TAJ MAHAL.pdf

The Taj Mahal: A Timeless Monument of Love

The Taj Mahal is an iconic white marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century as a memorial for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who passed away during childbirth. This architectural masterpiece is renowned for its symmetrical design, intricate carvings, and stunning gardens. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful buildings and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Taj Mahal's historical and cultural significance, along with its breathtaking beauty, make it a symbol of love and a must-visit tourist attraction in India.

1. TAJMAHAL
TheTajMahal(CrownofPalaces)isan
ivory-whitemarblemausoleumlocatedin
Agra,India,onthesouthbankofthe
Yamunariver.In1632,theMughalemperor
ShahJahan(reignedfrom1628to1658)
orderedhisfavoritewife,MumtazMahal
(MumtazMahalorErcümendBanuBegum,
ShahJahan,the6thrulerofthe

2. Indo-Turkish-MongolMughalEmpire).It
wasbuilttohostthetombofthe3rdand
mostfavoritewifeoftheProphet(PBUH)
andthetombofShahCihanisalsohere.
Themausoleumisthecenterofa
17-hectare(42-acre)complexthatincludes
amosqueandaguesthouse,andisset
withingardens,boundedonthreesidesby
acrenelatedwall.
ArtisticdepictionofMumtazMahal
Theconstructionofthemausoleumwas
essentiallycompletedin1643,butworkon
otherphasesoftheprojectcontinuedfor
another10years.TheentireTajMahal
complexisbelievedtohavebeen
completedin1653atanestimatedcostof
around32millionrupeesatthetime,which
isabout70billionrupees(about916million
USdollars)in2020.Theconstruction

3. projectemployedapproximately20,000
artisans
underthe
guidanceof
aboardof
architects
ledbythe
Mughal-rulingarchitectUstadAhmad
Lahauri.
TheTajMahalwasinscribedonthe
UNESCOWorldHeritageListin1983for
being"thejewelofMuslimartinIndiaand
oneoftheuniversallyadmired
masterpiecesofworldheritage."Itis
consideredbymanytobethebestexample

4. ofMughalarchitectureandasymbolof
India'srichhistory.
TheTajMahalattracts7-8millionvisitorsa
yearandwasoneofthewinnersoftheNew
7WondersoftheWorld(2000–2007)
initiativein2007.
INSPIRATION
TheTajMahalwasbuiltbyShahJahanin
1631tocommemorate
hiswife,Mumtaz
Mahal,whodied
givingbirthtotheir
14thchild,Gauhara
Begum,on17June
thatyear.Construction
beganin1632andthe
shrinewascompleted

5. in1648,whilethesurroundingbuildings
andgardenwerecompletedfiveyearslater.
DocumentingthegriefofShahJahanafter
thedeathofMumtazMahal,theTajMahal
isoneofthemostmagnificentmonuments
ofapassionatelovestory.
ARCHITECTURE
ANDDESIGN
TheTajMahalisafusionofMughal,
Turkish,andPersianarchitecture,aswell
asamagnificentreflectionoftheIndian
architecturaltradition.Mughalsuccessful
structures,includingGur-eAmir(thetomb
ofTimur,theancestoroftheMughal
dynastyinSamarkand),Humayun'sTomb,
whichinspiredtheCharbaghgardens,and
thehasht-beheshtarchitecturalplan,arehis
greatestsourcesofinspiration.Whileearlier

6. Mughalstructureswerebuiltprimarilyofred
sandstone,ShahJahansoughttheuseof
whitemarbleinlaidwithsemi-precious
stones.Buildingsunderhisauspices
reachednewlevelsofarchitectural
refinement.
GRAVE
The
tombisthecentralfocalpointoftheentire
complexoftheTajMahal.Itisalarge,white
marblestructurestandingonasquare
plinthandconsistsofasymmetrical
structurewithaniwan(anarch-shaped
door)withalargedomeandfinialaboveit.

