| Taj Mahal or TEJO MAHA |
Posted by:
jai buffy
18/08/2007 |
Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It was built in 22 years (1631 to 1653) by 20,000 artisans brought to
India from all over the world. Many people believe Ustad Isa of Iran designed it. This is what your guide probably told you if you have ever visited the Taj Mahal.
This is the story I read in my history book as a
student in India. No one has ever challenged it except
Professor 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 Mahal's Tomb
but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then
known as Tejo Mahalaya ).
In the course of his research, Oak discovered the
Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan from
then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. Shah Jahan then
remodelled palace into his wife's memorial.
In his own court chronicle, 'Badshahnama', Shah Jahan
admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion
in Agra was taken from Jai Singh for Mumtaz's burial.
The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur still retains in his secret
collection, two orders from Shah Jahan for
surrendering the Taj building.
Using captured temples & mansions as burial place for
the dead courtiers & royalty was a common practice
among Muslim rulers. For example, Humayun, Akbar,
Etmud-ud-Daula & Safdarjung are all buried in such
mansions.
Oak's inquiries begin with the name Taj Mahal. He says
this term does not occur in any Moghul court papers or
chronicles, even after Shah Jahan's time.
The term "Mahal" has never been used for a building in
any of the Muslim countries, from Afghanistan to
Algeria.
"The unsual explanation that the term Taj Mahal
derives from Mumtaz Mahal is illogical in at least two
respects. Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but
Mumtaz-ul-Zamani," he writes.
Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters
'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 Shiva's Palace.
Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz & Shah Jahan
is a fairy tale created by court sycophants,
blundering historians & sloppy archaeologists. Not a
single royal chonicle of Shah Jahan's time
corroborates the love story.
Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting
the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era & was a temple
palace dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by the Rajputs
of Agra city. For example, Professor 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 traveller Johan Albert Mandelslo, who visited
Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death),
describes the life of the city in his memoirs. But 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.
Oak points out a number of design & 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, & are still inaccessible to the
public. Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of
Shiva & other objects commonly used for worship
rituals in Hindu temples. Fearing political backlash,
Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Oak's book
withdrawn from the bookstores & threatened the Indian
publisher of the first edition with dire consequences.
There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's
research. The current Indian government should open
the sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal under UN supervision
& let international experts investigate. Do circulate
this to all your friends & let them know about this
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