath Sarkar tells us, "......Akbar made it a rule that the concubines

of the Mughal Emperors shall be named after the places of their birth or the townsin which they were admitted to the harem. Hence, we have ladies surnamed

Akbarabadi, Fat epuri, Aurangabadi and Udaipuri....." [Ref : Anecdotes of

Aurangzeb and Other Historical Essays by Yadunath Sarkar, published by

M.C.Sarkar & Sons, 1912, page 46]

About 150 ft north of the above two tombs, we see apartments for female

attendants to Ladies of Rank and surrounding these apartments are several pawn[i.e. paan] bazars. [What is their purpose in a tomb ?]

1803

A treaty was signed at Bassein between the East India Company and the MarathaPeshwa Bajirao II.

The English capture Agra from Shinde [Scindia].

1808

James Fergusson, son of an Ayrshire doctor, and Sir Henry Miers Elliot were

born. Fergusson became a pioneer of History of Architecture. Elliot became

famous for his works History of India as told by its own historians.

1809

Sleeman arrives at Calcutta to join the Army of the East India Company.

1810

Captain Taylor of the East India Company carries out some repairs to Taj Mahal.

1811

The ninth edition of the English translation of Tavernier's Travels in India was

published. [22nd edition of the original book in French was published in 1810].


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The title of the first edition, published in 1677 is - The Six Voyages Through

Turkey etc. In the first edition, in part II - Travels in India, Tavernier says on page

50, "....of all the Monuments that are to be seen at Agra, that of the Wife of Cha-jehan is the most magnificent; [Note : Tavernier does not give her name.] He

caus'd it to be set up on purpose near the Tasimacan, to which all Strangers must

come, [so] that they should admire it. [Shahjahan, a grief-stricken emperor,wanted to make an exhibition of his sorrow !] The Tasimacan is a great Bazar, orMarket-place, compos'd of six great Courts, all encompassed with Portico's; under

which there are Warehouses for Merchants; and where there is a prodigious

quantity of Calicuts vended. The Monument of this Begum, [ Who?] or Sultaness,stands on the East-side of the City upon the River-side, in a great place enclosed

with Walls. .....You enter into this place through a large Portal: and presently

upon the left hand you espy a fair Gallery, that looks towards Mecca ; wherein

there are three or four Niches, wherein the Mufti comes at certain hours topray....On the top there is a Cupola, little less magnificent than that of Val de

Grace in Paris; it is cover'd within and without with black Marble, the middle

being of Brick." [Note : Tavernier's information is quite correct. The dome ismade up of 13 ft 6 inches or 4.12 metre thick brickwork, the marble is 6 inches or

150 mm thick and is used as a lining only.

Ref

1. Archaeological Survey of India Report for the year 1936-37, p 3

2. Report on Repairs to Taj Mahal, Agra by the Indian Water-proofing

Company 1943, p 6]

" Under this Cupola is an empty Tomb, for the Begum is interr'd under the Archof the lowest Platform. The same change of Ceremonies which is observed underground, is observed above. For they change the Tapestries, Candles and other

Ornaments at several times and there are always Mollahs attending to pray. I saw

the beginning and compleating of this great work, that cost two and twenty yearslabour, and twenty thousand men always at work; so that you cannot conceive but

that the Expence must be excessive . Cha-jehan had begun to raise his own

Monument on the other side of the River; but the Wars with his Son, broke offthat design, nor did Aurangzeb, now reigning, ever take any care to finish it.

There is a Eunuch who commands two thousand men, that is en trusted to guard

not only the Sepulcher of the Begum, but also the Tasimacan." [Note : Tavernier

is obviously writing before 1666. Shahjahan died on 22 January 1666 ininternment in the Red Fort of Agra and was buried in Taj]

" When you come to Agra from the Dehly, you meet a great Bazar; near to whichthere is a Garden, where the King Jehanguire, Father of Cha-jehan lies interr'd."

[Note : This is utterly wrong. Jehangir died in October 1627 and is interred near

Lahore, some 400 miles away. Tavernier was a French jewel merchant. He madeseven voyages to India in the 17th century.]


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1813

Memoir of the War in India by Major Thorn was published. He describes theTauje Mahal on pages 197 to 203. He says, p 198 "......The ascent to the Tauje

from the garden is by a noble flight of marble steps leading to an extensive terrace

about 60 ft high and 400 ft square in the centre of which stands the mausoleum."

p 200 "....The tomb of the emperor has an inscription in Persian but that of his

partner, has one in the Hindoostanee language."

p 202 ".....The door at the grand entrance was originally of jasper, but thisvaluable relic has been taken away by the barbarous Jauts, who also plundered the

place of as many precious stones as they could easily pick out. .......This

celebrated work whi ch was begun within a few months after the death of the

sultana, took 11 years in building and as many more were occupied in adding toits ornaments." [i.e. it took 11+11 = 22 years as told by Tavernier.]

p 203 ".....the whole of which ( costly stones ) were placed under the direction ofthe most able artists and occupied the labour of 20000 persons. The mere expense

of the workmanship amounted to no less than a sum of 96 lacs of rupee, about

=A31 million. F or the protection of the place and to keep it in order, a companyof artillery and a battalion of infantry were constantly kept on the spot. [All thisfor the protection of a mausoleum ? and that too of a beloved wife of a benevolent

king ?]. .....It was the intention of Shah Jahan to have erected a similar structure

for himself on the other side of the river opposite to the Tauje Mahal; and whichwas to have been joined to it by a magnificent bridge of marble; but though the

ground was enclos ed, and some progress was made in the foundation of the

building, the design was frustrated by the clouds of rebellion ......The name of theamiable woman was Arjummed Banoo which according to oriental usage wasaltered on her elevation [elevation to wha t ?] to that of Moorutaz Zumanee,

signifying the paragon of the age, but afterwards this also was changed to

Nourjehan or the light of the world." [Note : Nourjehan was the step mother ofShahjahan, not his wife.]

[Our comments : Major Thorn visited Taj Mahal in 1803-04 when the English

captured Agra. He repeats all the information given in Tavernier's book, but does

not say so. Almost all the visitors from this time onwards have done the same.

The word Taj Mahal is mentioned for the first time in Major Thorn's book.]

British missionaries were allowed to spread Christianity in India under the rule of

East India Company.

