The Secret Of The TaJ Mahal - Part 3

Continued From: http://theforgottenempiresofindia.blogspot.ca/2016/02/the-secret-of-taj-mahal-part-2.html

To our surprise, the Padshanama does not mention any details about the construction process. Wouldn’t the biographer fill pages about the herculean construction process undertaken by the Emperor to enshrine his queen? Why does the Padshanama fail to list details? Our search, through the documents, provide us with only the following information which leaves us completely stunned! From pages 401 to 403 of the Padshanama, we get the curious piece of information that a tract of land with a domed palace was purchased from Raja Jai Singh for the purpose of burying the queen. The lines 29 to 38 from page 403 of Volume 1 of the Padshanama are listed below. The important words and phrases are highlighted in the table below.

28. The site covered with a majestic magnificent lush garden, to the south of that great city and	28. Nihayat rifaat wa nizaahat keh junoobrooe aan misr jaama' astwa
29. Amidst which (garden) the building known as the palace (Manzil) of Raja Mansingh, at present owned by Raja Jaisingh,	29. Pesh az ein Manzil-e Rajah Mansigh bood wadaree waqt ba Rajah Jaisingh
30. Grandson (of Mansingh), was selected for the burial of the Queen whose abode is in heaven	30. Nabirae talluq dasht bara-e-madfan e ann bashist muwaattan bar guzeedand
31. Although Raja Jaisingh valued it greatly as his ancestral heritage and property, yet. he would have been agreeable to part with it gratis for the Emperor Shahjahan	31. Agarcheh Raja Jaisingh husule ein dawlatra foze azeem danisht anmab
32. (Still) out of sheer scrupulousness so essential in matters of bereavement and religious sanctity (thinking it improper to take his palace gratis)	32. Az rooe ahatiyaat keh dar jameeye shewan khususan umoore diniyeh naguzir ast
33. In exchange of that (aali Manzil) grand palace, he (Jaisingh) was granted a piece of government land	33. Dar' awaz aan aali manzil-e az khalisa e sharifah badoo marahmat farmoodand
34. After the arrival of the dead body in that great city (Agra) on 15th Jamadul Saniya.	34. Baad az rasidane naash ba aan shahar-e karamat bahar panz dahun Jamadi Ussanieh
35. Next year that illustrious body of the heavenly Queen was laid to rest	35. Sale aayandeh paikare nooranee-e aan aamaanee jowhar ba khake pak sipurdeh aamad
36. The officials of the capital, according to the royal orders of the day, under the sky-high lofty mausoleum	36. Wa mutasaddiyan-e darul khilafah ba hukme muallae ajaalatul waqt turbat-e-falak martabate
37. Hid (the body of) that pious lady from the eyes of the world, and this Palace (Imarat-e-Aalishan) so majestic and (capped) with a dome	37. Aan jahan iffatra az nazar poshidand. wa Imaarate - e -aalee shaan wa gumbaze
38. So lofty that in its stature (it) is a memorial to the courage of sky-dimensions	38. Rafi bunyan keh ta rastakheez dar balandee yadgare himmate gardoon rifaat

A close scrutiny, of the pages from the Padshanama proves without any doubt that Shah Jahan did not build the Taj Mahal. He selected a palace owned by Raja Jai Singh as the perfect place to entomb his wife. He couldn’t have demolished the existing palace since; pulling down a building takes many months. There is no way the old building could have been demolished and a new building constructed within one year. The legends also state that the bricks used for the construction where baked on site but, none of the European travelers who travelled through Agra during 1631 and 1632 record seeing kilns used to bake bricks on site, and or the materials hauled away from the site. All of them, however record visiting the completed Taj Mahal which was by then a tourist attraction.

We also came across a letter written by Aurangazeb to his father complaining about the leaky dome of the old building in which his mother was buried. This letter further supports the point that the building was purchased and was not constructed. In the letter dated 1652, Aurangazeb states that he visited his mother’s mausoleum but was distressed to see that the dome was leaking at two or three places. His letter also mentions water leaks at many of the other royal rooms, secret rooms and the four smaller cupolas. If we assume that the foundation stone to build the Taj Mahal complex was laid in the year 1631, the Taj wouldn’t have been ready by 1653. Even if it had been partially completed by 1652, being brand new, it wouldn’t be expected to leak at so many places. The letter also lists other repairs required to bring the building up to code. How is it then that by 1652, the supposedly newly built Taj Mahal required elaborate repairs?

Continued On: http://theforgottenempiresofindia.blogspot.ca/2016/02/the-secret-of-taj-mahal-part-4.html