taj mahal_conspiracy_british_muslims_jews

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TAJ MAHAL AND THE GREAT BRITISH CONSPIRACY : Part IBy

V.S. Godbole

PREFACE

Prof. P N Oak of New Delhi, put forward a theory in 1965 that the Taj Mahal was nota mausoleum built by Shahjahan but a RajputPalace. In 1968 he found a confession tothat effect in Shahjahans official chronicle Badshahnama and in 1974 he came acrossAurangzebs letter of 1652 {the year whenTaj Mahal is supposed to have been just com-pleted} complaining thatTaj Mahalwas leaking all over. In 1978 I read his extended bookThe Taj Mahal is a Temple Palace. Over the next two years I went through all the ref-erences and was convinced of his assertion. My paper Taj Mahal: Simple Analysis of aGreat Deception was appreciated by some prominent European scholars in 1980.

Dr. V V Bedekar of Thane, India started a historical quarterly named itihas patrika inMarch 1982. He published my paper on Taj Mahal in the first issue of the quarterly. Healso published my extended paper as a booklet in March 1986.

In 1981 my research went deeper. I asked myself, Were the British scholars just a thirdneutral party who were misled by the prolonged misuse of Hindu buildings as Mosquesand Tombs and were not cunning enough to see through chauvinistic Muslim claims ?Or did they know the truth about Taj Mahal and other monuments all along but had, forpolitical reasons, vowed to hide the truth ?

By the end of 1981 I prepared an eighty page dossier on the subject. When I placed theinformation in a chronological order I was surprised at my findings. There was a Britishconspiracy of suppression of truth about Taj Mahal and other monuments over the last200 years. The main personalities involved either knew each other and/or referred to

works of each other. As the time passed by new information came to light which con-firmed my findings. Some important, contemporary events were added to give the readersa better picture of the times. These may be ignored if reader is not familiar with them.

The Chronology was serialized in the itihas patrika during September 1983 and Septem-ber 1985. It is now being made available as a thesis, with some modifications and additionsto the original series.My Architect friendsM/s Paithankar and Pradhansuggested improvements to presenta-tion and checked my typing meticulously. My wife Mrs Vinita and my daughters Vaidehiand Varsha supported me throughout. Dr. Bedekarhas made this publication possible.I am grateful to them all.

10th January, 1994

V.S.Godbole

14 Turnberry Walk

Bedford, MK 41 8 AZ,UK

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CONTENTS

Part Period And Main Event PagesI 1784 to 1853: Rise of the British Power in India 1 to 27II 1854 to 1875: Aftermath of the Indian War of Independence 28 to 51III 1876 to 1885: Rise of Lokamanya Tilak 52 to 73IV 1886 to 1906: High noon of the British Raj 74 to 100V 1907 to 1921: Age of Revolutionaries and Civil Disobedience 101 to 127VI 1922 to 1948: India wins freedom 128 to 158VII 1949 to 1984: Post Indian Independence 159 to 202VIII 1784 to 1984: Two hundred years in retrospect 203 to 265IX The Great British Conspiracy 266 to 298

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PART-I

1784 to 1853: RISE OF THE BRITISH POWER IN INDIA

1784: On 15 January, Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded in Calcutta by 30 officersof the East India Company. Sir William Jones was the President for first ten years.

1785: Charles Wilkins translates Bhagvad Geeta into English.

1786: Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell, two English painters visitedIndia at the request of the East India Company. They made several paintings andsketches of various scenes of daily life in India and of objects of interest such astemples. They visitedTaj Mahal in January 1789. After visiting many other placesthey returned to England in 1794.

1787: Charles Wilkins translates Hitopadesha from Sanskrit into English.

1788: Lt-Col William Henry Sleeman was born. He is well known for his book,Rambles and Recollections of an Indian, Official published in 1844.

1789: The French Revolution.

1790: Sir William Jones translates, Shakuntala the famous drama by Kalidas, fromSanskrit into English. The Calcutta edition was followed by two London editionswithin the space of three years.

1794: November/December : Thomas Twining, an eighteen year old employee ofthe {English} East India Company visited Taj Mahal, Agra and Delhi. {Sir WilliamJones, the second Englishman who learnt Sanskrit, Mahadaji Shindeand AnandibaiofPeshwa family die.}

1795: Thomas and William Daniell published Oriental Scenery - 24 views takenin 1789-90. Plate no. XVIII shows the principal gate leading to the Taje Mahl.The description reads, The Taje Mahl is a mausoleum of white marble built bythe Emperor Shahjehan in the year 1631, for his favourite Queen {but no name isgiven}.....The Emperor also lies interred here

1801: The book Oriental Scenery contained only two minor views of Taj Mahal.Daniells were probably criticised for not showing the mausoleum in greater detail.They therefore published two good views and a plan of Taj Mahal in the bookletViews of the Taje Mahel at the city of Agra in Hindoostan taken in 1789. The planshows minute details of theTajcomplex and theTajganjmarket on the south side of

Taj. The main question is - who prepared it ? Daniells were painters and had neitherthe time nor skills for preparing the plan. It has been drawn to a scale which seemsto be 5 1/2 inches to 1000 foot {R.F 1/2185}On the plan Daniells name various structures. They also give the following informa-tion :River Jumna 500 Guz in width. A Guz is 2 ft 9 inches. The breadth of the river is

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not in proportion to the scale.A marble platform 19 ft high on which is erected the Taje Mahel.The so called Jawabis described as A building corresponding in general form withthe Mosque. The word Jawab is not used. In the booklet accompanying the planwe find :

1. p3 1, This majestic edifice stands on the Southern bank of the River Jumna,and was erected by the Emperor Shah Jahanas a Mausoleum for his favouritewife Mumtaza Zamani. ..... Stretched on an immense basement 40 feet highand 900 in length. ...

2. p4, ... the dimensions of which ( i.e. whole complex ) are about 3000 feet inlength, and 900 in width, and its whole area is enclosed by a strong wall.

3. p5, ... The building on the right with three marble domes is a Mosque; the oneon the left, though similar in its general form, differs in its internal arrangementand decorations, having been appropriated to the accommodation of visitors ofdistinction ..

4. p7, This Mausoleum was begun to be built in the fifth year of the EmperorShah

Jehanand the whole completed in sixteen years four months and twenty onedays, at the expense of 9,815,426 Rupees 13 Annas 3 paisa. The Emperor it issaid, intended also to have erected a Mausoleum of corresponding magnificencefor himself on the opposite side of the river, which is more than a quarter of amile wide, and to have connected them by a bridge of white marble. ...

5. Moreover, in the plan, in place of the tomb of Satiunnisa Khanumwe see thetomb ofFuttehporee and in place of the tomb ofSarhani Begum we see thetomb of Akabarabadee. {This is also confirmed by Fanny Parks. See events of{1850} This raises the question. How did the historians decide that these tombsbelong to Satiunnisa Khanum {South-West corner} and Sarhani Begum ?

{South-East corner}}6. Historian Yadunath Sarkar tells us, ......Akbar made it a rule that the concu-

bines of the Mughal Emperors shall be named after the places of their birthor the towns in which they were admitted to the harem. Hence, we have ladiessurnamed Akbarabadi, Fat epuri, Aurangabadi and Udaipuri..... {Ref : Anec-dotes ofAurangzeband Other Historical Essays byYadunath Sarkar, publishedby M.C.Sarkar & Sons, 1912, page 46}

7. About 150 ft north of the above two tombs, we see apartments for female atten-dants to Ladies of Rank and surrounding these apartments are several pawn{i.e. paan} bazars. What is their purpose in a tomb ?

1803: A treaty was signed at Bassein between the East India Company and theMarathaPeshwa Bajirao II. The English capture Agra from Shinde{Scindia}.