1814

Sleeman becomes a Lieutenant in Bengal Army.


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Alexander Cunningham was born. He reached the rank of Major-General in the

Army of the East India Company. He was in charge of the Archaeological Survey

of India during 1860-65 and 1870-85.

1814-16

East India Company at war with Nepal.

1817

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Muslim separatist was born.

History of India by James Mill was published.

1818

The English defeat Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II

1823

Max Muller was born in Dessau, Germany. He became a famous professor ofSanskrit at All Souls College, Oxford.

1824-26

First Anglo-Burmese War. Arakan and Tenasserim provinces were annexed by

the East India Company.

1825

H.G.Keene, younger and Dadabhai Naoroji were born. Keene joined the IndianCivil Service in 1847. Naoroji was affectionately called The Grand Old Man of

Indian Politics, by Indians.

December - Col. Hodgson of the Bengal Army arrives at Agra for measuringvarious dimensions of the Taj Mahal and other buildings and determine the

relationship between the Guz and the Inch.

1826

Bernier's travels in the mogul empire was translated by Irving Brock. [ editions

1891 and 1914]. Bernier was a French Physician who travelled in India during1659-67.

On page 272 we find A LETTER TO MONSIEUR DE LA MOTHE VAYER;

AND DETAILS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE GREAT MOGUL'S COURT AND


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OF THE MANNERS AND GENIUS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. ( The letter

extends to page 340 ) Written at Delhi the 1 st of July 1663.

Bernier says, pp 333/4 ".. The Dutch have a malt factory in Agra, in which they

generally keep four or five persons.... I do not believe the Dutch will follow the

example of the English and abandon their factory at Agra"

p 334 " I shall finish this letter with a description of the two wonderful

mausoleums, which constitute the chief superiority of Agra over Delhi. One waserected by Jehan-Guire in honour of his father Acbar; and Shah-Jehan raised the

other to the memory o f his wife Taje-Mahil, that extra-ordinary and celebrated

beauty......"

p 336 " The last time I visited Taje Mahil's mausoleum I was in the company of a

French merchant. ...."

p 337 " This walk or terrace is wide enough to admit six coaches abreast; it ispaved with large and hard square stones, raised about eight French feet above thegarden; and divided the whole length by a canal faced with hewn stone and

ornamented with fou ntains placed at certain intervals."

" After advancing twenty-five or thirty paces on this terrace, it is worth while to

turn round and view the back ..."

" Resuming the walk along the main terrace you see before you at a distance a

large dome, in which is sepulchre and to the right and left of that dome on a lower

surface you observe several garden walks covered with trees and many parterres

full of flower s."

pp 337/8 " When at the end of the principal walk or terrace besides the dome thatfaces you, are discovered two large pavilions, one to the right, another to the left;

both built with the same kind of stone, consequently of the same red colour as the

firs t pavilion .... I shall not stop to speak of the interior ornaments of the twopavilions, because they scarcely differ in regard to the walls, ceiling, or pavement

from the dome which I am going to describe. ... From the middle of this space you

have a good view of the building which contain the tomb, and which we are now

to examine."

p 338 " This building is a vast dome of white marble nearly of the same height asthe Val De Grace of Paris and encircled by a number of turrets, also of whitemarble, descending the one below the other in regular succession. The whole

fabric is supported by four great arches, three of which are quite open and the

other closed up by the wall of apartment with a gallery attached to it. There theKoran is continually read with apparent devotion in respectful memory of Taje

Mahil by certain moolahs kept in t he mausoleum for that purpose. The centre of

every arch is adorned with white marble slabs whereon are inscribed large


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Arabian characters in black marble. ... Every where are seen the jasper and

hyacinth and or jade, as well as other stones similar to those that enrich the walls

of the Grand Duke's chapel at Florence, and several more of great value andrarity, set in an endless variety of modes. .... Even the squares of white and black

marble which compose the pavement are inlaid with these precious stones in the

most beautiful and delicate manner imaginable."

p 339 " Under the dome is a small chamber, wherein is enclosed the tomb of Taje-

Mahil. It is opened with much ceremony once in a year and once only, and as noChristian is admitted within lest its sanctity should be profaned, I have not seen

the interior, but I understand that nothing can be conceived more rich and

magnificent."

p 340 " It only remains to draw your attention to a walk or terrace, nearly five and

twenty paces in breadth and rather more in height, which runs from the dome to

the extremity of the gardens. From this terrace are seen the Jumna flowing below

a large ex panse of luxuriant gardens - a part of the city of Agra - the fortress -and all the fine residences of the omrahs erected on the banks of the river."

[Note: The book was first published in French in 1670, second edition in 1671.

Four editions were published in Amsterdam between 1672 and 1710, five in Lay

Haye between 1671 and 1725, one in Frankfurt in 1672-3, one in Milan in 1675.English translations were published in London in 1671, 1672, 1676 and 1684]

Sleeman was promoted to Captain.

1828

Narrative of a Journey Through the Upper Province of India by Rt.Rev.Reginald

Heber; Lord Bishop of Calcutta, was published. In volume I pages 589-90 he tellsus: " January 13, 1824....I went to see the celebrated Tage Mahal.....The

surrounding garden, which as well as the Tage itself is kept in excellent order by

Government ... The Tage contains, as usual a central hall in which enclosed

within a screen of elaborate tracery are the tombs of Begum Noor-JehanShahjahan's beloved wife, to whom it was erected and by her side of the

unfortunate Emperor himself.......The Jumna washes one side of the garden and

there are some remains of a bridge, which was designed by Shahjahan with the

intention, as the story goes, to build a second Tage of equal beauty for his ownseparate place of internment on the opposite side of the river.

Lord Bentinck was appointed Governor General of India (till 1835).

1829

Indians were allowed to join the Asiatic Society of Bengal.


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1830

Taj Mahal was mentioned for the first time under AGRA in the 7th edition ofEncyclopaedia Britannica [E.B.] The information on Taj Mahal as given in

Bishop Heber's book of 1828 is repeated. [First edition of E.B. was published in

1768.]

1831

Taj Mahal was put on sale as a scrap by the Governor General Lord Bentinck.

[News item in the newspaper John Bull of Calcutta of 26th July 1831]. Thehighest bid received was for 1.5 lakhs of rupees or about =A315,000 at 1831

prices.