7. LikemostMughaltombs,thekeyelements
areofTurkishorigin.
Thebasicstructureisalarge
multi-compartmentcubewithchamfered
cornersforminganunequaloctagonal
structuremeasuringapproximately55
metersoneachofthefourlongsides.Two
balconieswithsimilarlyshapedarches
stackedoneithersideoftheiwanare
framedbyagiantpishtaqorvaultedarch.
Thisstackedpishtaqmotifiscopiedintothe
chamferedcornerareas,makingthedesign
completelysymmetricalthroughoutthe
building.Fourminaretsframethetomb
facingchamferedcornersateachcornerof
theplinth.Themainchamberhousesthe
falsesarcophagiofMumtazMahaland
ShahJahan,andtherealtombsareonthe
lowerlevel.
The
most

8. notablefeatureisthemarbledome
surroundingthemausoleum.Thedomeis
about35metershigh,whichisclosein
measurementtothelengthofthebaseand
isaccentuatedbytheapproximately
7-meter-highcylindrical“drum”onwhichit
sits.Becauseofitsshape,thedomeis
oftencalledanoniondomeoramrud
(guavadome).Thetopisdecoratedwitha
lotusdesign,whichalsoservesto
emphasizeitsheight.
Theshapeofthedomeisemphasizedby
foursmalldomeddomes(mansions)placed
atitscorners,mimickingtheonionshapeof
themaindome.Thedomeissomewhat
asymmetrical.Itscolumnbasesopenfrom
theroofofthetombandprovidelightinside.
Talldecorativetowers(guldastas)extend
fromthesidesofthefloorwallsandadd
visualemphasistotheheightofthedome.
Thelotusmotifisrepeatedaswell.Atthe
topofthedomeandchattrisisagilded

9. finialthatblendstraditionalTurkish,Persian
andHindustanidecorativeelements.
Themainfinialwasoriginallymadeofgold,
butwasreplacedbyareplicamadein
gildedbronzeintheearly19thcentury.This
featureprovidesaclearexampleofthe
integrationoftraditionaldecorative

10. elements.Atthetopofthefinialisamoon,
whosehornsindicateheaven,atypical
Islamicmotif.
Theminarets,eachover40metershigh,
demonstratethedesigner'spassionfor
symmetry.Eachminaretiseffectively
dividedintothreeequalpartsbytwo
workingbalconiessurroundingthetower.At
thetopofthetowerisafinalbalcony
coveredwithachattrithatreflectsthe
designofthoseabovethetomb.Allof
Chattrissharethesamedecorative
elementsofalotusdesigntoppedwitha
gildedfinial.Theminaretswerebuiltslightly
outsidetheplinthsothatintheeventof
collapse,typicalofmanytallstructuresof
theperiod,materialsfromthetowerswould
havetendedtofalloutofthetomb.

11. EXTERIOR
DECORATIONS
TheexteriordecorationsoftheTajMahal
areamongthebestinMughalarchitecture.
Asthesurfaceareachanges,the
decorationsareproportionallyrefined.
Decorative
elementsarecreatedbyapplyingpaint,

12. plaster,stoneinlayorcarvings.In
accordancewiththeIslamicprohibition
againsttheuseofanthropomorphicforms,
decorativeelementscanbegroupedinto
calligraphy,abstractformsorfloralmotifs.
CalligraphyontheGreatGate“OSpirit,
youareresting.ReturntoGodatpeace
withHim,andHeatpeacewith
you.”Calligraphywasmadein1609bya
calligraphernamedAbdulHaq.ShahJahan
gavehimselfthetitleof"AmanatKhan"asa
rewardforhis"dizzyingvirtuosity".Atthe
bottomoftheinnerdome,nearthe
remaininglinesfromtheQur'an,isthe
inscription“Writtenbytheinsignificant
AmanatKhanShirazi”.Mostcalligraphy
consistsofanornatethuluthscriptmadeof
jasperorblackmarble.Thehigherpanels
areinaslightlylargerscripttoreducethe
skewingeffectwhenviewedfrombelow.
Thecalligraphyonthemarbletombstones

13. in thetomb
is
particularlydetailedandelegant.
Abstractformswereusedespeciallyonthe
surfacesofthepedestal,minaret,passage,
mosque,chinand,toalesserextent,the
tomb.Theincisionpaintingofleaf-shaped
carvingsworkedwiththedomesandvaults
ofsandstonebuildingscreateselaborate
geometricforms.Herringbonefillsdefine
thespacebetweenmanyadjacent
elements.Whiteinlaysareusedin
sandstonestructures,anddarkorblack
inlaysareusedonwhitemarbles.The

14. mortaredareasofmarblebuildingsare
paintedorpaintedinacontrastingcolorthat
createsanintricatearrayofgeometric
patterns.Floorsandwalkwaysuse
contrastingtilesorblocksinmosaic
patterns.
Onthelowerwallsofthetombarecarved
whitemarbledadoswithrealisticbasrelief
depictionsofflowersandvines.Themarble
hasbeenpolishedtohighlighttheexquisite
detailsofthecarvings.Ahighlystylized,
almostgeometricinlayofvines,flowersand
fruits,pietraduradecoratedwithdado
framesandbeltspandrels.Theinlaysare
yellowmarble,jasperandjade,polished
andalignedtothesurfaceofthewalls.