1Archaeological Survey of India Report for the year 1936-37, p 3

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1808: James Fergusson, son of an Ayrshiredoctor, and Sir Henry Miers Elliot wereborn. Fergusson became a pioneer of History of Architecture. Elliot became famousfor his works History of India as told by its own historians.

1809: Sleeman arrives at Calcutta to join the Army of the East India Company.

1810: Captain Taylor of the East India Company carries out some repairs to TajMahal.

1811: The ninth edition of the English translation of Taverniers Travels in India waspublished. {22nd edition of the original book in French was published in 1810}.The title of the first edition, published in 1677 is - The Six Voyages Through Turkeyetc. In the first edition, in part II - Travels in India, Tavernier says on page 50, ....ofall the Monuments that are to be seen at Agra, that of the Wife of Cha-jehan isthe most magnificent; {Note : Tavernier does not give her name.} He causd it tobe set up on purpose near the Tasimacan, to which all Strangers must come, {so}that they should admire it. {Shahjahan, a grief-stricken emperor, wanted to makean exhibition of his sorrow !} The Tasimacan is a great Bazar, or Market-place,composd of six great Courts, all encompassed with Porticos; under which there

are Warehouses for Merchants; and where there is a prodigious quantity of Calicutsvended. The Monument of thisBegum, {Who?} orSultaness, stands on the East-sideof the City upon the River-side, in a great place enclosed with Walls. .....You enter intothis place through a large Portal: and presently upon the left hand you espy a fairGallery, that looks towardsMecca; wherein there are three or four Niches, whereinthe Mufti comes at certain hours to pray....On the top there is a Cupola2, little lessmagnificent than that of Val de Grace in Paris; it is coverd within and without withblack Marble, the middle being of Brick. {Note : Taverniers information is quitecorrect. The dome is made up of 13 ft 6 inches or 4.12 metre thick brickwork, themarble is 6 inches or 150 mm thick and is used as a lining only.

1813: Memoir of the War in India by Major Thorn was published. He describes theTauje Mahal on pages 197 to 203. He says,

2Report on Repairs to Taj Mahal, Agra by the Indian Water-proofing Company 1943, p 6} Under thisCupola is an empty Tomb, for the Begum is interrd under the Arch of the lowest Platform. The samechange of Ceremonies which is observed under ground, is observed above. For they change the Tapestries,Candles and other Ornaments at several times and there are always Mollahs attending to pray. I saw thebeginning and completing of this great work, that cost two and twenty years labour, and twenty thousandmen always at work; so that you cannot conceive but that the Expense must be excessive . Cha-jehanhad begun to raise his own Monument on the other side of the River; but the Wars with his Son, brokeoff that design, nor did Aurangzeb, now reigning, ever take any care to finish it. There is a Eunuch whocommands two thousand men, that is en trusted to guard not only the Sepulcher of the Begum, but also

the Tasimacan. {Note : Tavernier is obviously writing before 1666. Shahjahan died on 22 January 1666in internment in the Red Fort of Agra and was buried in Taj} When you come to Agra from the Dehly,you meet a great Bazar; near to which there is a Garden, where the King Jehanguire, Father ofCha-jehanlies interrd. {Note : This is utterly wrong. Jehangir died in October 1627 and is interred near Lahore,some 400 miles away. Tavernier was a French jewel merchant. He made seven voyages to India in the 17th

century.}

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1. p 198 ......The ascent to theTaujefrom the garden is by a noble flight of marblesteps leading to an extensive terrace about 60 ft high and 400 ft square in thecentre of which stands the mausoleum.

2. p 200 ....The tomb of the emperor has an inscription in Persian but that of hispartner, has one in theHindoostanee language.

3. p 202 .....The door at the grand entrance was originally of jasper, but this valuablerelic has been taken away by the barbarous Jauts, who also plundered the placeof as many precious stones as they could easily pick out. .......This celebratedwork which was begun within a few months after the death of the sultana,took 11 years in building and as many more were occupied in adding to itsornaments. {i.e. it took 11+11 = 22 years as told by Tavernier.}

4. p 203 .....the whole of which ( costly stones ) were placed under the directionof the most able artists and occupied the labour of 20000 persons. The mereexpense of the workmanship amounted to no less than a sum of 96 lacs ofrupee, about = A 31 million. For the protection of the place and to keep it inorder, a company of artillery and a battalion of infantry were constantly kepton the spot. {All this for the protection of a mausoleum ? and that too of a

beloved wife of a benevolent king ?}. .....It was the intention of Shah Jahanto have erected a similar structure for himself on the other side of the riveropposite to the Tauje Mahal; and which was to have been joined to it by amagnificent bridge of marble; but though the ground was enclosed, and someprogress was made in the foundation of the building, the design was frustratedby the clouds of rebellion ......The name of the amiable woman was ArjummedBanoowhich according to oriental usage was altered on her elevation {elevationto what ?} to that ofMoorutaz Zumanee, signifying the paragon of the age, butafterwards this also was changed toNourjehanor the light of the world. {Note: Nourjehan was the step mother ofShahjahan, not his wife.} {Our comments

: Major Thorn visited Taj Mahal in 1803-04 when the English captured Agra.He repeats all the information given in Taverniers book, but does not say so.Almost all the visitors from this time onwards have done the same. The wordTaj Mahal is mentioned for the first time in Major Thorns book.}

British missionaries were allowed to spread Christianity in India under the rule ofEast India Company.

1814: Sleeman becomes a Lieutenant in Bengal Army. Alexander Cunningham wasborn. He reached the rank of Major-General in the Army of the East India Company.He was in charge of the Archaeological Survey of India during 1860-65 and 1870-85.

1814-16: East India Company at war with Nepal.

1817: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Muslim separatist was born. History of India byJames Mill was published.

1818: The English defeat Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II

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1823: Max Muller was born in Dessau, Germany. He became a famous professorof Sanskrit at All Souls College, Oxford.

1824-26: First Anglo-Burmese War. Arakan and Tenasserim provinces were annexedby the East India Company.

1825: H.G.Keene, younger and Dadabhai Naoroji were born. Keene joined theIndian Civil Service in 1847. Naoroji was affectionately called The Grand Old Man

of Indian Politics, by Indians. December - Col. Hodgson of the Bengal Army arrivesat Agra for measuring various dimensions of the Taj Mahal and other buildings anddetermine the relationship between theGuzand the Inch.

1826: Berniers travels in the mogulempire was translated by Irving Brock. { editions1891 and 1914}. Bernier was a French Physician who travelled in India during 1659-67. On page 272 we find A LETTER TO MONSIEUR DE LA MOTHE VAYER;AND DETAILS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE GREAT MOGULS COURT AND OF THE

MANNERS AND GENIUS OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. ( The letter extends to page340 ), Written at Delhi the 1st of July 1663.Bernier says,

1. pp 333/4 .. The Dutch have a malt factory in Agra, in which they generally keepfour or five persons.... I do not believe the Dutch will follow the example of theEnglish and abandon their factory at Agra.

2. p 334 I shall finish this letter with a description of the two wonderful mau-soleums, which constitute the chief superiority of Agra over Delhi. One waserected by Jehan-Guire in honour of his father Acbar; and Shah-Jehan raisedthe other to the memory of his wife Taje-Mahil, that extra-ordinary and cele-brated beauty......

3. p 336 The last time I visitedTaje Mahils mausoleum, I was in the company of

a French merchant. ....4. p 337 This walk or terrace is wide enough to admit six coaches abreast; it is

paved with large and hard square stones, raised about eight French feet abovethe garden; and divided the whole length by a canal faced with hewnstone andornamented with fountains placed at certain intervals. After advancing twenty-five or thirty paces on this terrace, it is worth while to turn round and view theback ..., Resuming the walk along the main terrace you see before you at adistance a large dome, in which is sepulchre and to the right and left of thatdome on a lower surface you observe several garden walks covered with treesand many parterres full of flowers.