1832

Journal of a Tour in India by Captain G.C.Mundy was published. He made sometours in India as an A.D.C. to Lord Combermere, Commander-in-Chief of theIndian Army. He describes Taj Mahal on pages 54 to 57. He says :- " 8 January

1828.....In the evening we visited the far famed Taj, a mausoleum erected by the

Great Emperor Shah Jahan over the remains of his favourite and beautiful wifeArjemund Banu or as she was surnamed Mumtaza Zemani" "......In many places

the more valuable pebbles have been fraudently extracted, an act of sacrilegious

brigandage imputed to the Jats who had possession of Agra for some time, andcarried off to their capital Bhurtpore many of the extravagant bequest which Shah

Jahan left to his favour ite city. Amongst other plunder they bore away, Sampson

like, the brazen gates of the citadel of immense value which are supposed to be

still buried in Bhurtpore, as we failed to discover them on our warlike visit to thatfortress in 1826." [In other words, the English would have liked to take away

those valuables themselves to England.]

" The dome of the Taj is about 250 ft high and is as well as the 4 minarets at the

angles of terrace, entirely built of the most snowy marble. It was a work of 20

years and 14 days [Mundy invents these figures] and cost Shah Jahan the sum of750,000 liv res and although it is said the king compelled his conquered foes

[Who ?] to send marble and stone to the spot unpaid for. Had Shah Jahan lived

long enough, he intended to erect a similar sepulchre for himself on the opposite

bank of the river, and to c onnect the two buildings by a bridge " [Note : Livrewas a French unit of money.]

On page 71 Mundy says, "...It is the custom among the Mohammedans to burythe body below and have two tombs in the story above."

1833


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Tours in Upper India by Major Archer, late A.D.C. to Lord Combermere was

published. In volume I he says :

p 56 " .....January 7, 1828. Marched to Etimadpoor...... Agra is seen from

this place.....The Taje looks well at this distance."

p 57 " January 8 ....Before crossing the river, visited a garden called the

Rambaug, built by Noor Jehan the favourite wife of Shah Jehan."

p 59 "......Crossed the river Jumna by a bridge of boats ...On each side

were fragments of fallen masonry, showing the ruins of a once vast andflourishing city."

p 60 "... Shah Jehan was the great patron of architecture of his time; the

new town of Delhi and the Taje were also built by him."

p 69 "....Visited the Taje, the cemetery of Shah Jehan and his favouritewife Noor-Jehan (the light of the world)

- Alexander Cunningham arrives at Calcutta as a lieutenant in the RoyalEngineers. His brother Joseph was also joined the army of the East India

Company. Their father the Scots poet Allan Cunningham, had enlisted the help of

his old friend Walter Scott in procuring commissions for both his boys..

- Christian missionaries from all over the world were allowed to spreadChristianity in India under the rule of the East India Company.

1834

Macaulay arrives in India as the Law Member of the Governor General's Council

(till 1838)

- Coorg was annexed by the East India Company.

1835

English becomes the official language in India under the rule of the East India

Company.

- James Fergusson the pioneer of History of Architecture arrives at Calcutta forhis business activities.

- Fanny Parks visits Taj Mahal ( January ). She was wife of a British customsofficer stationed at Prayag.

1836


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Macaulay wrote to his mother on 12th October "... Our English Schools are

flourishing wonderfully. In a single town of Hoogly, 1400 boys are learning

English. The effect of this education is prodigious.....It is my firm belief that if ourplan of educatio n is followed up, there would not be a single idolater in Bengal in

30 years hence......" [Ref : The Indian War of Independence 1857 by Veer

Savarkar.]

Lt. Col. W.H. Sleeman visits Taj Mahal.

Alexander Cunningham works as an A.D.C. to Governor General Lord Aukland

(till 1840 ).

1837

Queen Victoria comes to throne in Britain.

Cunningham carries out archaeological excavations at Sanchi.

During the famine relief work, the British authorities demolished the remains of

old palaces upstream of Taj Mahal and even blasted out the foundation toconstruct Strand Road.

1838-39

James Fergusson visits various caves in India and makes sketches of the rock cut

temples.

1839

Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab dies. English were busy for next 10 years trying

to capture his kingdom.

Photography was invented.

1840

James Fergusson was elected Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great

Britain and Ireland.

1841

History of India by Mountstuart Elphinstone was published [Elphinstone was theResident in Poona : 1811-1818, then Deccan Commissioner and later on Governor

of Bombay : 1819-1827.] Taj Mahal is described on page 602. This book was

later prescribed as a s tandard textbook for the examination of the ICS and in theuniversities in India.


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- Justice M.G. Ranade, a moderate leader was born.

1842

Alexander Cunningham, Lieutenant in the Bengal Engineers, writes to Col Sykes,

one of the Directors of the East India Company, "..... ( such explorations ) wouldbe an undertaking of vast importance to the Indian Government politically, and to

the British public religiously. To the first body it would show that India had

generally been divided into numerous petty chiefships, which had invariably beenthe case upon every successful invasion; while, whenever she had been under one

ruler, she had always repe lled foreign conquest with determined resolution. To

the other body it would show that Brahmanism, instead of being an unchangedand unchangeable religion which had subsisted for ages, was of comparatively

modern origin and had been constantly receiving a dditions and alterations; facts

which prove that the establishment of the Christian religion in India must

ultimately succeed..." [Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and

Ireland. Volume VII of 1843. The letter was written from Aligarh on 15thSeptember 1842 and read at the society on 3rd December 1842.

William Henry Sykes (1790-1872 ) served in India with the East India Company.

He was elected to the Board of Directors of the company in 1840, became deputy

chairman in 1855, chairman in 1856. Member of Parliament, President of RoyalAsiatic Society, 1858].

Abu Imam, a Pakistani Muslim historian comments, "... Buddhism and itsarchaeology was therefore to be studied for the cause of promoting Christianity.

For a systematic study of Buddhism, however, the first requisite was a survey at

Government cost." [Alexander Cunningham and Indian Archaeology by AbuImam, 1966. pp 40-41]

Archaeology is not therefore, the innocent looking diggings and preservation ofold buildings. It does have political implications and as it remained in the hands

of the British for too long, that created a havoc in India.