15. INTERIOR
DECORATION
TheinterioroftheTajMahalgoesfar
beyondtraditionaldecorativeelements.Not
inlaidwithstonydurabutwithconcise
preciousandsemi-preciousstones.The
interior
partitionisan
octagonwitha
design
allowing
accessfromall
sides,although
onlythe
south-facing
doortothe
gardenis
used.The

16. innerwallsareabout25metershighand
arecoveredbya"fake"innerdome
decoratedwithasunmotif.Eightpishtaq
archesdefinethespaceatgroundlevel,
andasontheexterior,eachlowerpishtaq
iscrownedbyasecondpishtaqtowardsthe
middleofthewall.
Fourcentralupperarchesformbalconiesor
viewingareas,andeachbalcony'souter
windowhasanintricatescreenormarble
jalis.Inadditiontothelightfromthebalcony
curtains,thelightentersthroughtheroof
openingslinedwithchattrisinthecorners.
Theoctagonalmarblecurtainorjali
surroundingthecenotaphsismadeofeight
marblepanelscarvedbyintricatedrilling.
Theremainingsurfacesareworkedwith
delicatedetailswithsemi-preciousstones
thatformvines,fruitsandflowers.Each

17. roomwallishighlydecoratedwithdado
bas-reliefs,intricatestoneworkinlays,and
elegantcalligraphypanelsthatreflect,with
littledetail,thedesignelementsseenonthe
complex'sexterior.
Muslim
tradition
forbids
elaborate
decorationof
tombs.For
thisreason,
thebodiesof
Mumtazand
ShahJahan
wereplaced
inarelatively
plaincryptundertheinnerchamber,facing
Mecca.ThecenotaphofMumtazMahalis

18. placedintheverycenteroftheinner
chamberonarectangularmarblebaseof
1.5x2.5meters.Boththebaseandthe
coffinareelaborateinlaidwithpreciousand
semi-preciousstones.Thecalligraphic
inscriptionsonthecoffindescribeand
praiseMumtaz.Thelidofthecoffinhasa
raisedrectangularlozenge,reminiscentofa
writingtablet.
ShahJahan'scenotaphisnexttothe
westernsideofMumtazandistheonly
visibleasymmetricalelementoftheentire
complex.Hiscenotaphisalargercoffin
largerthanhiswife's,butonaslightly
longerbasereflectingthesameelements,
fullyembellishedwiththestoneand
calligraphythatdefinesit.Onthelidofthe
coffinisatraditionalsculptureofasmall
pencilcase.

19. Thepencilcaseandwritingtabletare
traditionalMughalfuneralsymbolsthat
adornthecoffinsofmenandwomen,
respectively.TheNinety-NineNamesof
Godarecalligraphicinscriptionsonthe
sidesofMumtazMahal'sactualtomb.Other
inscriptionsinsidethetombincludethe
phrases``ONoble,OMagnificent,O
Magnificent,OUnique,OEternal,O
Glorious…”.ShahCihan'stombbearsa
calligraphicinscription;Itiswritten,“Onthe

20. twenty-sixthnightofRajab,inHijri1076,he
leftthisworldtothebanquethallofeternity”
GARDEN
Thecomplexisset
arounda300
squaremeter
charbaghor
Mughalgarden.
Thegardenuses
elevatedpathwaysthatdivideaquarterof
thegardeninto16sunkenparterresor