5. pp 337/8 When at the end of the principal walk or terrace besides the domethat faces you, are discovered two large pavilions, one to the right, another tothe left; both built with the same kind of stone, consequently of the same redcolour as the first pavilion .... I shall not stop to speak of the interior ornamentsof the two pavilions, because they scarcely differ in regard to the walls, ceiling,or pavement from the dome which I am going to describe. ... From the middle

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Lord Bentinck was appointed Governor General of India (till 1835).

1829: Indians were allowed to join the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

1830: Taj Mahal was mentioned for the first time under AGRA in the 7th edition ofEncyclopaedia Britannica {E.B.} The information on Taj Mahal as given in BishopHebers book of 1828 is repeated. {First edition of E.B. was published in 1768.}

1831: Taj Mahal was put on sale as a scrap by the Governor General Lord Bentinck.{News item in the newspaper John Bull of Calcutta of 26th July 1831}. The highestbid received was for 1.5 lakhs of rupees or about = 315,000 at 1831 prices.

1832: Journal of a Tour in India by Captain G.C.Mundy was published. He made sometours in India as an A.D.C. to Lord Combermere, Commander-in-Chief of the IndianArmy. He describesTaj Mahalon pages 54 to 57. He says :- 8 January 1828.....In theevening we visited the far famed Taj, a mausoleum erected by the Great EmperorShah Jahan over the remains of his favourite and beautiful wife Arjemund Banuor as she was surnamed Mumtaza Zemani. ......In many places the more valuablepebbles have been fraudently extracted, an act of sacrilegious brigandage imputed

to theJatswho had possession of Agra for some time, and carried off to their capitalBhurtporemany of the extravagant bequest which Shah Jahan left to his favour itecity. Amongst other plunder they bore away, Sampson like, the brazen gates of thecitadel of immense value which are supposed to be still buried in Bhurtpore, as wefailed to discover them on our warlike visit to that fortress in 1826. {In other words,the English would have liked to take away those valuables themselves to England.} The dome of the Taj is about 250 ft high and is as well as the 4 minarets at theangles of terrace, entirely built of the most snowy marble. It was a work of 20 yearsand 14 days {Mundy invents these figures} and cost Shah Jahanthe sum of 750,000livres and although it is said the king compelled his conquered foes {Who ?} to sendmarble and stone to the spot unpaid for. Had Shah Jahan lived long enough, heintended to erect a similar sepulchre for himself on the opposite bank of the river,and to connect the two buildings by a bridge {Note : Livre was a French unit ofmoney.}On page 71 Mundy says, ...It is the custom among the Mohammedans to bury thebody below and have two tombs in the story above.

1833: Tours in Upper India by Major Archer, late A.D.C. to Lord Combermere waspublished. In volume I he says :

1. p 56 .....January 7, 1828. Marched to Etimadpoor...... Agra is seen from thisplace.....The Tajelooks well at this distance.

2. p 57 January 8 ....Before crossing the river, visited a garden called the Ram-baug, built by Noor Jehan the favourite wife ofShah Jehan.

3. p 59 ......Crossed the river Jumna by a bridge of boats ...On each side werefragments of fallen masonry, showing the ruins of a once vast and flourishingcity.

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4. p 60 ... Shah Jehan was the great patron of architecture of his time; the newtown of Delhi and the Tajewere also built by him.

5. p 69 ....Visited the Taje, the cemetery of Shah Jehan and his favourite wifeNoor-Jehan (the light of the world)- Alexander Cunningham arrives at Calcutta as a lieutenant in the Royal Engi-neers. His brother Joseph was also joined the army of the East India Company.Their father the Scots poet Allan Cunningham, had enlisted the help of his old

friend Walter Scott in procuring commissions for both his boys. - Christian mis-sionaries from all over the world were allowed to spread Christianity in Indiaunder the rule of the East India Company.

1834: Macaulay arrives in India as the Law Member of the Governor GeneralsCouncil (till 1838)- Coorgwas annexed by the East India Company.

1835: English becomes the official language in India under the rule of the East IndiaCompany.- James Fergusson the pioneer of History of Architecture arrives at Calcutta for his

business activities.- Fanny Parks visits Taj Mahal ( January ). She was wife of a British customs officerstationed at Prayag.

1836: Macaulay wrote to his mother on 12th October ... Our English Schools areflourishing wonderfully. In a single town ofHoogly, 1400 boys are learning English.The effect of this education is prodigious.....It is my firm belief that if our plan ofeducation is followed up, there would not be a single idolater in Bengal in 30 yearshence...... {Ref : The Indian War of Independence 1857 by Veer Savarkar.}Lt. Col. W.H. Sleeman visits Taj Mahal. Alexander Cunningham works as an A.D.C.to Governor General Lord Aukland (till 1840 ).

1837: Queen Victoria comes to throne in Britain. Cunningham carries out archaeo-logical excavations at Sanchi. During the famine relief work, the British authoritiesdemolished the remains of old palaces upstream ofTaj Mahal and even blasted outthe foundation to construct Strand Road.

1838-39: James Fergusson visits various caves in India and makes sketches of therock cut temples.

1839: Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab dies. English were busy for next 10 yearstrying to capture his kingdom.Photography was invented.

1840: James Fergusson was elected Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of GreatBritain and Ireland.

1841: History of India by Mountstuart Elphinstone was published {Elphinstone wasthe Resident in Poona : 1811-1818, then Deccan Commissioner and later on Gover-nor of Bombay : 1819-1827.} Taj Mahal is described on page 602. This book was

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later prescribed as a standard textbook for the examination of the ICS and in theuniversities in India.- Justice M.G. Ranade, a moderate leader was born.

1842: Alexander Cunningham, Lieutenant in the Bengal Engineers, writes to ColSykes, one of the Directors of the East India Company, ..... ( such explorations )would be an undertaking of vast importance to the Indian Government politically,and to the British public religiously. To the first body it would show that India hadgenerally been divided into numerous petty chiefships, which had invariably beenthe case upon every successful invasion; while, whenever she had been under oneruler, she had always repelled foreign conquest with determined resolution. To theother body it would show that Brahmanism, instead of being an unchanged andunchangeable religion which had subsisted for ages, was of comparatively modernorigin and had been constantly receiving additions and alterations; facts which provethat the establishment of the Christian religion in India must ultimately succeed...{Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume VII of 1843.The letter was written from Aligarh on 15th September 1842 and read at the societyon 3rd December 1842. William Henry Sykes (1790-1872 ) served in India with the

East India Company. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the company in1840, became deputy chairman in 1855, chairman in 1856. Member of Parliament,President of Royal Asiatic Society, 1858}.Abu Imam, a Pakistani Muslim historian comments, ... Buddhism and its archae-ology was therefore to be studied for the cause of promoting Christianity. For asystematic study ofBuddhism, however, the first requisite was a survey at Govern-ment cost. {Alexander Cunningham and Indian Archaeology by Abu Imam, 1966.pp 40-41}Archaeology is not therefore, the innocent looking diggings and preservation of oldbuildings. It does have political implications and as it remained in the hands of theBritish for too long, that created a havoc in India.

1843: Memoir on the length of theIllahee Guz or Imperial Land Measure of Hin-dostan, a paper by Col.J.A.Hodgson of Bengal Native Infantry, late Surveyor-Generalof India was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britainand Ireland. ( Volume VII of 1843 ).

