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

The Secret Of The TaJ Mahal - Part 2

Continued From: http://theforgottenempiresofindia.blogspot.ca/2016/02/the-secret-of-taj-mahal-part-1.html
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 8^th 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 17^th Zi-it Quada 1040 AH (20^th June, 1631). The passages quote the date of arrival of the dead body at Agra as the 15^th Jamad-ul Sanya 1041 AH (8^th 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?

Continued On: http://theforgottenempiresofindia.blogspot.ca/2016/02/the-secret-of-taj-mahal-part-3.html

The Secret Of The TaJ Mahal - Part 1

Continued From: http://theforgottenempiresofindia.blogspot.ca/2015/11/fatehpur-sikri-search-for-truth-part-6.html

We stood gazing at the beautiful monument bathed in the moonlight. The cool breeze from the Yamuna carried with it fragrance from the orchards and gardens surrounding the complex.  The moonlight reflected off of the white marble surface enhanced the splendor of the structure. We were standing in the Taj complex drinking in the beauty of the entire structure. The moonlight coloured the waterways and the fountains in silver. The orchards drenched in moonbeams looked ethereal. Everything worked together to add the magic. The gardens cover an area of 300m X 300m; the garden is divided into 4 sections with 16 flower beds per section. At the centre of the garden, right in front of the Taj is a beautiful lotus tank. During daytime, the garden reverberates with the melodious chirping of birds. The fruit orchards, waterways and fountains make us forget that we are visiting a tomb. It feels as though it has to be an enchanting palace constructed for the living.

Most people come here because of what the monument stands for; the symbol of eternal love. What could be more romantic than an emperor building a monument to enshrine his love?  The  memory of his sweetheart preserved for eternity within the walls of the marble palace. 

The proximity to the River Yamuna added many challenges to laying the foundation. The completion of the foundation in itself was a herculean task! Our research revealed the ingenuity of the builders. Due to the proximity to the river, in order to prevent flooding, the builders first dug many deep wells to reach below the water table. These wells were filled with rock and mortar. Upon the wells were erected strong columns held together by massive arches. On top of this structure was laid the floor of the foundation. The 34,596 square feet structure sits on top of nearly 13 meter deep foundation measured from the ground level.  The foundation work itself must have taken many years to complete due to the lack of mechanized tools. It is commonly believed that it took 22 years to complete this mammoth project which also involved clearing the 55 acres to prepare for construction; but, to our surprise, we learn from the Padshanama, the biography of Emperor Shah Jahan that the entire monument was constructed within a years’ time! One year to clear the property, build the foundation, erect the 34,000 square feet , seven storied red brick building , cover the bricks with white marble, etch intricate designs on the marble, prepare the site for landscaping, complete landscaping (plant flowering , fruiting and Cyprus trees) along with the waterways with large aqueducts to bring water from the Yamuna River.  How could the builders have completed all the above tasks in just a years’ time 300 years ago?

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