Taj Mahal Legends

Italian Architecture

If it is well known that emperor Shah Jahan had a passion for architecture and personally supervised the building of the Taj Mahal. The identity of the architecture who planned it is on the contrary, a matter of conjecture

Different hypotheses have been advanced. One attributes the plans to some European master craftman - Geronimo Veroneo because of the ornamentation. This was first suggested by Father Manrique, a monk traveling in India in 1640 A.D. According to ancient records, a goldsmith named Veroneo did in fact come to India and, lived and prospered in Agra. Europeans of the time considered the people of India uncivilized. They recognized that the Taj Mahal was a beautiful building. So they thought it could have been designed by a non-European and not an India. However there are no actual evidences to prove Veroneo's involvement in laying designs of the Taj and the scales of evidence weigh heavily against it.

But it is possible that a monument of this importance had been entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, as was customary during the reign of Shah Jahan. The names of at least two master craftmen or imperial officials who are responsible for supervising the works of Taj Mahal are Mir ‘Abd ul-Karim and Makramat Khan which are known to us. Surprisingly, however, chroniclers make no mention whatsoever of the name of the architect Ustad Ahmad Lohri, who according to another source was the creator or one of the creators of the Taj Mahal.

Black Taj Mahal

The architect’s (Shah Jahan) dream and ambition did not stop there; on the opposite bank of the river he wanted to build an exactly identical second Taj and join the monument by a bridge of fairytale richness. This monument was to be called Black Taj as it was planned to be constructed out of black marble. This was to act as his burial place, as his own mausoleum. His master was already embarking on his second venture when treacherously dethroned by his son Aurangzeb. He was imprisoned in his own palace at Agra until his death.

For centuries, many guidebooks have routinely included this story as the explanation shows some grim remains across the river Yamuna-calling them the remains of the foundation of Shah Jahan’s own Black Taj, started but never completed. The myth could have been that it could have started or, quite possibly, it could have never started. The real object of building remains a "mystery".

Demolition of Taj Mahal

Demolition of Taj Mahal myth has been spreading since the rule of the British in India There is an often-repeated story that Lord William Bentinck, governor of India in the 1830s, planned to demolish the Taj Mahal and auction off the marble. At one point, Lord William Bentinck even made plans to tear down the Taj Mahal and ship the pieces to Britain to be sold at the auction. The wreckers had moved into the Taj Mahal gardens but were stopped only because Bentinck was unable to make the scheme financially viable.

However, Bentinck's writer John Rosselli says that the story arose from Bentinck's thought of raising the money by the auction of discarded marble from Agra Fort. But till date, there is no hardcore evidence for this story, which may have emerged in the late 19th century. The Taj Mahal might no longer exist where it is now if it was not the efforts of Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy in India who stopped the plundering and began restoring the complex.

Asymmetric Taj Mahal

The asymmetric Taj Mahal myth is related to the placing of Shah Jahan's cenotaph. The irregular position of the cenotaph of Shah Jahan has been placed deliberately offset from center by Aurangzeb the son of Shah Jahan as compare to that of Mumtaz Mahal which occupies the exact centre of the hall.

Legend is Aurangzeb was a religious man and the Holy book of Quran denounced showiness. Besides, according to Islamic law, bodies are buried with their faces towards Mecca and legs towards the south, and the husband is placed on the right hand side of his wife. Hence, instead of constructing a separate mausoleum he buried his father Shah Jahan next to his mother Mumtaz Mahal without caring for symmetry. The interpretation that the cenotaph of Shah Jahan was not meant to be placed here appears to be superfluous.

Mutilation Taj Mahal

Another most horrifying legends associated with the Taj Mahal is mutilation inside Taj Mahal. There are many details that describe the deaths, dismemberments and mutilations which Shah Jahan allegedly imposed on several architects and craftsmen connected with the tomb.

When Taj Mahal was completed, Shah Jahan was so astounded that he ordered to chop off the hands of the craftsmen and the architects so that they won't be able to build a more magnificent building than Taj Mahal. It is said that Shah Jahan had one of the best lot of sculptors and craftsmen at his disposal who built the wonderful Taj Mahal.

The legend further tells that he got their eyes gouged out so that they would never be able to view anything more beautiful and splendid than the Taj Mahal. However, no respectable historian finds these horror stories evident and they are labeled as false and baseless. In absence of any evidence or proper records the event is only a myth

Name Legend

There is varied stories attached to the nomenclature of the Taj Mahal. One of these myths of Taj Mahal nomenclature is that the name of the magnificent monument is derived from the Persian language, the language spoken in Mughal court. Therefore the Taj means crown and Mahal means palace hence, Taj Mahal literally means “Crown Palace”.