1. On page 50 he says, .....In Taj Mahal I also procured from theDarogha{ atten-dant}, a Persian manuscript, compiled by him, purporting to give the dimensionsof several parts of the Taj in the guz measure; I measured many parts men-tioned, but they gave discordant results; and in my report to the government, Iobserved that these operations were of no value. The manuscript was evidently

the fabrication of an impostor.

2. p 51 .... Being, then, in possession of this valuable description of the imperialbuildings at Agra, I went there in December 1825, ..... for the purpose of makingmeasurements of the three buildings, and a plan of the Taj ( scale 40 ft to aninch ), which was effected under my superintendence ..... My object, of course,

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was knowing from the Shah Jehan Nama the lengths of different parts of thebuildings therein described, in the Illahee guz to find their length in Englishmeasure; and from the average of the whole to attempt to determine the lengthof the guzin inches and decimal parts.

3. pp 52/3 ... This part is in the marble kursi or platform, in the centre of whichthe mausoleum stands, as will be seen in the plan. .... The height of the wallswhich supports the platform is 18 feet: they are cased with white marble, as is

the entire mausoleum, both inside and out.

4. p 54 Here, Hodgson gives measurements of various parts ofTaj Mahal, includ-ing square rooms at the four cardinal points in the cenotaph.

5. p 56 c. Description of theTajandMasjidsreferred to in page 51. ...the mosqueand its counterparts, the mihman-khana {i.e. guest house}, as well as the sixoctagonal pavilions of four stories high, ... compose a most harmonious whole.Models of the mausoleum and its platform, and the four minarets, have beenexhibited in England. .... It is known that it is entirely cased with white marble,within and without. ..........It must be remembered that this is not a temple buta tomb.....

6. On pp 57-63 Hodgson gives some Extracts from theShahjehan Nama, byMuh-mmad Salah Kumbo.

7. pp 58/60 Remarks on the Mausoleum at Taj Ganj. (This means that Taj Ganjexisted before the mausoleum) His Majesty, in the fifth year of his reign,thought upon causing to be erected the Rauzah, .....had it planned near theJumna, which river runs to the north of it. Its foundation was laid from whencewater springs, and architects built of stone and mortar, making it strong andlevel with the bank; ... {False. the red sandstone is used for lining only, theconstruction is of brick.} .... a pinnacle in height 15 guz, made of pure gold,which glitters like sun, has been fixed on its very summit. ... {At the end of hispaper Hodgson concludes that 1 guz= 31.456 inches. Therefore 15 Guz =39.32ft} On the four cardinal points there are four square rooms of two floors,each is 6 dirra square, consisting of 4 seats, each of which 4 1/2 dirra long, atanhasa before every square room, and a pesh-tak, 16 dirra long, and 25 inheight. In the four corners there are four octagonal rooms of three stories,the diameter of each 10 dirra, containing 8 nishemans, the uppermost story ofthese places being octagonal dalans or halls, with arched roofs; on the threesides of these houses are pesh-taks on the outside, each 7 dirra long, 4 dittobroad, and 10 dittohigh. To the eastward of the mausoleum, opposite to theMasjid, a mihman khana has been constructed, in all respects similar to the

Mosque, except that the peculiarity of the arch, and thedarsan of the place ofprayer is left out. In a footnote, Hodgson says that the mihman khanawas forthe accommodation of visitors who pay their devotion at the opposite mosque.

8. p 61 In the side of this market-place pleasant serais were constructed, eachin length and breadth 160 guz, containing an inclosure of 160 cells. Further onanother chauk 150 long by 100 broad occurs, in the midst of which a bazar,

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and two other serais near it are built, where a great variety of piece goods anddifferent sorts of property from foreign countries are bought and sold; besidesthese buildings, a great number of merchants have erected numerous housesand habitations ofpakka work, so much so that the place has become a largecity, by nameMoomtazabad. All these royal buildings had taken twelve years tofinish under superintendence of Mukrumut Khan and Mir Abdul Karim, andtheir cost amounted to fifty lacs of rupees..... The paper is accompanied by a

survey map of the Taj Mahal, scale 80 ft to 1 inch. Why Hodgson waited for 15years to submit the paper, after having made the survey, is a mystery.- Sind was annexed by the East India Company.

1844: Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by Lt.Col W.H. Sleeman waspublished. In Volume II page 27 he tells us that he visited Taj Mahal on 1 January1836. Opposite page 28 are some pictures. They are : The Taj Mahul or Tomb ofNoor Mahal wife ofShah Jahan.

1. Photo of an engrave - normal view ofTajbut without the water channel.

2. The Taj Mahul. This shows the two basement stories under the main terrace.

3. TheTaj Mahul. Similar to 2 above but the two basement stories are not clearlyvisible. It is taken from a different angle and shows part of upstream palacewall.

4. The Taj from the river - It shows the two basement stories and two doors inthe lowest story, for entry.

5. Marble screen of the tomb in the Taj.

6. Gateway of the Taj.

Sleeman tells us,

1. p 31 .....Mumtaz died in giving birth to a daughter.......Before she died, shemade two requests - first that Shahjahan should not marry again after herdeath, second, that he should build for her the tomb which he promised toperpetuate her name .....Both her dying requests were granted. {Note : Thisis utter nonsense. Mumtaz was in pain for 30 hours. Moreover, her survivingdaughters Jahan-Ara and Roshan-Ara were 18 and 16 years old respectively.Would she askShahajahanto promise to find them suitable husbands or wouldshe ask for a beautiful tomb to be built for her ?} Her tomb was commencedupon immediately.

2. p 32 ........Tavernier saw this building commenced and finished; and tells that

it occupied twenty thousand men for twenty-two years. The mausoleum itselfand all the buildings that appertain to it cost 3,17,48,026, threecrore, seventeenlakhs, forty eight thousand and twenty-six rupees, or 3,174,802 pounds sterling;- three million one hundred and seventy-four thousand eight hundred and two!{Note : Tavernier does not give any figures of cost. Sleeman does not say wherethe figure comes from.}

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3. pp 32/33 ... That on the left or west side, is the only one that can be used asa mosque or church; because the faces of the audience, and those of all menat their prayers, must be turned towards the tomb of their prophet to the west.The pulpit is always against the dead wall at the back, and the audience facetowards it, standing with their backs to the open front of the building. Thechurch on the east side is used for the accommodation of visitors, or for anysecular purpose; and was built merely as a Jowab ( answer ) to the real one.

4. p 34 ....This magnificent building and the palaces at Agra and Delhi were, I be-lieve, designed by Austin de Bordeux, a Frenchman of great talent and merit....Hewas called by the natives Oostan Eesau, Nadir-ol-Asur. ....

5. p 35 He had finished the palace at Delhi, and the mausoleum and palace of Agra;when he was sent by the Emperor to settle some affairs of great importance atGoa. He died at Cochin on his way back; and is supposed to have been poisonedby the Portuguese ........ ....Shah Jehan had commenced his own tomb on theopposite side of the Jumna; and both were to have been united by a bridge.The death of Austin de Bordeux, and the wars between his {Shahjahans} sonsthat followed, prevented the completion of these magnificent works. {Note :

Sleeman just repeats what Tavernier says and adds his own fantasy about Austinde Bordeux.}

6. p 36 .....We went all over the palace in the fort, a very magnificent building con-structed by Shah Jehan within fortifications raised by his grandfather Akabar.....The Marquis of Hastings, when Governor-General of India, broke up one ofthe most beautiful marble baths of this palace to send home to George IV ofEngland, then Prince Regent, and the rest of the marble of the suite of apart-ments from which it had been taken, with all its exquisite fret-work and mosaic,was afterwards sold by auction, on ac count of our government, by order of thethen Governor-General, Lord W Bentinck. Had these things fetched the price

expected, it is probable that the whole of the palace, and even the Taj itself,would have been pulled down, and sold in the same manner .... - Handbook of British India by J.H.Stocequeter was published. {Taj Mahal onpage 230}- Archaeological History of the Ruins of Delhi by Syed Ahmed Khan was pub-lished. For this work he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society ofLondon in 1864.

