Prophet Mohammad has ordained that the burial spot of a muslim should be inconspicous The Tajamhal has one grave in the basement and another in the first floor chamber both ascribed to Mumtaz. Those two centotaphs were infact erected by Shahjahan to bury the two tier Shivalingas that were consecrated in the Taj.

So Is Shahjahan the eternal romantic Moghul Emperor who had built the Taj Mahal-- a monument to love/one of the seven wonders of the world etc etc. 

Or is he just another power hungry Moghul Emperor ? It is said that The Taj was desecrated and looted by every Muslim invader from Mohammad Ghazni onwards and Shahjahan was the last to desecrate the Tajmahal alias Tejomahal

Couldnt help making a post here although the topic first appeared long back.

uhh ohh herez the alert bell ringing,

the facts sure do have.... some sachhai in 'em.

but the point is we have only one wonder out of 7 in india, and sum people think the taj as a temple f their own... people swear on the taj's name about their love fer sumone... now if india cums to know about it..... it sure is not gulpable.

Dhiv

I always wondered Y some "terrorists" wanted 2 blow the "Taj Mahal". Now V know something they must have known but didnt wish 2 make public.

Unfortunately, as with many many things, once something comes 2 b known as something the world over it is difficult to rectify the mistake by design or error.

EXCEPT of course something like the King George Medical University (KGMU) currently registered almost the world over as a "recognized Medical Institution". Bahen Mayawati had no pbm renaming it after a dalit icon whose names many Indians will find difficult to remember or recite. Mayb if Mayawati had been allowed to go ahead with the TAJ CORRRIDOR she would have done NATURAL JUSTICE by renaming Taj Mahal as "Teju Mahalya" - Pity.

THOUGHT - would TAJ MAHAL HOTELS b renamed all over India or in New York? I visited the the historic building in question recently and I was aware of the Shaivite connection. I then didnt go inside as a firm believer in "NO SHIVA WIDOUT SHAKTI, NO SHAKTI WIDOUT SHIVA" and just in case it was a Mausoleum coz I am not aware of being a relative of the Mogul Emperor and his Queen.

This is something amazing about us Indians. Any nonsense that appears in print, is believed without question.

 PN Oak is an ass, and his ideas are not worth the paper they are printed on.

I am cut pasting what other historians think about him.

Oak's theories, viewed as 'eccentric' fringe scholarship, have rarely been mentioned by mainstream scholars. Carl Ernst and Annmarie Schimmel write:
"The more extreme manifestations of anti-Muslim sentiment are visible .... ; examples that come to mind include .... the eccentric P. N. Oak, whose "Committee to Rewrite Indian History" maintains that there is no Islamic architecture in India, only defaced Hindu buildings." (p. 36) [6]

Edwin Bryant has indicated that 'most academics' would consider him a 'crackpot'[9].

His petition in the Supreme Court was dismissed, and the Court opined that Mr. Oak had a "bee in his bonnet" about the Taj.

There is no limit to foolishness, but this takes teh cake. There are plenty of documents that detail the construction of teh Taj. Even teh accounts related to its construction are available. Are all these historical documents bogus ?

As one of my teachers said, "The only difference between man and monkey lies in teh brain. If you dont use yours, how will I make out the difference."

rocrab

I would still like 2 know Y terrorists have threatened to blow the Taj up? Unless it has something 2 do wid THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BRAIN OF MAN AND THE BRAIN OF MONKEY.

Personally, unless one can quote any person of any authority suggesting that an ass wrote GENESIS, ch3.v.22 "..Behold the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil, And now lest he put out his hand and take also the treee of life......"

For "man" above read "monkey (rhesus) in garden of Eden" and for "monkey (rhesus)" read "man on earth". As 4 the explanation? save that scientists agree almost unanimously that " SRY (for sex-determining region Y) is a gene located on the short (p) arm just outside the pseudoautosomal region. It is the master switch that triggers the events that converts the embryo into a male. Without this gene, you get a female instead. It appears, then, the femaleness is the "default" program. "
 The human female embryo starts wid XX chromosomes (male wid XY) but after 1-15 days of pregnancy one of the X chromosomes is inactivated into BARR BODIES: "The Barr bodies are the inactivated X chromosomes. Females with two X chromosome that are both active have never been observed, so this is considered to be a lethal situation. So Taj-Taj Lethal?

Lets consider the folowing historical evidence although presented by an ass :

Prince Aurangzeb's letter to his father, emperor Shahjahan, is recorded in at least three chronicles titled `Aadaab-e-Alamgiri', `Yadgarnama', and the `Muruqqa-i-Akbarabadi' (edited by Said Ahmed, Agra, 1931 page 43, footnote 2). In that letter Aurangzeb records in 1652 A.D itself that the several buildings in the fancied burial place of Mumtaz had seven storeys and were so old that they were all leaking, while the dome had developed a crack on the northern side. Aurangzeb, therefore, ordered immediate repairs to the buildings at his own expense while recommending to the emperor that more elaborate repair be carried out later. This is the proof that during Shahjahan's reign itself that the Taj complex was so old as to need immediate repairs.

