Photo: Palace where Arjumad Banu Begum lived In Burhanpur
Puzzled, we
undertake further research to learn more about the development of the Taj Mahal
complex. The Taj Mahal was named so because the queen for whom the tomb was
built was called Mumtaz Mahal. We
frantically search through the Padshanama to learn more about this queen who
captured the heart of Shah Jahan but, we do not find the name Mumtaz in the
Padshanama. In volume 1 of the Padshanama, there is a fleeting reference to
Queen Arjumad Bhanu Begum who died at Burhanpur, 600 miles from Agra while
giving birth to their fourteenth child. She
is not referred to as Mumtaz Mahal; so, why was the monument named as the Taj
Mahal? We also learn that she was the
emperor's third wife though many other references state that she was his
seventh wife. Was she special enough to inspire the emperor to construct such a
splendid monument of love? If so, why is there very little about her in his
biography? Why is the palace in which she lived less majestic than her tomb at the Taj Mahal?
Photo: The tomb where Arjumad banu Begum Was Interred At Burhanpur
History tells us
that the tomb was constructed for Shah Jahan's favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal who
died in the Deccan, at Burhanpur, 600 miles from the city of Agra while
delivering their 14th child. The year of her death is recorded as 1630. She was
interred in a mausoleum at Burhanpur but, after 6 months to a year of her
death, the body of the queen was moved to Agra to be entombed at the Taj Mahal
complex. How was the construction completed within a years’ time so that Mumtaz
could be laid to rest at the Taj? Was she really interred a year after she died
or was her body moved to Agra only after 22 years? The English Traveler Peter
Mundy an employee of the East India Company answers our question. He visited
Agra between the years 1631-1632. In his travelogue, he records that the Taj
Mahal was a tourist attraction by the year 1632 and mentions a golden railing
placed around the cenotaph of Mumtaz. Except
the Padshanama, there are no supporting records regarding the Taj Mahal. We do
however find three firmans (imperial court orders) from the Mughal records.
These were issued to Raja Jai Singh by Shah Jahan. The first of these firmans
was issued on Jan 21, 1632 asking Raja Jai Singh to expedite the procurement of
marble for the construction. The second
firman dated Sep 9, 1632 once again to expedite the procurement of marble and
stone cutters to Agra. The third firman dated Jun 21, 1637 complains about the
stone cutters being detained by Raja Jai Singh’s men and orders the Raja to not
detain the stone cutters at Amber and Rajnagar and to send all available stone
cutters to Agra immediately. The dates of these firmans are interesting because
according to the Padshanama, the body of Mumtaz was shifted to a temporary
grave in Agra on the 8th of Jan 1632 but, within a couple of weeks,
Shah Jahan asked Raja Jai Singh to expedite the procurement of marble. If we take
into account the time required to complete the well foundation, raise the seven
storey brick building, how was the 35,000 square feet of massive brick building
ready to receive marble within a few weeks of construction? There is no
confusion regarding the dates because the date of Mumtaz death is chronicled in
the Padshanama and Peter Mundy records seeing her sepulcher inside the Taj
surrounded by a golden railing in the year 1632. Padshahnama (vol I, p. 384) records the date of Mumtaz's death at
Barhanpur as the 17th Zi-it Quada 1040 AH (20th June,
1631). The passages quote the date of arrival of the dead body at Agra as the
15th Jamad-ul Sanya 1041 AH (8th Jan., 1632). It is an
enigma which we strive to solve. How could the massive construction be
completed in less than two weeks? What is the secret behind the construction of
the Taj?
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