1845 Travels in India by a German Captain Leopold von Orlich was published. Hedescribes Taj Mahal in Volume II pages 44-49. He says :

1. p 44 ....My first excursion was to theTauje Mahalor the Diamond of Seraglios,the most beautiful edifice in India. It is situated a mile to the south of the city,close to the Jumnaand was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan, in honour of hisbeloved cons ort Mumtaz Mahal.

2. p 45 .....We rode along the bank of the river by a road made during the faminein 1838 and passed the ruins in which the nobles resided during the reign of

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Akbarthe Great. Here are walls so colossal and solid that they are preserved inspite of all the violence which they have suffered. We saw pieces ten feet thickunited by a cement which nothing but gunpowder can break up.

3. p 47 ....We do not know who was the architect of this building of magic beauty,but there is much reason to suppose that an Italian was placed by Shahjahanatthe head of the undertaking and was loaded by him with great honours. {Whathonours ? and which buildings did this mysterious Italian Architect design and

supervise before being entrusted with Taj Mahal ? Capt. Orlich does not evenhazard a guess. Every historian has ducked this simple question ever since.}...Perhaps he was one of those who are buried in the Catholic Cemetery, andwho according to the date on the tombstone, lived there at that time . {Allwishful thinking. No names on the tombstones ? No inscriptions saying thatthis person was entrusted with the building of a mausoleum ofShah Jahanswife ?} 11 years were employed in building it and as many more were required forfinishing the ornamental parts. {i.e 11+11= 22 years as told by Tavernier.} The EmperorShah Jahanintended to build a similar sepulchre calledMathob

Baug, for himself, on the opposite side of the Jumna and to connect both bya splendid marble bridge. He had already commenced the building, ruins ofwhich are still to be seen, when a rebellion broke out and he was deposed at anadvanced age by his son, Aurangzeb. His remains are deposited near those ofhis consort, in an equally costly and beautiful marble sarcophagus. {Note : Theoriginal book in German was translated into English by H.E. Lloyd, who refersto the kind and valuable assistance of Col. Sykes, a Director of the East IndiaCompany and a personal friend. Captain Orlich was an officer in the GermanArmy. As there was peace in Europe, he thought of fighting with the Britishin the Afghan War. He approached the Kaiser, who wrote to Queen Victoria.She made the necessary arrangements. Captain Orlich arrived at Bombay on

8 August 1842, by that time the Afghan war was over. He then toured India andwas honoured by Governor General Lord Ellenborough. The word of such aman would be taken as true by the later day readers. But he just repeats whathe read in Taverniers book. See events of 1811.}Travels in Kashmir and the Punjab by Baron Von Hugel was published.

1846: The first Anglo-Sikh War. Sir H M Elliot printed the first volume of his Sup-plement to the Glossary of Indian Terms .

1847: H G Keene joins the Indian Civil Service. Sir H.M.Elliot becomes Secretary toGovernment of India in the Foreign Department. Max Muller joins All Saints College,

Oxford as a lecturer. Picturesque Illustrations Ancient Architecture in Hindoostan byJames Fergusson was published. Joseph Cunningham was appointed political agentin Bhopal

1848: Lord Dalhousie, was appointed Governor General of India. {till 1856}. SataraState was annexed by Dalhousie. H.G.Keene becomes President of the Archaeolog-

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ical Society of Agra {till 1882}. S.N Banerjee, a moderate leader from Bengal wasborn.

1849: Second Anglo-Sikh War. Alexander Cunningham was involved in the fighting.Punjab was annexed by Dalhousie. Sir H M Eliot published the first volume of his Bibliographical Index to the Historians of Mohammadan India

1850: Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque by Fanny Parks was

published. ( Reprint by Oxford University Press 1975 ) Her husband was a customsofficer at Prayag ( Allahabad ). She travelled extensively in North India during herstay of 24 years. She visited Taj Mahal in January / February 1835.On page 220 of volume I she says,

1. .....From the Calcutta John Bull; July 26th 1831. The Governor-general hassold the beautiful piece of architecture, called the Mootee Musjid, at Agra, for125,000 rupees ( about = 312,500 ) and it is now being pulled down! The Tajhas also been offered for sale! but the price required has not obtained. Twolacs, however, have been offered for it. Should the Taj be pulled down, it isrumoured that disturbances may take place amongst the natives.

2. Fanny Parks remarks, If this be true, is it not shameful ? ..... By what authoritydoes the Governor-general offer the Taj for sale.... It is impossible the Courtof Directors can sanction the sale of the tomb for the sake of its marble andgems...

3. In chapter XXX she describes the monument in detail. She says, 1835, January.I have seen the The Taj Mahul. ......The dome of theTaj, like all domes erectedby Muhammadans, is egg-shaped, a form greatly admired, the dome in Hinduarchitecture is always semicircular ; and it is difficult to determine to which stylebuilding should be awarded the palm of beauty.

4. This magnificent monument was raised by Shahjahan to the memory of hisfavouriteSultana Arzumund Banoo, on whom, when he ascended the throne,he bestowed the title ofMomtaza Zumani ( the most Exalted of the age )

5. On the death of Shahjahan, his grandson Alumgeer placed his cenotaph inthe Taj, on the right hand, and close to that ofArzumund Banoo.......{ Note :Alumgeerwas the title assumed byAurangzeb, who was the son ofShahjahanand not his grandson.}.....Formerly a screen of silver and gold surrounded it; butwhen Alumgeererected the tomb ofShahjahan by the side of that of theSul-tana, he removed the screen of gold and silver, and replaced it by an octagonalmarble screen. {But why ? Fanny Parks does not say.}

6. ...The crypt is square ......The small door by which you enter was formerly ofsolid silver; it is now formed of rough planks of mango wood.

7. It is customary with Musulmans to erect the cenotaph in an apartment overthe sarcophagus, as may be seen in all the tombs of their celebrated men. {Butwhy in India only ?}

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8. Sultana Arzumund Banoodied on 18th July 1631.....To express his respect forher memory, the emperor raised this tomb, which cost in building the amazingsum of = 3750,000 sterling. {Fanny Parks does not say how she obtained thisfigure. In 1832 Capt. M undy quoted a figure of 750,000 livres.}

9. ....but we have no record of her beauty, nor have reason to suppose that she wasbeautiful. She was the niece of one of the most celebrated women - Noor-jahan.Many people seeing the beauty of the building confuse the two persons, and

bestow in their ima ginations the beauty of the aunt on the niece.

10. {In the cenotaph chamber} There was also a chandelier of agate and another ofsilver; these were carried off by the Jat Suruj Mal, who came from the Deccanand despoiled Agra. {Note : The Jatsdid not come from the Deccan; Agra is apart of Jat terr itory.}

11. It was the intention of Shahjehan to have erected a mausoleum for himself,exactly similar to the Tajon the opposite side of the river and the two buildingswere to have been united by a bridge of marble across the Jumna. The ideawas magnificent; but the death of Shahjahan took place in 1666, while he wasa prisoner...

12. The stones were prepared on the opposite side of theJumna, and were carriedoff by the Burtpoor Rajah and a building at Deeg has been formed of thosestones. A part of the foundation of the second Tajis still standing, just oppositethe Taj Mahul..... {Note : Unfortunately, for all these visitors, one corner towerof the so called second Tajstands even today, complete with the pinnacle; justcompare it with theTajtowers and the stupidity of the legend becomes obvious.There is no comparison between the two towers. Moreover, why would one startthe second Tajby building a corner tower first and not the main building ?}

13. The Kalun Darwaza or great gateway, is a fine building; the four large andtwenty-two similar domes over the top of the arched entrance are of whitemarble; the gateway is of red granite, ornamented with white marble, inlaidwith precious stones.