1843

Memoir on the length of the Illahee Guz or Imperial Land Measure of Hindostan,a paper by Col.J.A.Hodgson of Bengal Native Infantry, late Surveyor-General of

India was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain

and Ireland. ( V olume VII of 1843 )

On page 50 he says, ".....In Taj Mahal I also procured from the Darogha [

attendant], a Persian manuscript, compiled by him, purporting to give thedimensions of several parts of the Taj in the guz measure; I measured

many parts mentioned, but they gave discordant results; and in my report


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to the government, I observed that these operations were of no value. The

manuscript was evidently the fabrication of an impostor."

p 51 " .... Being, then, in possession of this valuable description of the

imperial buildings at Agra, I went there in December 1825, ..... for the

purpose of making measurements of the three buildings, and a plan of theTaj ( scale 40 ft to an inch ), wh ich was effected under my

superintendence ..... My object, of course, was knowing from the Shah

Jehan Nama the lengths of different parts of the buildings thereindescribed, in the Illahee guz to find their length in English measure; and

from the average of the whole to attempt to determine the length of the

guz in inches and decimal parts."

pp 52/3 " ... This part is in the marble kursi or platform, in the centre of

which the mausoleum stands, as will be seen in the plan. .... The height of

the walls which supports the platform is 18 feet: they are cased with white

marble, as is the entire m ausoleum, both inside and out."

p 54 Here, Hodgson gives measurements of various parts of Taj Mahal,including " square rooms at the four cardinal points " in the cenotaph.

p 56 c. Description of the Taj and Masjids referred to in page 51. " ...themosque and its counterparts, the mihman-khana [i.e. guest house], as well

as the six octagonal pavilions of four stories high, ... compose a most

harmonious whole. Models of the mausoleum and its platform, and thefour minarets, have been exhibited in England. .... It is known that it is

entirely cas ed with white marble, within and without. ...."

".....It must be remembered that this is not a temple but a tomb....."

On pp 57-63 Hodgson gives some Extracts from the Shahjehan Nama, by

Muhmmad Salah Kumbo.

pp 58/60 Remarks on the Mausoleum at Taj Ganj. (This means that Taj

Ganj existed before the mausoleum)

" His Majesty, in the fifth year of his reign, thought upon causing to be

erected the Rauzah, .....had it planned near the Jumna, which river runs to

the north of it. Its foundation was laid from whence water springs, andarchitects built of stone and mor tar, making it strong and level with thebank; ..." [False. the red sandstone is used for lining only, the construction

is of brick.]

" .... a pinnacle in height 15 guz, made of pure gold, which glitters like

sun, has been fixed on its very summit. ..." [At the end of his paper


16/31

Hodgson concludes that 1 guz = 31.456 inches. Therefore 15 Guz =39.32

ft]

" On the four cardinal points there are four square rooms of two floors,

each is 6 dirra square, consisting of 4 seats, each of which 4 1/2 dirra long,

a tanhasa before every square room, and a pesh-tak, 16 dirra long, and 25in height. In the four corner s there are four octagonal rooms of three

stories, the diameter of each 10 dirra, containing 8 nishemans, the

uppermost story of these places being octagonal dalans or halls, witharched roofs; on the three sides of these houses are pesh-taks on the outsi

de, each 7 dirra long, 4 ditto broad, and 10 ditto high."

" To the eastward of the mausoleum, opposite to the Masjid, a mihman

khana has been constructed, in all respects similar to the Mosque, except

that the peculiarity of the arch, and the darsan of the place of prayer is left

out."

In a footnote, Hodgson says that the mihman khana was for the

accommodation of visitors who pay their devotion at the opposite mosque.

p 61 " In the side of this market-place pleasant serais were constructed,each in length and breadth 160 guz, containing an inclosure of 160 cells.Further on another chauk 150 long by 100 broad occurs, in the midst of

which a bazar, and two other serais near it are built, where a great variety

of piece goods and different sorts of property from foreign countries arebought and sold; besides these buildings, a great number of merchants

have erected numerous houses and habitations of pakka work, so much so

that the place has become a large city, by name Moomtazabad. All theseroyal buildings had taken twelve years to finish under superintendence ofMukrumut Khan and Mir Abdul Karim, and their cost amounted to fifty

lacs of rupees....."

The paper is accompanied by a survey map of the Taj Mahal, scale 80 ft to

1 inch. Why Hodgson waited for 15 years to submit the paper, after havingmade the survey, is a mystery.

- Sind was annexed by the East India Company.

1844

Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by Lt.Col W.H.Sleeman was

published. In Volume II page 27 he tells us that he visited Taj Mahal on 1 January

1836. Opposite page 28 are some pictures. They are :

The Taj Mahul or Tomb of Noor Mahal wife of Shah Jahan.


17/31

1. Photo of an engrave - normal view of Taj but without the water channel.

2. The Taj Mahul. This shows the two basement stories under the mainterrace.

3. The Taj Mahul. Similar to 2 above but the two basement stories are notclearly visible. It is taken from a different angle and shows part of

upstream palace wall.

4. The Taj from the river - It shows the two basement stories and two

doors in the lowest story, for entry.

5. Marble screen of the tomb in the Taj.

6. Gateway of the Taj.

Sleeman tells us, p 31 " .....Mumtaz died in giving birth to a daughter.......Beforeshe died, she made two requests - first that Shahjahan should not marry again

after her death, second, that he should build for her the tomb which he promised

to perpetua te her name .....Both her dying requests were granted." [Note : This isutter nonsense. Mumtaz was in pain for 30 hours. Moreover, her surviving

daughters Jahan-Ara and Roshan-Ara were 18 and 16 years old respectively.