21. flowerbeds.Inthemiddleofthewalkway
withthetombinthemiddleofthegardenis
araisedmarblewatertankwithareflecting
poolpositionedonanorth-southaxisto
reflecttheimageofthetomb.Raised
marblewatertankHz.Ithasbeennamed
AlHavzAl-Kevser,inreferencetothe"Tank
ofAbundance"promisedtoMuhammad.
Elsewhere,thegardenisorganizedwith
treeavenuesandfountainslabeled
accordingtocommonandscientificnames.
AdesigninspiredbyPersiangardens,the
charbaghgardenwasintroducedtoIndiaby
thefirstMughalemperor,Babur.It
symbolizesthefourflowingriversof
paradise(Heaven)andreflectstheGarden
ofEden,whichmeanspairidaeza,derived
fromthePersianwalledgarden.'Inthe
mysticalIslamictextsoftheMughalperiod,

22. Paradiseisdescribedastheidealgardenof
abundanceflowingfromacentralarcor
mountain,separatingthegardenintofour
riverssouthandeast,north,west.
MostMughalcharbagharerectangularwith
atomborpavilioninthemiddle.TheTaj
Mahalgardenisunusualinthatthemain
element,thetomb,islocatedattheendof
thegarden.Withthediscoveryofthe
MahtabBaghor
"MoonlightGarden"
ontheothersideof
theYamuna,the
Archaeological
SurveyofIndia'sinterpretationisthatthe
Yamunariverwasincludedinthedesignof
thegardenandshouldbeseenasa
reflectionofheavenwithitsdepictionofthe
rivers.Thesimilaritiesinsettlementand

23. architecturalfeatureswiththeŞalimar
Gardenssuggestthatbothgardensmay
havebeendesignedbythesamearchitect,
AliMardan.Earlyaccountsofthegarden
describeanabundanceofvegetation,
includingabundantroses,daffodils,and
fruittrees.AstheMughalEmpiredeclined,
sodidtheTajMahalanditsgardens.Atthe
endofthe19thcentury,theBritishEmpire
controlledmorethanthree-fifthsofIndia
andassumedtheadministrationoftheTaj
Mahal.Theyalteredthelandscapingtosuit
theirowntastes,morelikeLondon'sofficial
lawn.

24. EXTERIOR
BUILDINGS
TheTajMahalcomplex
issurroundedonthree
sidesbycrenelatedred
sandstonewalls;The
sidefacingtheriveris
open.Outsidethewallsareseveral
additionalshrines,includingthoseofShah
Jahan'sotherwivesandalargertombfor
Mumtaz'sfavoriteservant.Composed
primarilyofredsandstone,thesestructures
aretypicalofthesmallerMughaltombsof
theperiod.Thegarden-facinginteriorofthe
wallissurroundedbycolumnararches,a
characteristicfeatureofHindutemplesthat
werelaterincorporatedintoMughal
mosques.Thewallisinterspersedwith

25. domedchattrisandsmallstructuresthat
overlookareassuchastheMusicHouse,
whichisnowusedasamuseum,orwatch
thetowers.
Themaingateway(darwaza)isa
monumentalstructurebuiltprimarilyof
marbleandreminiscentofMughal
architectureofpreviousemperors.The
archesreflecttheshapeofthetomb's
arches,andthepishtaqarchesinclude
thecalligraphythatadornsthetomb.Ituses
floralmotifbas-reliefsandembroidered
pietraduraembellishments.Thevaulted
ceilingsandwallsfeatureelaborate
geometricdesignslikethosefoundinother
sandstonebuildingsinthecomplex.
Atthefarendofthecomplexaretwolarge
redsandstonebuildingsmirroringeach

26. otherandfacingthesidesofthetomb.The
backsofthebuildingsareparalleltothe
westandeastwalls.Althoughthewestern
buildingwasusedasamosqueandthe
otherasaguesthouse,itisintheformofa
chin(answer),whichisthoughttohave
beenbuiltforarchitecturalbalance.The
differencesbetweenthetwobuildings
includetheabsenceofachinmihraband
itsgeometricallydesignedfloor,whilethe
floorofthemosqueispavedwiththe
outlinesof569prayerrugsmadeofblack
marble.Thebasicdesignofthemosque,a
longhallcoveredwiththreedomes,was
especiallyMasjid-iJahān-NumābyShah
Cihan.orsimilartotheFridayMasjidin
Delhi.Mughalmosquesofthisperioddivide
thesanctuaryintothreeareascontaininga
mainsanctuaryandslightlysmaller
sanctuariesoneitherside.IntheTajMahal,