14. From the second story is a fine view of the Taj itself, to which it is directlyopposite.......There are four rooms in this gateway in which strangers, who arevisitors, sometimes live during the hot weather.

15. Feb 1st ... All the buildings in the gardens on the right are fitted up for thereception of visitors, if strangers; they are too cold at this time of the year, or Iwould take up my abode in one of the beautiful burj( turrets ) next to the river.{Note : Why are these rooms never shown to the visitors ?}

16. The two jamma khanas are beautiful buildings, on each side of the tomb, ofred stone....One of them is a masjid ....one of theburjnear the masjid containsa fine baoli ( well )....The four burj at each corner of the enclosure are of themost beautiful architecture. ..... From the one {i.e. one burj} generally, usedas residence by visitors to the tomb, the view of the Taj, the gardens, the river,and the Fort of Agra beyond, is very fine.

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17. Beyond the Great Gate, but still within the enclosure of the outer wall of theTaj, are the tombs of two begams, erected by Shahjahan. The sarcophagusover the remains of theFathipooree Begamis of white marble .... On the otherside the enclosure, to correspond with this tomb, is that of the AkbarabadeeBegam...... Can you imagine anything so detestable ? European ladies andgentlemen have the band to play on the marble terrace, and dance quadrilles infront of the tomb!....

THE KALUN DARWAZA:.....At the end of this fountain-adorned avenue, you ascend a hidden staircaseof twenty solid blocks of marble....the interior of Taj, which is an octagon, sur-mounted by a dome seventy feet in diameter. {The diameter is in fact 58 ft.}GROUND PLAN OF THE TOMB OF THE TAJ:........Strangers, when visiting theTaj, are so much occupied in viewing the cen-tre apartment, which contains the tombs, that they often omit visiting the eightrooms that surround that central apartment; four of which a re square and fourof octagonal form; {But what is their purpose ?} on the upper floor are eightrooms of a similar description. {Once again, what is the purpose of the upperfloor ?} The ground plan annexed I copied from an original plan, shown to me

at the tomb. {There is a name in Persian of the person who prepared the plan.It shows the cenotaph and chambers around it, above the marble terrace, butno staircase to the upper floor.} It covers an area of two hundred feet square, upon a terrace of white marble,about twenty ft above the one of stone, and three hundred ft square. At eachangle is a minaret upon an octagonal base, eighty feet in circumference; thebottom of the shaft is twenty feet diameter, so that I should think the minaretsare at least one hundred and fifty feet high.....The whole extent of the lowerterrace is, I should say, full nine hundred feet; the pavement is inlaid with blackand white marble.

18. The Tajwas twelve years in building; two lakhs per annum were allowed tokeep it in order and support the establishment of priests and servants. It issituated on the western bank of theJumna, three miles from the town of Agra;it is nineteen yards sq uare; and the dome about seventy feet in diameter.........Itis impossible to estimate the cost; the most valuable materials were furnishedby subadars of provinces. {Fanny Parks now makes up her own story.}

19. Tavernier, who saw this building commenced and finished, asserts that it oc-cupied twenty thousand men for twenty-two years. The mausoleum itself, andall the buildings that pertain to it, cost 3,17,48026 rupees; or = 33,174,802......Colonel Sleeman, in his Rambles of an Indian Official remarks, - This

magnificent building, and the palaces at Agra and Delhi, were, I believe, designedby Austin de Bordeux, a Frenchman of great talent and merit... - AlexanderCunningham carries out Archaeological excavations in Sanchi.

1852 : Second Anglo-Burmese War.

1853 : 8th edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica mentions Taj Mahal in volume II

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p 244, under AGRA. It tells us, ....The name of this distinguished personage wasArjammed Banoo, which according to oriental usage, was changed on her elevation{elevation to what ?} to that of Mumtazee Zumaneesignifying the paragon of theage.Nagpur State was annexed by Dalhousie.Bombay-Thana railway was opened.Sir Henry.M.Elliot dies. His Historical works were published 14 years later. See

events of 1867.Bayard Taylor, an American gentleman visits Taj Mahal.

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Summary of Events and Explanatory Notes:

1. Politics: The East India Company was trying to get control of whole of India. The pe-riod from 1784 to 1853 is full of their various wars, with the Marathas, theBurmese,theGorkhasand theSikhs. The insatiable, rapacious lust for plunder and loot of theEnglish, madeChengiz Khanand Nadir Shahlook like cowboys. They even wantedto demolish the Taj Mahal! Their crooked methods, audacity to break unilaterallytheir own promises, assurances and treaties, racist, arrogant and contemptuous be-haviour, was soon to result in the eruption of the Great Revolt of 1857.

2. Archaeology: Major General Cunningham was aware of the enormous politicalimportance of Archaeological Survey of India, way back in 1842. Was it just a coin-cidence that he was made in charge of that department when it was started in 1860? Even a Pakistani Muslim Abu Imam recognized in 1966 that Cunningham wantedto use Archaeology for promoting Christianity in India.

3. Indian History: As the East India Company conquered various territories their offi-cers wrote history of those territories. It was the victors writing about the vanquished.Here are some examples :

1818 Maratha Peshwa Bajirao IIwas defeated by the East India Company.1824 A Memoir of Central India by Major General Malcolm was published.1826 History of the Marathas by Capt Grant Duff was published.1829-32 Anals and Antiquities of Rajasthan by Lt Col James Todd was published.1843 Sindwas annexed by Lord Dalhousie.1851 History of Sind was written by Lt R F Burton of Bombay Army.1849 Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie. History of Sikhs was written by JosephCunningham, brother of Major General Alexander Cunningham.

4. British attitude: Macaulay made it quite clear that English system of education wasa means of spreading Christianity in India.

5. Evidence ignored/set aside:5.1 Tavernier said, He {Shahjahan} caused it to be set up on purpose near theTasimacan, to which all Strangers must come, {so} that they should admire it, theTasimacan is a great Bazar, or Market-place. Why should a King erect a mau-soleum near a busy / noisy place like a Bazaror Market ?5.2 Name of the lady of the Taj: Tavernier the contemporary traveller of 1666 andDaniells ( 1795 ) do not give the name of the lady at all. Bishop Heber ( 1828 ) andMajor Archer ( 1833 ) say that the lady was Noor-Jehan, when in fact she was Shah-jahansstep-mother. Major Thorn says the lady wasArjumand Banoo, whose namewas changed first to Moorutaz Zumaneeand later to Nourjehan. Capt Mundy saysthe lady was Arjumand Banu. Fanny Parks says her name was Arjumand Banoo,it was later changed to Mumtazee Zemani. Sleeman calls her Mumtaz.5.3 Col. Hodgson, told us in 1843 that: The Persian manuscript in the possessionof the custodians of Taj Mahal was the fabrication of an impostor. But the samemanuscript has been used as an evidence by many authors! Even in 1825 the so

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called Jawab was used for accommodation of visitors. It seems that he was alsoaware of the true nature of Taj Mahal. That is why he says, when viewing thismonument it must be remembered that it is not a temple but a tomb. He also refersto Mausoleum at Taj Ganj as mentioned in Shah Jahan Nama of MuhmmadSalah Kumbo. The term clearly implied that Taj Ganj existed before the death ofthe lady. It was not built as a township for workers. His vital remarks have beenignored with the connivance of the historians.

