History of Tajmahal and current controversy

 

The Taj Mahal is a stunning white marble mausoleum built for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Temple, situated on the southern bank of the Yamuna River near Agra, India, took 22 years to build and was completed in 1653.

Visitors are astounded by the symmetry, structural beauty, intricate calligraphy, inlaid gemstones, and magnificent garden of this splendid monument, which is considered one of the New Wonders of the World. The Taj Mahal was more than just a memorial in honour of a spouse; it was a declaration of eternal love from Shan Jahan to his vanished sweetheart.

Tajmahal, the symbol of love

Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar the Great, first faced his beloved in 1607. He was not yet the Mughal Empire's fifth emperor at the time. Sixteen-year-old Prince Khurram glided around the royal bazaar, flirting with the girls from high-ranking families who worked in the booths.

Prince Khurram met Arjumand Banu Begum, a 15-year-old young woman whose father was shortly to be Prime Minister and whose aunt was married to Prince Khurram's father, at one of these stalls. Despite falling in love at first sight, the two were not permitted to marry right away. Prince Khurram had to marry Kandahari Begum first. He later married a third time.

On March 27, 1612, Prince Khurram married his beloved, whom he named Mumtaz Mahal ("chosen one of the palace"). Mumtaz Mahal was both beautiful and intelligent, as well as tender-hearted. The public adored her, in part because she genuinely cared about people. She meticulously compiled a list of widows and orphans to ensure that they received food and money. The couple had 14 children together, but only seven survived childhood. Mumtaz Mahal was killed by the birth of her 14th child.

The Death of Mumtaz Mahal

A rebellion headed by Khan Jahan Lodi was currently under way in 1631, three years into Shah Jahan's reign. Shah Jahan dispatched his army to the Deccan, about 400 miles from Agra, to crush the usurper.

Despite being extremely pregnant, Mumtaz Mahal remained by Shah Jahan's side as usual. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in an elaborately decorated tent in the middle of the encampment on June 16, 1631. Everything appeared to be fine at first, but Mumtaz Mahal died soon after.

Shah Jahan rushed to his wife's side as soon as he learned of her condition. Mumtaz Mahal died in her husband's arms early on June 17, just one day after the birth of their daughter. According to Islamic tradition, she was buried immediately near the Burbanpur encampment. Her body would not be there for long.

Mumtaz Mahal brought to Agra

With the rivalry against Khan Jahan Lodi won, Shah Jahan requested that Mumtaz Mahal's body be dug up and transported 435 miles (700 kilometres) to Agra. Her return was a grand procession, with thousands of soldiers and mourners lining the route.

When Mumtaz Mahal's remains arrived in Agra on January 8, 1632, they were momentarily buried on land donated by nobleman Raja Jai Singh. This was close to the site of the Taj Mahal.

Shah Jahan's Plan for Building the Taj Mahal

The Mughal Empire was one of the richest empires in the world during Shah Jahan's reign, so he had the capacity to build this unarguably grand monument. But, while he desired it to be stunning, he also desired that it be built quickly.

To speed increasing productivity, an estimated 20,000 workforce were brought in and housed nearby in Mumtazabad, a town built specifically for them. Craftsmen with and without experience were hired.

The foundation was built first, followed by the 624-foot-long plinth or base. This would serve as the foundation for the Taj Mahal and the pair of matching red sandstone buildings flanking it, the mosque and guest house.

The Taj Mahal, which was to be built on a second plinth, was to be an octagonal structure made of marble-covered brick. As with most large projects, the builders built scaffolding to allow them to build higher. Their choice of bricks for this scaffolding was unusual, and historians are still puzzled by it.

Marble

The Taj Mahal's white marble is one of its most striking and prominent features. The marble was quarried in Makrana, 200 miles away. The extremely heavy marble was reportedly dragged to the building site by 1,000 elephants and an unknown number of oxen.

A massive, 10-mile-long rammed earth ramp was built to allow the massive marble pieces to reach higher levels of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is crowned by a 240-foot-long double-shelled dome made of white marble. Four thin, white marble minarets stand tall at the corners of the second plinth and surround the mausoleum.

Calligraphy and Inlaid Flowers

Most photographs of the Taj Mahal show only a large white structure. Although lovely, this does not do the true structure justice. These photographs omit details that contribute to the Taj Mahal's stunning femininity and opulence.

