Monday, August 06, 2007

Taj Mahal ... err ... Tejo Mahalaya?

History is witness to the fact that many governments, kingdoms and organizations have concealed the truth from the world because of their own insecurities. Some such 'truths' are also formed by later legends that may not have started at the behest of the creator. I have marveled at our very own wonder of the world, the taj mahal, from my childhood and as with everybody never cared to go beyond the legends that are 'accepted' by the society.

A few years ago I came across the works of Prof. PN Oak, who is the only person in history to challenge the Shahjahan-Mumtaz story, which is popular regarding the origin of taj mahal. He presents startling facts that do raise questions in our mind for the Shahjahan-Mumtaz story. He claims that the building existed much before Shahjahan's time and was actually a Shiva temple that was converted to a mausoleum and he has presented more than hundred evidences to substantiate this claim.

There are many mysterious details starting from nomenclature to archeology and architecture. One such example is the presence of 7 storeys in the building and the 22 rooms at the back of the taj mahal (as shown in the picture). Such elaborate space is not required in any tomb. What makes me believe in these evidences is the refusal of the Indian Government to open these rooms that have been sealed since Shahjahan's time or allow any investigation.

Even though I would like to know the truth, I do support the Indian government in its decision because truth may (and almost surely would) lead to religious conflicts in the country. It is unfortunate that there are innumerable persons in our country who cannot see any situation without religious and political connotations. This has made education and truth take a back seat in our country. It is ironical that the father of our nation said "Truth is the true religion"

3 Comments:

Blogger Swati said...

Very well written.I read this extract earlier too.Sounds pretty logical.You are correct, truth can cause lot of problems,Babri Masjid is an example.But even if thats not revealed officially we all know that Moguls did converted a lot of old Buildings.I would definitely like to know how Tejo Mahalaya originally was and I feel we should write the 'truths' in our history books even if thats ugly.We should think beyond religions , mandir and masjid. Moguls, inspite of everything are a part of our history and fighting over things now , will not change anything.

1:45 AM EDT  
Blogger MG said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

2:16 PM EDT  
Blogger MG said...

I see... So u wanna be our very own Sherlock Holmes now on this mystery!!! I see u picked up something from those semi-forced readings with me :-)

Comedy apart... The world is sadly not as simple as we may want it to become. Unraveling the brand 'Taj Mahal' is not going to do any good to anyone. So though truth must be told, i will not want another Godhra or Babri happening on this reportedly wonderful tribute to immortal love...

Also, does it really matter if Taj Mahal was a Hindu or a Muslim building in its genesis? Will we achieve anything in unraveling this mystery? If your answer includes - national pride and historical accuracy - then my friend there are greater controversies that need unraveling. For example how is it that we call Ambedkar the 'Father of Indian Constitution' when it is well documented that he wanted to break post-colonial India into three - Hindus, Muslims and guess what... Harijans... and never wanted to write the Indian Constitution in the first place.

Truth be told... tell me now...

2:26 PM EDT  

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