5.4 Taje Mahal It is curious to note that all the visitors who had been in India for ashort time, use the term Taje Mahal. Thomas and William Daniells ( 1795 ), MajorThorn ( 1813 ), Bishop Heber ( 1828 ), Major Archer ( 1833 ), Captain Von Orlich (1845 ) This is quite contrary to their attitude to the pronunciation of Indian words,even today. Taje Mahal could easily have been the corruption ofTejo-Mahalaya asProf Oak suggests.5.5 Fanny Parks had noted 8 rooms around the cenotaph, and an upper floor withsimilar 8 rooms. Hodgson also noted an upper floor.5.6 Both Fanny Parks and Hodgson have noted Baoli Burj. It has no relevance in amausoleum.5.7 Tavernier has stated that main dome is constructed of brickwork. ( marble is

used for lining only ). Hodgson had noted this fact.5.8 Fanny Parks said, It is customary with Musalmans to erect the cenotaph in anapartment over the sarcophagus, as may be seen in all the tombs of their celebratedmen. Captain Mundy ( 1832 ) has noted Mohammedansburying bodies on groundfloor and erecting cenotaphs on first floor. Why should this tradition arise in Indiaonly ?5.9 Fanny Parks said that various rooms inside theTajwere used by visitors to stay.Why were they built ? There are plenty of rooms outside theTajin the courtyard.5.10 Army for protection ofTajTavernier said - There is a Eunuch who commandstwo thousand men, that is entrusted to guard not only the sepulchre of theBegum,

but also the Tasimacan. Major Thorn said - For the protection of the place and tokeep it in order, a company of artillery and a battalion of infantry were constantlykept on the spot. But why was this protection necessary for the tomb of belovedwife of this popular emperor who ruled like a father and whose reign was said tobe golden and peaceful ?

6. New evidence emerges: There were palaces between AgraRed Fortand Taj Mahal.Ruins of these palaces were noted by Major Archer (1833) and Capt Von Orlich (1845 )

7. Blunders of Travellers: Tavernier said thatJahangirstomb was in Agra, on the wayfrom Delhy when in fact he is buried in Lahore. Tavernier gives extensive familyhistory of the Mughals.

8. Travellers Accounts: The travellers accounts are nothing but mere repetition ofwhat they read in Taverniers book. But only Col. Sleeman and Fanny Parks referto him. As these visitors came from the high society, their accounts were taken astrue by others.

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9. How the legend grew:9.1 20,000 men worked for 22 years. It seems quite clear that the travellers had readTaverniers book before visiting Taj Mahal, but only Sleeman and Fanny Parks werehonest enough to say so. Others just repeat the story told by Tavernier as if it werean established fact. Some modify the story to suit their thinking : Major Thorn says, This celebrated work...took 11 years in building and as many more were occupiedin adding to its ornaments. i.e. it took 11 + 11 = 22 years as Tavernier says. Capt

Von Orlich repeats what Major Thorn said.9.2 Tavernier tells us of the legend of the second Tajor Shahjahansintended tombon the other side of the river. Major Thorn said in 1813 -Shahjahansintended tombwas to have been joined to Taj Mahal by a magnificent bridge of marble. Othershave followed the leader. Bishop Heber ( 1828 ), Captain Godfry Mundy ( 1832 ), ColSleeman ( 1836 ), just say that the two tombs were to have been joined by a bridge.Captain Von Orlich ( 1845 ) and Fanny Parks ( 1850 ) say the two tombs were to havebeen joined by a marble bridge. Bishop Heber said that there were some remainsof a bridge. Capt Von Orlich said that Shahjahans own tomb was called MathobBaug.9.3 Deathbed request of the lady: Col Sleeman said in 1844 - Before she ( Mumtaz

) died she made two requests...second that he should build for her the tomb...toperpetuate her name. Both her dying requests were granted.9.4 The figures of cost like the legend , are purely imaginary. Major Thorn says Rs96 lakhs or = 3 1,000,000. Captain Mundy says 750,000 livres or = 3 56,250 Col.Sleeman says Rs 3,17,48,026 or = 3 3,174,802. Fanny Parks is not sure. Once shequotes a figure of = 3 750,000 but towards the end of the chapter on Taj Mahalshe repeats Sleemans figure of 33,174,802.9.5 Tavernier mentions no architect. Again all the names are purely fictitious. Col.Sleeman says, I believe it was designed by the Frenchman Austin de Bordeaux.Captain Von Orlich says, There is much reason to suppose that an Italian was placed

at the head of the undertaking Fanny Parks repeats what Col. Sleeman says. Theyall ducked the basic question : What buildings did this mysterious Architect designand supervise before being invited to build the Taj Mahal ?9.6 False accusations : (Looting by the Jats) Major Thorn said in 1813 - The doorsat the grand entrance was originally of Jasper, but this valuable relic has been takenaway by the barbarous Jats, who also plundered the place of as many precious stonesas they could easily pick out. Capt Mundy said in 1832 - In many places the morevaluable pebbles have been fraudently extracted, an act of sacrilegious brigandageimputed to the Jats who.... ...carried off the brazen gates of the citadel of immensevalue. Fanny Parks said in 1850 - {In the cenotaph chamber} there was also achandelier of agate and another of silver, these were carried off by the Jat Suraj

Mal. It is interesting to note, however, that Tavernier the contemporary traveller,does not mention any silver doors or golden railings etc. He notes the large cottonmarket in Tascimacan and throughout his book he talks about nothing but money,money, money.

10. A Mystery: Fanny Parks says, Formerly a screen of silver and gold surrounded

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it; but when Alumgeer erected the tomb of Shahjahan by the side of that of theSultana, he removed the screen of gold and silver, and replaced it by an octagonalmarble screen. Badshahnama was not published till 1867! Only in 1896 Latif tellsthese details. How did Fanny Parks learn about the screen in 1850 ?

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TAJ MAHAL AND THE GREAT BRITISH CONSPIRACY : Part IIBy

V.S. Godbole

PART II1854 to 1875 AFTERMATH OF THE INDIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

1854: Nagpur state was annexed by Lord Dalhousie. Max Muller becomes a fullProfessor.

1855: Illustrated Handbook of Architecture, being a concise and proper accountof the different styles of architecture prevailing in all ages and countries by JamesFergusson was published. He begins his handbook with Indian Architecture and tellsus :BOOK I : INDIA

CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTORY

1. p 2 In all the older British settlements in India all architectural remainshave nearly disappeared; and very little has been done to elucidate thosewhich remain.

CHAPTER VIII - JAINA ARCHITECTURE

1. p 78 It would be a curious subject of speculation to find out whether theBuddhists ever built domes..... It still appears probable that theBuddhistsnever constructed, or knew of, a true dome of any sort..... no one of the cavesor rock cut temples of any sort show any tendency even to this architecturalform.......in no one instance, ... is there a semblance of a stone roof of anykind, nor even of an arch, either horizontally constructed or on the radiatingprinciple; much less of a dome, which is a far more complicated thing toconstruct than a mere arch. I think therefore, it must be admitted that theywere ignorant of the form.