Would she ask Shahajahan to promise to find them suitable husbands or wouldshe ask for a beautiful tomb to be built for her ?] " Her tomb was commenced

upon immediately."

p 32 "........Tavernier saw this building commenced and finished; and tells that it

occupied twenty thousand men for twenty-two years. The mausoleum itself andall the buildings that appertain to it cost 3,17,48,026, three crore, seventeen lakks,

forty-ei ght thousand and twenty-six rupees, or 3,174,802 pounds sterling; - threemillion one hundred and seventy-four thousand eight hundred and two!" [Note :

Tavernier does not give any figures of cost. Sleeman does not say where the

figure comes from.]

pp 32/33 "... That on the left or west side, is the only one that can be used as a

mosque or church; because the faces of the audience, and those of all men at theirprayers, must be turned towards the tomb of their prophet to the west. The pulpit

is alwa ys against the dead wall at the back, and the audience face towards it,

standing with their backs to the open front of the building. The church on the eastside is used for the accommodation of visitors, or for any secular purpose; andwas built merely as a " Jowab " ( answer ) to the real one."

p 34 "....This magnificent building and the palaces at Agra and Delhi were, I

believe, designed by Austin de Bordeux, a Frenchman of great talent and

merit....He was called by the natives Oostan Eesau, Nadir-ol-Asur. ....


18/31

p 35 " He had finished the palace at Delhi, and the mausoleum and palace of

Agra; when he was sent by the Emperor to settle some affairs of great importance

at Goa. He died at Cochin on his way back; and is supposed to have beenpoisoned by the Portuguese ......."

"....Shah Jehan had commenced his own tomb on the opposite side of the Jumna;and both were to have been united by a bridge. The death of Austin de Bordeux,

and the wars between his [Shahjahan's] sons that followed, prevented the

completion of these mag nificent works." [Note : Sleeman just repeats whatTavernier says and adds his own fantasy about Austin de Bordeux.]

p 36 ".....We went all over the palace in the fort, a very magnificent buildingconstructed by Shah Jehan within fortifications raised by his grandfather Akabar.

....The Marquis of Hastings, when Governor-General of India, broke up one of the

most beautif ul marble baths of this palace to send home to George IV of England,

then Prince Regent, and the rest of the marble of the suite of apartments from

which it had been taken, with all its exquisite fret-work and mosaic, wasafterwards sold by auction, on ac count of our government, by order of the then

Governor-General, Lord W Bentinck. Had these things fetched the price expected,it is probable that the whole of the palace, and even the Taj itself, would have

been pulled down, and sold in the same manner .... "

- Handbook of British India by J.H.Stocequeter was published. [Taj Mahal on

page 230]

- Archaeological History of the Ruins of Delhi by Syed Ahmed Khan was

published. For this work he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society

of London in 1864.

1845

Travels in India by a German Captain Leopold von Orlich was published. He

describes Taj Mahal in Volume II pages 44-49. He says :

p 44 "....My first excursion was to the Tauje Mahal or the Diamond of Seraglios,

the most beautiful edifice in India. It is situated a mile to the south of the city,

close to the Jumna and was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan, in honour of hisbeloved cons ort Mumtaz Mahal."

p 45 ".....We rode along the bank of the river by a road made during the famine in1838 and passed the ruins in which the nobles resided during the reign of Akbar

the Great. Here are walls so colossal and solid that they are preserved in spite of

all the violence which they have suffered. We saw pieces ten feet thick united bya cement which nothing but gunpowder can break up."


19/31

p 47 "....We do not know who was the architect of this building of magic beauty,

but there is much reason to suppose that an Italian was placed by Shahjahan at the

head of the undertaking and was loaded by him with great honours." [Whathonours ? and whi ch buildings did this mysterious Italian Architect design and

supervise before being entrusted with Taj Mahal ? Capt. Orlich does not even

hazard a guess. Every historian has ducked this simple question ever since.]

"...Perhaps he was one of those who are buried in the Catholic Cemetery, and who

according to the date on the tombstone, lived there at that time ". [All wishfulthinking. No names on the tombstones ? No inscriptions saying that this person

was entrusted with the building of a mausoleum of Shah Jahan's wife ?]

" 11 years were employed in building it and as many more were required for

finishing the ornamental parts." [i.e 11+11= 22 years as told by Tavernier.]

" The Emperor Shah Jahan intended to build a similar sepulchre called Mathob

Baug, for himself, on the opposite side of the Jumna and to connect both by asplendid marble bridge. He had already commenced the building, ruins of which

are still to be seen, when a rebellion broke out and he was deposed at an advancedage by his son, Aurangzeb. His remains are deposited near those of his consort, in

an equally costly and beautiful marble sarcophagus." [Note : The original book in

German was translated into English by H.E.Lloyd, who refers to the kind andvaluable assistance of Col. Sykes, a Director of the East India Company and a

personal friend. Captain Orlich was an officer in the German Army. As t here was

peace in Europe, he thought of fighting with the British in the Afghan War. He

approached the Kaiser, who wrote to Queen Victoria. She made the necessaryarrangements. Captain Orlich arrived at Bombay on 8 August 1842, by that time

the Afghan war was over. He then toured India and was honoured by GovernorGeneral Lord Ellenborough. The word of such a man would be taken as true bythe later day readers. But he just repeats what he read in Tavernier's book. See

events of 1811.]

Travels in Kashmir and the Punjab by Baron Von Hugel was published.

1846

The first Anglo-Sikh War.

Sir H M Elliot printed the first volume of his "Supplement to the Glossary of

Indian Terms."

1847

H G Keene joins the Indian Civil Service.


20/31

Sir H.M.Elliot becomes Secretary to Government of India in the Foreign

Department.

Max Muller joins All Saints College, Oxford as a lecturer.

Picturesque Illustrations Ancient Architecture in Hindoostan by James Fergussonwas published.

Joseph Cunningham was appointed political agent in Bhopal

1848

Lord Dalhousie, was appointed Governor General of India. [till 1856]

Satara State was annexed by Dalhousie.

H.G.Keene becomes President of the Archaeological Society of Agra [till 1882]

S.N Banerjee, a moderate leader from Bengal was born.

1849

Second Anglo-Sikh War. Alexander Cunningham was involved in the fighting.

Punjab was annexed by Dalhousie.

Sir H M Eliot published the first volume of his "Bibliographical Index to the

Historians of Mohammadan India "

1850

Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque by Fanny Parks waspublished. ( Reprint by Oxford University Press 1975 ) Her husband was a

customs officer at Prayag ( Allahabad ). She travelled extensively in North Indiaduring her stay of 24 years. She visited Taj Mahal in January / February 1835.