27. eachsanctuaryopensintoalargevault
dome.Theouterbuildingswerecompleted
in1643.
PRODUCTION
TheTajMahalwas
builtonaplotofland
southofthewalled
cityofAgra.Shah
Jahanoffered
MaharajaJaiSingha
largepalaceinthecenterofAgrain
exchangeforland.Approximately1.2
hectares(3acres)wasexcavated,filled
withearthtoreduceseepage,andleveled
50meters(160ft)abovetheriverbank.
Wellswereduginthetombareaandfilled
withstonesandrubbletoformthe
foundationsofthetomb.Insteadofwhipped
bamboo,theworkersbuiltamassivebrick

28. scaffoldingthatmirroredthetomb.Thepier
wassolargethattheforamenestimatedit
wouldtakeyearstodismantle.
TheTajMahalwasbuiltusingmaterials
fromalloverIndiaandAsia.Itwasbelieved
thatmorethan1,000elephantswereused
totransportbuildingmaterials.Ittookthe
effortsof22,000workers,painters,
embroiderersandstonemasonstoshape
theTajMahal.Thetranslucentwhitemarble
wasbroughtfromMakrana,Rajasthan,
jasperfromPunjab,jadeandcrystalfrom
China.Thepedestalandtombtookabout12
yearstocomplete.Theremainingpartsof
thecomplextookanother10yearsandthe
minaret,mosque,chinandpassagewere
completedinorder.Asthecomplexisbuilt
instages,therearedifferencesin
completiondatesduetodifferingviewson

29. "completeness".Constructionofthe
mausoleumwasessentiallycompletedby
1643,whileworkontheexteriorbuildings
continuedforyears.Estimatesof
constructioncostchangeovertimedueto
difficultiesinestimatingcosts.Thetotalcost
atthattimeisestimatedtobearound32
millionIndianrupees,whichisaround52.8
billionIndianrupees(US$827million)in
2015values.
TurquoisewasfromTibetandlapislazuli
fromAfghanistan,whilesapphireswere
broughtfromSriLankaandArabian
Carnelianstone.Atotaloftwenty-eight
kindsofpreciousandsemi-preciousstones
werecarvedintothewhitemarble.
LegendhasitthatShahJahandecreedthat
anyonecouldhidethebrickstakenfromthe
scaffolding,sotheyweredismantled
overnightbythevillagers.A15kilometer

30. rammedearthrampwasbuilttotransport
marbleandmaterialstotheconstruction
site,andteamsoftwentyorthirtyoxen
hauledtheblocksinspeciallyconstructed
wagons.Anelaboratepost-and-beampulley
systemwasusedtoraisetheblockstothe
desiredposition.Waterfromtheriverwas
drawnintoalargestoragetankbyaseries
ofpurses,ananimal-poweredropeand
bucketmechanism,andraisedintoalarge
distributiontank.Itmovedtothreeauxiliary
tanks,fromwhichitwaspipedintothe
complex.

31. AFTER
Shortlyafterthe
completionofthe
rauza-i
munavvara
(Ravza-i
Münevvere)Taj
Mahal,thenameofAbdulhamidLahauri
Padshahnama(Padisahname)isa
referencetotheTajMahal,ShahJahan
wasdeposedbyhissonAurangzeband
wasplacedunderhousearrestinthe
nearbyAgraFort.UponShahJahan's
death,Aurangzebburiedhiminthe
mausoleumnexttohiswife.Inthe18th
century,theJatrulersofBharatpurinvaded
AgraandattackedtheTajMahal,wheretwo
chandeliers,oneinagateandtheotherin
silver,weretakenbythem,alongwiththe

32. goldandsilverscreenhungoverthemain
cenotaph.Kanbo,aMughalhistorian,said
thatthegoldenshieldcoveringthe
4.6-metre-highcrestatopthemaindome
wasalsoremovedduringthelootingofthe
Jat.
Inthelate19thcentury,partsofthe
buildingsfellintodisrepair.Attheendofthe
19thcentury,theBritishgovernor-general,
LordCurzon,orderedanextensive
restorationprojectthatwascompletedin
1908.Healsocommissionedthelargelamp
intheinnerroom,modeledaftertheonein
theCairomosque.Duringthistimethe
gardenwasremodeledwithEuropean-style
lawnsthatarestillinplacetoday.