Passages from the Quran or Koran, Islam's holy book, are written in calligraphy on the mosque, guest house, and large main gate at the complex's southern end. Amanat Khan, a master calligrapher, was hired by Shah Jahan to work on these inlaid verses.

These flowers feature 43 different types of cherished and semi-precious stones from all over the world. Lapis lazuli from Sri Lanka, jade from China, malachite from Russia, and turquoise from Tibet are among them.

The Tajmahal Garden

According to Islam, Paradise is depicted as a garden. As a result, the garden at the Taj Mahal played an important role in making it Heaven on Earth.

The garden of the Taj Mahal, located to the south of the mausoleum, is divided into four quadrants. These are separated by four "rivers" of water that flow into a central pool (another important Islamic image of Paradise). The Yamuna River filled the gardens and rivers through a complex underground water system. Unfortunately, no records of the plants in these gardens have survived.

The death of Shah Jahan

After the death of his favourite wife, Shah Jahan was in deep mourning for two years and never fully recovered. This allowed Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan's fourth son, Aurangzeb, to successfully murder his three elder brothers and imprison his father.

After thirty years as Emperor, Shah Jahan was deposed and imprisoned in Agra's opulent Red Fort in 1658. Shah Jahan spent his final eight years, forbidden from leaving but with most of his usual luxuries, gazing out a window at the Taj Mahal.

When Shah Jahan died on January 22, 1666, Aurangzeb had him buried in the crypt just below the the Taj Mahal with Mumtaz Mahal. Two cenotaphs now stand above the burial chamber on the Taj Mahal's top floor (empty public tombs). Mumtaz Mahal has one in the centre of the room, and Shah Jahan has one to the west.

The cenotaphs are surrounded by a delicately carved, lacy marble screen. It was originally made of gold, but Shah Jahan had it changed so that thieves would not be tempted to steal it.

Destruction of the Taj Mahal

Shah Jahan was rich and powerful enough to support the Taj Mahal and its enormous cost of maintenance, but the Mughal Empire lost its wealth over the centuries, and the Taj Mahal fell into ruin.

By the 1800s, the British had driven the Mughals out of India. The Taj Mahal was dissected for its beauty, with the British stealing gemstones from its walls, stealing silver candlesticks and doors, and even attempting to sell the white marble overseas. Lord Curzon, the British viceroy of India, was the one who suggested this. Curzon worked to restore the Taj Mahal rather than looting it.

The Taj Mahal Now

With 2.5 million visitors each year, the Taj Mahal has again become a most attractive place in the world. Visitors can visit during the day and observe how the white marble appears to change colours throughout the day. Once a month, visitors can pay a brief visit during a full moon to see how the Taj Mahal appears to glow from the inside out in the moonlight.

UNESCO inscribed the Taj Mahal on the World Heritage List in 1983, but this protection has not ensured its safety. It is now vulnerable to pollutants from nearby factories and exaggerated humidity from visitors' breath.

What is current controversy over Tajmahal

The Allahabad high court has received a petition before its Lucknow bench seeking it to issue directives to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to open 20 rooms inside the world’s wonder — Taj Mahal in Agra to find if Hindu idols and inscriptions are hidden there.

The plea has been filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) media in-charge of Ayodhya district, Dr Rajneesh, who will be represented by advocate Rudra Vikram Singh in court once the matter gets listed in the court for hearing, the Hindustan Times reported.

It has also sought a formation of a committee constituted by the state government for the purpose of examining these rooms and to look for evidence related with Hindu idols or scriptures there.

“There is an old controversy related to the Taj Mahal. Around 20 rooms in Taj Mahal are locked and no one is allowed to enter. According to BJP's media incharge of Ayodhya district, it is believed that in these rooms there are idols of Hindu gods and scriptures. I have filed a petition in high court seeking directives to ASI to open these rooms to ascertain facts. There is no harm in opening these rooms and setting to rest all controversies." 

Taj Mahal a tomb, not a Shiva temple: ASI in 2018

According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, for his wife, and claims that the Taj Mahal was actually a Shiva temple 'tejomahalay' are false.

Key points of Current controversy over Tajmahal:

1. ASI has finally declared that Taj Mahal is a tomb not a Shiva temple.
2. All evidences presented to prove Taj Mahal is Tejomahalay are imaginary, says ASI.
3. Local Agra officials say Taj Mahal is world heritage monument and should not be made centre of unnecessary disputes.