On page 220 of volume I she says,

".....From the Calcutta John Bull; July 26th 1831. The Governor-general

has sold the beautiful piece of architecture, called the Mootee Musjid, atAgra, for 125,000 rupees ( about =A312,500 ) and it is now being pulled

down! The taj has also been offered for sale! but the price required has not

obtained. Tw o lacs, however, have been offered for it. Should the taj bepulled down, it is rumoured that disturbances may take place amongst the

natives."


21/31

Fanny Parks remarks, " If this be true, is it not shameful ? ..... By what authority

does the Governor-general offer the taj for sale.... It is impossible the Court of

Directors can sanction the sale of the tomb for the sake of its marble and gems..."

In chapter XXX she describes the monument in detail. She says, " 1835, January.

I have seen the The Taj Mahul. ......The dome of the Taj, like all domes erected byMuhammadans, is egg-shaped, a form greatly admired, the dome in Hindu

architecture is alway s semicircular ; and it is difficult to determine to which style

building should be awarded the palm of beauty."

" This magnificent monument was raised by Shahjahan to the memory of

his favourite Sultana Arzumund Banoo, on whom, when he ascended thethrone, he bestowed the title of Momtaza Zumani ( the most Exalted of the

age ) "

" On the death of Shahjahan, his grandson Alumgeer placed his cenotaph

in the Taj, on the right hand, and close to that of Arzumund Banoo.......[Note : Alumgeer was the title assumed by Aurangzeb, who was the son of

Shahjahan and not his grandson.].....F ormerly a screen of silver and goldsurrounded it; but when Alumgeer erected the tomb of Shahjahan by the

side of that of the Sultana, he removed the screen of gold and silver, and

replaced it by an octagonal marble screen." [But why ? Fanny Parks doesnot say.]

"...The crypt is square ......The small door by which you enter wasformerly of solid silver; it is now formed of rough planks of mango

wood."=

" It is customary with Musulmans to erect the cenotaph in an apartment

over the sarcophagus, as may be seen in all the tombs of their celebrated

men." [But why in India only ?]

" Sultana Arzumund Banoo died on 18th July 1631.....To express his

respect for her memory, the emperor raised this tomb, which cost inbuilding the amazing sum of =A3750,000 sterling." [Fanny Parks does not

say how she obtained this figure. In 1832 Capt. M undy quoted a figure of

750,000 livres.]

"....but we have no record of her beauty, nor have reason to suppose that

she was beautiful. She was the niece of one of the most celebrated women

- Noor-jahan. Many people seeing the beauty of the building confuse thetwo persons, and bestow in their ima ginations the beauty of the aunt on

the niece."

" [In the cenotaph chamber] There was also a chandelier of agate and

another of silver; these were carried off by the Jat Suruj Mal, who came


22/31

from the Deccan and despoiled Agra." [Note : The Jats did not come from

the Deccan; Agra is a part of Jat terr itory.]

" It was the intention of Shahjehan to have erected a mausoleum for

himself, exactly similar to the Taj on the opposite side of the river and the

two buildings were to have been united by a bridge of marble across theJumna. The idea was magnificent; but the death of Shahjahan took place

in 1666, while he was a prisoner..."

" The stones were prepared on the opposite side of the Jumna, and were

carried off by the Burtpoor Rajah and a building at Deeg has been formed

of those stones. A part of the foundation of the second Taj is still standing,just opposite the Taj Mahul...."

[Note : Unfortunately, for all these visitors, one corner tower of the socalled second Taj stands even today, complete with the pinnacle; just

compare it with the Taj towers and the stupidity of the legend becomesobvious. There is no comparison between the two towers. Moreover, why

would one start the second Taj by building a corner tower first and not themain building ?]

" The Kalun Darwaza or great gateway, is a fine building; the four largeand twenty-two similar domes over the top of the arched entrance are of

white marble; the gateway is of red granite, ornamented with white

marble, inlaid with precious stones."

" From the second story is a fine view of the Taj itself, to which it is

directly opposite.......There are four rooms in this gateway in whichstrangers, who are visitors, sometimes live during the hot weather."

" Feb 1st ... All the buildings in the gardens on the right are fitted up for

the reception of visitors, if strangers; they are too cold at this time of the

year, or I would take up my abode in one of the beautiful burj ( turrets )

next to the river." [Note : Why are these rooms never shown to the visitors?]

" The two jamma khanas are beautiful buildings, on each side of the tomb,of red stone....One of them is a masjid ....one of the burj near the masjid

contains a fine ba'oli ( well )....The four burj at each corner of the

enclosure are of the most beautifu l architecture. ..... From the one [i.e. one

burj] generally, used as residence by visitors to the tomb, the view of theTaj, the gardens, the river, and the Fort of Agra beyond, is very fine."

" Beyond the Great Gate, but still within the enclosure of the outer wall of

the Taj, are the tombs of two begams, erected by Shahjahan. The

sarcophagus over the remains of the Fathipooree Begam is of white


23/31

marble .... On the other side the enclosure, to correspond with this tomb, is

that of the Akbarabadee Begam......"

" Can you imagine anything so detestable ? European ladies and

gentlemen have the band to play on the marble terrace, and dance

quadrilles in front of the tomb!...."

THE KALUN DARWAZA

".....At the end of this fountain-adorned avenue, you ascend a hidden staircase of twenty solidblocks of marble....the interior of Taj, which is an octagon, surmounted by a dome seventy feet in

diameter." [The diameter is in fact 58 ft.]

GROUND PLAN OF THE TOMB OF THE TAJ

........Strangers, when visiting the Taj, are so much occupied in viewing the centre apartment,

which contains the tombs, that they often omit visiting the eight rooms that surround that central

apartment; four of which a re square and four of octagonal form; [But what is their purpose ?] onthe upper floor are eight rooms of a similar description. [Once again, what is the purpose of the

upper floor ?] The ground plan annexed I copied from an original plan, shown to me at the

tomb." [There is a name in Persian of the person who prepared the plan. It shows the cenotaph

and chambers around it, abov e the marble terrace, but no staircase to the upper floor.]

" It covers an area of two hundred feet square, upon a terrace of white marble, about twenty ftabove the one of stone, and three hundred ft square. At each angle is a minaret upon an octagonal

base, eighty ft in circumference; the bottom of the shaft is twenty ft diameter, so that I should

think the minarets are at least one hundred and fifty feet high.....The whole extent of the lowerterrace is, I should say, full nine hundred feet; the pavement is inlaid with black and white

marble."