Another myth says that the name of the monument was derived from the name Mumtaz Mahal) the third queen of Shah Jahan and Taj Mahal is supposed to be a shorter version of Mumtaz Mahal which mean “Jewel of the Palace”. Still another legend of Taj Mahal's name is that it was derived from the name of a Shiva Temple, "Tejo Mahalaya". It is said that the temple was taken over by Shah Jahan and then remodeled as the Taj Mahal.

Sinking Taj Mahal

One myth that rises above all is the ' about the story of the “Sinking Taj Mahal” In spite of taking so many precautions and safety measures to the tomb and working out on the minutest details in its construction, the monument developed cracks and leakages barely four years after the monument was constructed. Letter to Shah Jahan Aurangzeb in 1652 mentions these cracks. Some faults were exposed about the same time in the dome. However, thorough repairs were undertaken; the nature of the cracks was not exposed. The cracks were again observed to have developed to unsafe proportions in 1810 this time more serious than the previous ones.

As a result an Advisory Committee on the restoration and conservation of the monument was set up and a survey with reference to the damage was undertaken. From this survey the possibility of the disaster was revealed. It was discovered that the plinth on towards the northern side or riverside is lower than on the south by 3.5 cms. This discovery showed that the building was inclined towards the riverside.

The available date concludes that the whole of Taj Mahal and not just a part of it could actually be tilting towards the riverside. It is this shift, which is giving birth to the myth that the Taj Mahal is sinking.

Taj Mahal a Palace?

One of the most controversial questions in recent times emphasizes on whether Taj Mahal was a Rajput Palace. According to a group of strong Hindu fundamentalists - Taj Mahal was actually a Palace built by a Rajput king in fourth century. Shah Jahan took over the palace and rebuilt it according his own design.

Though many historians have actually asserted this myth that a Rajput Palace did exist long before Shah Jahan came in the scene, there is no hard evidence that proves this theory. In fact there are no records in the Rajput royalty of such a magnificent monument being built. The claim is without serious merit, but it has acquired something of a following in India.

Taj Mahal a Temple?

To build a mausoleum worthy of his wife’s memory, Shah Jahan obtained a suitable piece of land on the banks of river Yamuna from the Rajput sovereign Mirza Jai Singh of Amber vassal of the Mughal crown. This statement relates to the legend of the Taj as a Shiva temple. A few evidences prove that the monument we now call “Taj Mahal” was once a hardcore Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva known by the name of "Tejo Mahalaya.

One of the staunch believers of the "Taj Mahal a Shiva Temple Myth" is Professor P.N. Oak, author of "Taj Mahal: The True Story". He presents an interesting set of proofs that show a completely different story. Contrary to what visitors are made to believe the Taj Mahal is not an Islamic mausoleum but an ancient Shiva Temple. The Taj Mahal, should therefore, be viewed as a temple palace and not as a tomb. He even goes on to say that Mumtaz Mahal is not even buried there. He even asked the court for permission to break and open the cenotaphs and to tear down brick walls in the basement chambers to prove his claim.

The legend of Taj Mahal being originally a Hindu Temple though has no hardcore evidence till date. Many scholars, however, believe that this idea belongs to fiction rather than history.

Theft in Taj Mahal

The monument is adorned with flawless sculptures, floral designs and calligraphy scripts from the verses of Holy Quran. The complete structure of Taj Mahal showcases flawless symmetry and ultimate detailing. As many as 28 kinds of rare precious and semi- precious stones and metals were used for exquisite inlay work in the Taj Mahal that were imported from all over India and Asian countries. But most of these embedded precious gems have been stolen over the ages. The following are the items stolen from the Taj Mahal as per the legend:

• A Pearl blanket covering Mumtaz's cenotaph.
• Diamonds inlaid in the cenotaphs.
• A golden railing surrounding the cenotaphs.
• A gold leaf that covered the Taj dome.

The following are the items actually stolen from the Taj Mahal:

• Numerous rich carpets which covered the tomb's interior.
• Enameled lamp from interior tomb.
• An entrance door engraved in Jasper.
• Gold leaf covering the cast iron joints of the jali screen surrounding the cenotaphs.

Taj Mahal Third Graves

As per the legend, the cenotaph monuments of Mumtaz Mahal and shah Jahan in the central chamber of the Taj Mahal under the great dome are not their real coffins. The custom of providing cenotaphs or three tombstones in a mausoleum had been followed by the Mughals and Turks alike as we have seen this practice at the tomb of Iltutmish at Delhi and at the tombs of Chinni-ka-Rauza at Agra. These instances point out Taj Mahal too is holding the bodies of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan beneath the central chamber.

In Taj also, the third is conventionally alleged to exist, it is only in these underground crypts that the third and real set of graves. The doors in the corridor no doubt exist and can be reached by descending a stairway in one of the side chambers on the main floor but now they are locked for visitors since 1991. Since these doors are impregnably blocked so no further research on this matter is possible and the controversy about the third set of graves remains a mystery.