33. THREATS
In1942,thegovernmenterectedscaffolding
tohidethebuildinginanticipationofair
raidsbytheJapaneseAirForce.Duringthe
1965and1971India-Pakistanwars,
scaffoldingwasrebuilttomisleadbomber
pilots.
AcidrainsfromtheMathuraOilRefinery
threatenedmanythings,includingthe
YamunaRiver,andenvironmentalpollution
begantochangethewhitecoloroftheTaj
MahaltoYellowBrown.Tohelpcontain
pollution,theIndiangovernmenthassetup
the"TajTrapeziumZone(TTZ)",a10,400
squarekilometerareaaroundthe
monumentwithstringentemissions
standards.

34. Concernsregardingthestructuralintegrity
ofthetombhavebeenraisedrecently,as
thegroundwaterlevelintheYamunariver
basinisdecreasingatarateof
approximately1.5mperyear.In2010,
cracksappearedinpartsofthemausoleum,
andthemonument'swoodenfoundation
couldrotfromthirst,showingsignsof
bendingintheminaretssurroundingthe
monument.However,itwasstatedby
politiciansthattheminaretsweredesigned
totiltslightlyoutwardinordertopreventthe
minaretsfromfallingoverthetopofthe
tombintheeventofanearthquake.Itwas
reportedin2011thatsomeestimates
indicatedthatthetombcouldbe
demolishedwithinfiveyears.
Smallminaretsintwooftheouterbuildings
werereportedlydamagedinastormon

35. April11,2018.OnMay31,2020,another
severestormdidsomedamagetothe
complex.
TOURISM
TheTajMahalattractsmanytourists.
UNESCOdocumentedmorethan2million
visitorsin2001,thisnumberincreasedto
about7-8millionin2014.Atwo-tierpricing
systemisavailableforIndiancitizenswitha
significantlylowerentryfeeandmore.In

36. 2018,thefeewasINR50forIndiancitizens
andINR1,100forforeigntourists.Most
touristscomeduringthecoldermonthsof
October,NovemberandFebruary.Itisnot
allowedtopollutethetrafficnearthe
complex,andtouristsmusteitherwalk
throughtheparkingareasortakethe
electricbus.TheKhawaspur(northern
courtyards)arecurrentlybeingrestoredfor
useasanewvisitorcenter.In2019,tocurb
overtourism,thesitewillbefinedforvisitors
stayingmorethanthreehours.
KnownasTajGanjiorMumtazabad,the
smalltownsouthofTajwasoriginallybuilt
withcaravanserais,bazaarsandmarketsto
servetheneedsofvisitorsandworkers.
Listsofrecommendedtraveldestinations
frequentlyincludetheTajMahal,anewpoll
thatreceived100millionvotes,topped
variouslistsofthesevenwondersofthe

37. modernworld,includingtherecently
announcedNewSevenWondersofthe
World.
Thegroundsareopenfrom06:00to19:00
onweekdays,exceptonFridays,whenthe
complexisopenforworshipatthemosque
from12:00to14:00.Thecomplexisopen
tonightviewonthedayofthefullmoon
andtwodaysbeforeandafter,excluding
FridaysandthemonthofRamadan.
ForeigndignitariesoftenvisittheTajMahal
ontheirtripstoIndia.Notablepeople
visitingthesiteincludeDwightEisenhower,
JacquelineKennedy,JimmyCarter,George
HWBush,GeorgeHarrison,Barackand
MichelleObama,MarkZuckerberg,
VladimirPutin,PrincessDiana,Donald
TrumpandJustinTrudeau.

38. LEGENDS
Sinceitsconstruction,
thebuildinghasbeena
sourceoffascination
thattranscendsculture
andgeography,andso
personalandemotional
responseshave
consistentlyeclipsed
scholasticevaluationsofthemonument.A
long-standinglegendholdsthatShah
Jahanplannedtobuildablackmarble
mausoleumacrosstheYamunariverasthe
BlackTajMahal.Theideaoriginatesfrom
theimaginativewritingsofJean-Baptiste
Tavernier,aEuropeantravelerwhovisited
Agrain1665.Ithasbeensuggestedthat
hissonAurangzeboverthrewShahJahan
beforeitwasbuilt.Blackenedmarbleruins