I dont think any historian can dispute the authencity of this letter.

Now for those humans who have the brains of a monkey :

Persons who are connected with the repair and the maintenance of the Taj who have seen the ancient sacred Shiva Linga and other idols sealed in the thick walls and in chambers in the secret, sealed red stone stories below the marble basement. The Archaeological Survey of India is keeping discretely, politely and diplomatically silent about it to the point of dereliction of its own duty to probe into hidden historical evidence

Contd.

Why are five stories kept locked even from Historians and Archaeologists?

The hexagonal well was used, while the place was a Hindu temple to hide the valuables, which were just thrown down the well when the place came under attack as it did so often by the Muslims. The Hindus lost all as no temple had armed guard.
Even today no Hindu temple has real defence against an armed attack.

Now coming the main question what do we do abt it.e. if the Taj was a temple :

Nothing.

Does it matter that the body of Mumtaz is kept in a Hindu temple? To the Hindus it does not matter.

Can the courts decide on such matters ?. Please look into the Ramjanbhoomi dispute and decide on the matter

The only thing that can be done and should be done is that the history books should be rewritten and the distortions should be removed. Shahjahan is just another muslim invader who was  destroying temples and building other structures in their place. He is not the great romantic soul as the history books show. In fact he was no better than Aurangzeb, maybe even worse.

At least Ayrangzeb didnt try to hide or cover up his acts of persecution against Hindus !!!!!!

madhumaheshnum,

Before making a public display of your ignorance, please make an attempt to educate yourself.

There is enough and more information availabe on teh Net, one only has to search for it and read with an unbiased mind. This is where the difference between the monkey brain and human brain comes into play.

According to what you have written, Aurangzeb wrote to Shah Jehan in 1652 about the delapidated state of the burial place of Mumtaz Mahal.

Construction of the Taj Mahal was begun soon after Mumtaz's death. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648, and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. (i.e. 1653 ) 

How is it possible that a monument hardly 4 years old becomes  delapidated, more so when work on the garden is still going on at the site.

The Taj took 17 to 23 years to build. The figure varies because it was built in stages.

Mumtaz Mahal died at Burhanpur and was buried there. Her body remained at Burhanpur for 23 years untill the Taj was completed. Only then was her coffin shifted to Agra. (23 years after 1631, brings us to 1653, one year after Aurangzeb's letter to his father.)

Aurangzeb was governor of the Deccan and it must be the Deer Park at Burhanpur that he was referin to in his letter. 

i will add some more information about P.N. Oak and his foolish theories in another post.

rocrab

Dear All,

This is a "cut-paste' from Wikepedia, discussion section on the Taj Mahal

Oak's assertions are not accepted by legitimate scholars.

Hard to find a citation to prove a negative. The fact that none of Oak's assertions have been referenced, cited, or independently confirmed in any researchers, coupled with the court cases decided against him (referenced in the paragraph that follows), certainly proves that the statement is true.

But these stories are widely believed and publicized by some contemporary Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) activists.

One need only look at the discussion page for this article, and at the countless attempts to entirely delete this article in favor of cut and pastes of the Oak Taj Mahal webpage (including the subsequent edit wars and wailing and gnashing of teeth when the edit is reverted), to find ample evidence for this statement.

rocrab

one word to my previous speaker...by terrorists u r talking about muslim terrorists as it seems. So if muslim terrorists might be willing to the Taj Mahal...would it really become a question why their target would be the Taj Mahal? Do u suppose SUCH MUSLIM TERRORISTS ONLY would know the "TRUTH" about the true identity of it and thus not mind destroying it as it is none of their respected places?? I think this is assuming  them having too  much clarity of mind.

As far as what i have heard and read about terroristic activities ...independant from their religion or political stand...their views r fanatic...justifying the end by whatever means. More spectacular the target, more attention they get and more fear they spread....coming closer to whatever is their final goal. I cant say much about the radical side of the conflict between hindus and muslims in India, but my main question would be...TO WHOM IT REALLY SERVES??

My humble opinion whether the Taj Mahal is originally a temple or a mausoleum...till date it is still considered a mausoleum built under Shah Jahan. It is standing on Indian ground, a ground which gives home to various religions. If there is a valid reason to doubt it being a mausoleum, then the discussion about it should be free from personal (underlying) ressentiments. Proved facts would be sufficient to give clearness.  

Regards,

Maria