" The Taj was twelve years in building; two lakhs per annum were allowed to keep it in orderand support the establishment of priests and servants. It is situated on the western bank of the

Jumna, three miles from the town of Agra; it is nineteen yards sq uare; and the dome about

seventy feet in diameter.........It is impossible to estimate the cost; the most valuable materials

were furnished by subadars of provinces." [Fanny Parks now makes up her own story.]

" Tavernier, who saw this building commenced and finished, asserts that it occupied twentythousand men for twenty-two years. The mausoleum itself, and all the buildings that pertain to it,

cost 3,17,48026 rupees; or =A33,174,802. .....Colonel Sleeman, in h is " Rambles of an Indian

Official " remarks, - " This magnificent building, and the palaces at Agra and Delhi, were, Ibelieve, designed by Austin de Bordeux, a Frenchman of great talent and merit..."


24/31

- Alexander Cunningham carries out Archaeological excavations in Sanchi.

1852 : Second Anglo-Burmese War.

1853 : 8th edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica mentions Taj Mahal in volume II p 244, under

AGRA. It tells us, "....The name of this distinguished personage was Arjammed Banoo, whichaccording to oriental usage, was changed on her elevation [elevation to what ?] to that of

Mumtazee Zumanee signifying the paragon of the age."

Nagpur State was annexed by Dalhousie.

Bombay-Thana railway was opened.

Sir Henry.M.Elliot dies. His Historical works were published 14 years later. See events of 1867.

Bayard Taylor, an American gentleman visits Taj Mahal.

Summary of Events and Explanatory Notes

1. Politics

The East India Company was trying to get control of whole of India. The period from

1784 to 1853 is full of their various wars, with the Marathas, the Burmese, the Gorkhas

and the Sikhs. The insatiable, rapacious lust for plunder and loot of the English, madeChengiz Khan and Nadir Shah look like cowboys. They even wanted to demolish the Taj

Mahal! Their crooked methods, audacity to break unilaterally their own promises,assurances and treaties, racist, arrogant and contemptuous behaviour, was soon to res ultin the eruption of the Great Revolt of 1857.

2. Archaeology

Major General Cunningham was aware of the enormous political importance ofArchaeological Survey of India, way back in 1842. Was it just a coincidence that he was

made in charge of that department when it was started in 1860 ? Even a Pakistani Muslim

Abu Imam recognised in 1966 that Cunningham wanted to use Archaeology for

promoting Christianity in India.

3. Indian History

As the East India Company conquered various territories their officers wrote history of

those territories. It was the victors writing about the vanquished. Here are some examples

:

1818 Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II was defeated by the East India Company.


25/31

1824 A Memoir of Central India by Major General Malcolm was published.

1826 History of the Marathas by Capt Grant Duff was published.

1829-32 Anals and Antiquities of Rajasthan by Lt Col James Todd was published.

1843 Sind was annexed by Lord Dalhousie.

1851 History of Sind was written by Lt R F Burton of Bombay Army.

1849 Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie. History of Sikhs was written by Joseph

Cunningham, brother of Major General Alexander Cunningham.

4. British attitude

Macaulay made it quite clear that English system of education was a means of spreading

Christianity in India.

5. Evidence ignored/set aside

5.1 Tavernier said, " He [Shahjahan] caused it to be set up on purpose near theTasimacan, to which all Strangers must come, [so] that they should admire it, the

Tasimacan is a great Bazar, or Market-place."

Why should a King erect a mausoleum near a busy / noisy place like a Bazar or Market ?

5.2 Name of the lady of the Taj

Tavernier the contemporary traveller of 1666 and Daniells ( 1795 ) do not give the name

of the lady at all.

Bishop Heber ( 1828 ) and Major Archer ( 1833 ) say that the lady was Noor - Jehan,

when in fact she was Shahjahan's step-mother.

Major Thorn says the lady was Arjumand Banoo, whose name was changed first toMoorutaz Zumanee and later to Nourjehan.

Capt Mundy says the lady was Arjumand Banu.

Fanny Parks says her name was Arjumand Banoo, it was later changed to Mumtazee

Zemani.

Sleeman calls her Mumtaz.


26/31

5.3 Col.Hodgson, told us in 1843 that: The Persian manuscript in the possession of the

custodians of Taj Mahal was the fabrication of an impostor. But the same manuscript has

been used as an evidence by many authors!

Even in 1825 the so called Jawab was used for accommodation of visitors.

It seems that he was also aware of the true nature of Taj Mahal. That is why he says, "

when viewing this monument it must be remembered that it is not a temple but a tomb."

He also refers to " Mausoleum at Taj Ganj " as mentioned in Shah Jahan Nama of

Muhmmad Salah Kumbo. The term clearly implied that Taj Ganj existed before the deathof the lady. It was not built as a township for workers.

His vital remarks have been ignored with the connivance of the historians.

5.4 Taje Mahal

It is curious to note that all the visitors who had been in India for a short time use the

term Taje Mahal. Thomas and William Daniells ( 1795 ), Major Thorn ( 1813 ), Bishop

Heber ( 1828 ), Major Archer ( 1833 ), Captain Von Orlich ( 1845 ) This is quite contraryto their attitude to the pronunciation of Indian words, even today. Taje Mahal could easily

have been the corruption of Tejo-Mahalaya as Prof Oak suggests.

5.5 Fanny Parks had noted 8 rooms around the cenotaph, and an upper floor with similar

8 rooms. Hodgson also noted an upper floor.

5.6 Both Fanny Parks and Hodgson have noted Baoli Burj. It has no relevance in a

mausoleum.

5.7 Tavernier has stated that main dome is constructed of brickwork. ( marble is used for

lining only ). Hodgson had noted this fact.

5.8 Fanny Parks said, " It is customary with Musalmans to erect the cenotaph in an

apartment over the sarcophagus, as may be seen in all the tombs of their celebrated men."

Captain Mundy ( 1832 ) has noted Mohammedans burying bodies on ground floor anderecting cenotaphs on first floor.

Why should this tradition arise in India only ?

5.9 Fanny Parks said that various rooms inside the Taj were used by visitors to stay. Whywere they built ? There are plenty of rooms outside the Taj in the courtyard.