39. acrosstheriverintheMoonlight
GardenMahtabBaghseemedtosupport
thislegend.However,duringexcavationsin
the1990s,itwasseenthatthesewere
whitestonesthatturnedblack.Amore
credibletheoryabouttheoriginsofthe
blackmausoleumwasdemonstratedby
archaeologistswhoreconstructedpartof
thepoolintheMoonlightGardenin2006.A
darkreflectionofthewhitemausoleumwas
clearlyvisible,befittingShahJahan's
obsessionwithsymmetryandthe
positioningofthepool.
Thereisnoevidencefortheallegations,
whichdescribe,ofteningruesomedetail,
thedeaths,dismemberments,and
mutilationsthatShahJahansupposedly
inflictedonthevariousarchitectsand
artisansassociatedwiththetomb.Some
storiesclaimthatthoseinvolvedin

40. constructioncontractspromisedtheywould
notbeinvolvedinasimilardesign.Similar
claimsaremadeformanyfamous
buildings.ThereisnoevidencethatLord
WilliamBentinck,viceroyofIndiainthe
1830s,plannedtodemolishtheTajMahal
andsellthemarblesatauction.Bentinck's
biographer,JohnRosselli,saysthatthe
storycameaboutbyBentinckraisingfunds
fromthesaleofdiscardedmarblefromthe
AgraFort.
Anotherlegendsuggeststhattattooingthe
silhouetteofthefinialwillcausewaterto
appear.Tothisday,authoritieshavefound
brokenbraceletssurroundingthesilhouette.
In2000,theSupremeCourtofIndia
rejectedPNOak'spetitiondeclaringthata
HindukinghadbuilttheTajMahal.In

41. 2005,asimilarpetitionwasrejectedbythe
AllahabadHighCourt.Thiscasewasfiled
byAmarNathMishra,asocialworkerand
preacherwhosaidthattheTajMahalwas
builtbyHinduKingParmalDevin1196.
AtheorythattheTajMahalwasdesigned
byanItalian,GeronimoVereneo,was
brieflyinfluentialafterbeingfirstintroduced
byHenryGeorgeKeenein1879,andwas
basedonaSpanishwork,Itinerario(The
TravelsofFraySebastianManrique,
1629–1643).AnothertheorythatAustinof
Bordeaux,aFrenchman,designedtheTaj
wassupportedbyWilliamHenrySleeman,
basedontheworkofJean-Baptiste
Tavernier.Theseideaswererevivedby
FatherHostenanddiscussedagainbyE.
B.Havellandformedthebasisforlater
theoriesanddebates.

42. DISCUSSIONS
As
of2017,therehavebeenseveralcourt
casesclaimingthattheTajMahalisaHindu
temple,inspiredbyPNOak'stheory.In
August2017,theArchaeologicalSurveyof
India(ASI)statedthattherewasno
evidencetosuggestthatthemonument
housedatemple.The17thcentury
monumentwasbuiltbyMughalEmperor
ShahJahanaftertheBharatiyaJanata
Party'sVinayKatiyardestroyedaHindu
templenamed'TejoMahalaya'in2017.This
claimwasalsomadebyanotherBJP
memberLaxmikantBajpaiin2014.Mahesh

43. Sharma,theunioncultureministerinthe
BJPgovernment,statedatasessionof
parliamentinNovember2015thatthere
wasnoevidenceofatemple.Theoriesthat
theTajMahalwasaShivatemplebegan
circulatingwhenOakpublishedhis1989
book“TajMahal:TheTrueStory.”Itclaimed
thatitwasbuiltin1155ADandnotinthe
17thcenturyasstatedbytheASI.
In2017,acontroversyarosewhentheUttar
Pradeshgovernmentdidnotincludeitinits
officialtourismbooklet“UttarPradesh
Tourism–UnlimitedPossibilities”.Chief

44. MinisterYogiAdityanathhadearlierclaimed
thatitdidnotrepresentIndianculture.Inthe
midstofthiscontroversy,BJPMLASangeet
Somhadclaimedthatthosewhobuiltthe
TajMahalweretraitorsandthatitwasa
"stain"onthecultureofthecountry.He
claimeditwasdonebyamanwho
imprisonedhisownfatherandwantedtokill
Hindus.BJPMPAnshulVermasupported
hiscomments.AIMIMMPAsaduddin
Owaisi,Jammu&KashmirNational
ConferenceleaderOmarAbdullahand
AzamKhancriticizedhim.CMAdityanath
statedthatSom'scommentswerepersonal
andthegovernmentwillfocusonthe
tourismpotentialofeachmonument.