5.10 Army for protection of Taj

Tavernier said - There is a Eunuch who commands two thousand men, that is entrusted to

guard not only the sepulchre of the Begum, but also the Tasimacan.


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Major Thorn said - For the protection of the place and to keep it in order, a company of

artillery and a battalion of infantry were constantly kept on the spot.

But why was this protection necessary for the tomb of beloved wife of this popular

emperor who ruled like a father and whose reign was said to be golden and peaceful ?

6. New evidence emerges

There were palaces between Agra Red Fort and Taj Mahal. Ruins of these palaces were

noted by Major Archer (1833) and Capt Von Orlich ( 1845 )

7. Blunders of Travellers

Tavernier said that Jahangir's tomb was in Agra, on the way from Delhy when in fact heis buried in Lahore. Tavernier gives extensive family history of the Mughals.

8. Travellers' Accounts

The travellers' accounts are nothing but mere repetition of what they read in Tavernier'sbook. But only Col. Sleeman and Fanny Parks refer to him.

As these visitors came from the high society, their accounts were taken as true by others.

9. How the legend grew

9.1 20,000 men worked for 22 years

It seems quite clear that the travellers had read Tavernier's book before visiting TajMahal, but only Sleeman and Fanny Parks were honest enough to say so. Others just

repeat the story told by Tavernier as if it were an established fact. Some modify the story

to suit their thinking :

Major Thorn says, " This celebrated work...took 11 years in building and as many morewere occupied in adding to its ornaments. " i.e. it took 11 + 11 = 22 years as Tavernier

says. Capt Von Orlich repeats what Major Thorn said.

9.2 Tavernier tells us of the legend of the second Taj or Shahjahan's intended tomb on the

other side of the river.

Major Thorn said in 1813 - Shahjahan's intended tomb was to have been joined to Taj

Mahal by a magnificent bridge of marble. Others have followed the leader. Bishop Heber

( 1828 ), Captain Godfry Mundy ( 1832 ), Col Sleeman ( 1836 ), just say that the two

tombs were to have been joined by a bridge. Captain Von Orlich ( 1845 ) and FannyParks ( 1850 ) say the two tombs were to have been joined by a marble bridge. Bishop

Heber said that there were some remains of a bridge. Capt Von Orlich said that

Shahjahan's own tomb was called Mathob Baug.


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9.3 Deathbed request of the lady

Col Sleeman said in 1844 - Before she ( Mumtaz ) died she made two requests...secondthat he should build for her the tomb...to perpetuate her name. Both her dying requests

were granted.

9.4 The figures of cost like the legend , are purely imaginary.

Major Thorn says Rs 96 lakhs or =A3 1,000,000 Captain Mundy says 750,000 livres or

=A3 56,250 Col. Sleeman says Rs 3,17,48,026 or =A3 3,174,802 Fanny Parks is not sure.

Once she quotes a figure of =A3 750,000 but towards the end of the chapter on Taj Mahalshe repeats Sleeman's figure of 33,174,802.

9.5 Tavernier mentions no architect. Again all the names are purely fictitious.

Col.Sleeman says, " I believe it was designed by the Frenchman Austin de Bordeaux."

Captain Von Orlich says, " There is much reason to suppose that an Italian was placed at

the head of the undertaking "

Fanny Parks repeats what Col. Sleeman says.

They all ducked the basic question : What buildings did this mysterious Architect design

and supervise before being invited to build the Taj Mahal ?

9.6 False accusations : Looting by the Jats

Major Thorn said in 1813 - " The doors at the grand entrance was originally of Jasper, butthis valuable relic has been taken away by the barbarous Jats, who also plundered the

place of as many precious stones as they could easily pick out."

Capt Mundy said in 1832 - " In many places the more valuable pebbles have been

fraudently extracted, an act of sacrilegious brigandage imputed to the Jats who....

...carried off the brazen gates of the citadel of immense value."

Fanny Parks said in 1850 - " [In the cenotaph chamber] there was also a chandelier ofagate and another of silver, these were carried off by the Jat Suraj Mal."

It is interesting to note, however, that Tavernier the contemporary traveller, does notmention any silver doors or golden railings etc. He notes the large cotton market inTascimacan and throughout his book he talks about nothing but money, money, money.

10.A Mystery


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Fanny Parks says, " Formerly a screen of silver and gold surrounded it; but when

Alumgeer erected the tomb of Shahjahan by the side of that of the Sultana, he removed

the screen of gold and silver, and replaced it by an octagonal marble screen."

Badshahnama was not published till 1867! Only in 1896 Latif tells these details. How did

Fanny Parks learn about the screen in 1850 ?

[continued inPart II]

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Taj Mahal

No one has ever challenged this so-called reality about Taj Mahal except Prof. P. N. Oak, who believes

the whole world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal: The True Story, Oak says the Taj Mahal is not

Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya).

In the course of his research, Oak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan

from the then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. 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 still retains in his secret collection, two orders from Shah Jahan for

surrendering the Taj. Using captured temples and mansions, as a burial place for dead courtiers and
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj2.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj2.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj2.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/moghal_link.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/moghal_link.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/moghal_link.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern_history.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern_history.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern_history.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/hist_index.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/hist_index.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/hist_index.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/hist_index.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern_history.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/moghal_link.htmlhttp://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj2.html


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royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers. For example, Humayun, Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula

and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions.

Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says the term 'Mahal' has never been used for a

building in any of the Muslim countries from Afghanisthan to Algeria. "The unusual explanation that the

term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal was 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

'Mum' from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name for the building. "Taj Mahal, he claims,

is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace. Oak also says 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 the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and thatit was a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city. For example, Prof. Marvin

Miller of New York took a few samples from the riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed

that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan. European traveler 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 he 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 the Taj was a noteworthy building well before Shah

Jahan's time. Prof. Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies that support the

belief of the Taj Mahal being 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 Lord Shiva and other objects commonly used for worship rituals in

Hindu temples. Fearing political backlash, Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Prof. Oak's book

withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the First Edition dire

consequences.


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There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's research. The current government should open the

sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal, which is currently under U.N. Supervision, and let international experts

investigate.

Contributed by :Rajeev Dalvi

Reference : THE TRUE STORY ABOUT TAJMAHAL by P. N. Oak

TAJ MAHAL_secret.docx

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