2. pp 80-81 In the Bengal provinces several of theseJainatemples have beenconverted into mosques, constituting some of the few remains of more an-cient times that the bigotry of the Moslems have spared to us.....The processby which conversion of a Jaina temple to a Moslem mosque was effectedwill be easily understood by referring to the plan of that of Vimala Sah,on Mount Abu (woodcut 43, p. 70) .....Thus, without a single new columnor carved stone being required, they obtained a mosque which, for conve-

nience and beauty, was unsurpassed by anything they afterwards erectedfrom their own designs.{Note : So, conversions of Hindu temples into mosques is accepted by Fer-gusson. Exactly when the Muslims started to build from their own design,Fergusson does not say. How can he ? Even the 17th century Europeantravellers have noted forcible conversions of temples into mosques.}

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BOOK II

CHAPTER I - SOUTHERN HINDU ARCHITECTURE

1. pp 104-05 This new style is found in the buildings erected under the in-fluence of the Mahometans, and adopts, to a certain extent some of moreprominent forms of their architecture {Note : From now on Fergusson ispossessed by this mysterious influence of the Mahometans.}

2. When theMahometansfirst conquered India they imitated in their earliermosques not only the details, but even the forms of the Hindu architects...{This in itself implies that there were no Muslim architects} .....In processof time a complete reaction took place and in their secular buildings atleast, though scarcely ever in their temples, the Hindus began to adopt thearcades and vaults of their antagonist. {Fine. But where were the Muslimarchitects who would have taught the Hindu architects, how to constructarches and vaults ? There were none.} .....In the south of India one of themost pleasing specimens of this style is a portion of the palace of Madura.{This happens to be the area which was not ruled by Muslims except for avery short period}

CHAPTER II - NORTHERN HINDU STYLES

1. p 107 In Northern India, with few exceptions to be shortly noticed, there areno genuine Hindu buildings at all earlier than the time of the Mahometanconquest. {Note: Fergusson is shamelessly suggesting that Hindus startedbuilding after the Mahometan conquests. The buildings were there. Butthey were either destroyed in successive Muslim raids, or when the in-vaders decided to stay in India, they converted Hindu temples into tombsand mosques, Fergusson could not stomach this truth...Mahmud of Gaznihas recorded in 1020 A.D. that he destroyed more than 1000 temples in

Mathura, the greater number of them in marble. Alberuni who accompa-nied Mahmud of Gaznihas praised Hindu Ghats, which needed knowledgeof underwater construction.}

2. p 116 Many of the Jains {monuments were} converted for the most partinto mosques, though perfectly easy to be recognised.MIXED HINDU STYLE During the existence of the earlier Pathan dynasties of India, the bigotryof theMahometansdid not admit of the Hindu erecting temples of any pre-tension in the great cities over which they had obtained the dominion...withthe beneficent and tolerant reign of the Great Akbar(1556-1605), a new eradawned for his oppressed subjects .... while his own buildings show a strongtendency to the Hindu style, the Hindus, under his encouragement, erectededifices which display an even greater admixture of the Mahometan formsof architecture. {But where were the Muslim Architects and what are theMahometan forms of architecture ?}

BOOK IX CHAPTER IV - INDIA : SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE

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1. p 418 Fergusson reiterates his fantastic theory of Muslims taking downHindu temples piece by piece and re-erecting the same. He says : .....allshow the same system of taking down and rearranging the materials on adifferent plan.....The same is true of the domes, all which, being honestlyand firmly fitted, would suffer no damage from the process of removal.....

2. pp 420-1 Besides this, a roof is by no means an essential part of a mosque;a wall facing Mecca is all that is required, and frequently in India is all that

is built, though sometimes an enclosure is added in front of it to protect theworshippers from interruption. Roofed colonnades are of course not onlyconvenient but ornamental accomplishments, yet far from being indispens-able. The history of this mosque ( near Qutb Minar), as told in its construction,is as curious as anything about it. It seems the Afghan conquerors had atolerably distinct idea that pointed arches were the true form of architec-tural openings; {and yet on page 414 Fergusson also says... Afghanistanwas a Buddhistcountry for so long ! So, where did they get the idea thatpointed arches were the true form of architectural openings ?} but beingwithout science sufficient to construct them, they left the Hindu architectsand builders to follow their own devices {in other words there were noMuslim Architects.}...The date of all these buildings is known with sufficient exactness from theinscriptions that cover them. {This was the beginning of the great blunder.All such dates show the time of capture, conversion and beginning of mis-use and not of construction.}TOMBS :

3. p 432 the great architectural peculiarity of theTartaror Mongolian racesis their tomb-building propensity, ....Nowhere is this more forcibly illustrated

than in India. {Why in India ?} The tombs of the Turks or Pathans {Pathanswere not Turks} are lesssplendid than those of the Moguls; but nevertheless the whole series is sin-gularly interesting, the tombs being far more numerous than the mosques.Generally speaking, also, they are more artistic in design, and frequently notonly larger but more splendidly decorated than the buildings exclusively de-voted to prayer...... The usual process for the erection of these structures is for the king ornoble who intends to provide himself a tomb {but history tells us of no suchpersons !} to enclose a garden outside the city walls, generally with highcrenellated walls { Why does a tomb need high crenellated walls ?} andwith one or more splendid gateways; and in the centre of this he erects asquare or octagonal building, crowned by a dome, and in the more splendidexamples with smaller and dome-roofed apartments on four of the sides orangles, the four being devoted to entrances..........During the lifetime of thefounder the central building is called a Barrah Durrie, or festal hall, and is

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London. Lt Col Alexander Cunningham was posted to Burma to set up a publicworks department.

1857-59: The Indian War of Independence against the rule of the East India Company.

1858: Queen Victorias proclamation. British Crown takes over the administrationof India from the much hated East India Company. The Causes of the Indian Revoltby Syed Ahmed Khan {in Urdu} was published.

1859: A Visit to India, China and Japan by Bayard Taylor was revised and edited byG.F.Pardon. Mr Taylor describes Taje Mahal on pages 66- 74. He tells us in

CHAPTER VI.THE TAJE MAHAL

1. p 68 The Taaje Mahal is esteemed the finest work of art in Hindostan.The name which signifies a mausoleum and a palace,......The Taaje Mahalwas erected in the year 1719 by the Emperor Shah Jehan King of theworld a title conferred on him by his father {Shah Jahan died in 1666!} Atthis period, the commencement of his reign, he had the misfortune to losea beautiful and favourite wife. On her death-bed, he promised to perpetuateher memory by the finest tomb in the world... .......It is a work inspired bylove and consecrated to beauty. Shah Jehan ... erected it as a mausoleumover his queen Noor Jehan - The light of the World - whom the same poetcalls Noor Mahal, The Light of theHarem or more properly Palace.

2. p 69 ....ruins of ancient palaces....The entrance is a superb gateway of sand-stone, inlaid with ornaments and inscriptions from the Koran in white mar-ble. Outside of this grand portal, however, is a spacious quadrangle of solidmasonry, with an elegant structure intended as a caravansarai, on the oppo-site side.... Down such a vista ....rises the Taaje. It is an octagonal building, or rather, a square with the corners truncated,

and each side precisely similar. It stands upon a lofty platform, or pedestal,with a minaret at each corner, and again, is lifted on a vast terrace of solidmasonry.......The Taaje is approached by a handsome road, cut through the moundsleft by the ruins of ancient palaces ... The height of the building from itsbase to the top of the dome is 262 ft, and of the minarets about 200 ft.{Mr.Taylor does not tell how he got these dimensions. The correct dimen-sions are 243 1/2 ft and 162 1/4 ft respectively.} ......Bishop Heber truly said, The Pathans designed like Titans and finished like jewellers. {This isabsurd ! Shahjahan was a Mughal. Mughals and Pathans were bitterenemies of each other. The French physician, Bernier confirms this.}

3. p 70 I descended to the vault where the beautiful Noor Jahan is buried.Shah-Jehanwhose ashes are covered by a simple cenotaph....I have evenheard it stated that theTaajewas designed by an Italian architect. One lookat theTaajeought to assure any intelligent man that this is false nay impos-sible, from the very nature of the thing. The Taajeis the pure Saracenic in

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form, proportions, and ornamental designs. If that were not sufficient, wehave still the name of the Muslim architect {who ?} sculptured upon thebuilding. {where ?}....In the weekly account of the expenditures for the building of the Taaje,there is a certain sum mentioned as paid to the foreign stone-cutters. whomay either have been Italian, Turkish or Persian....Around all the arches of the portals and the windows around the cornice

and the domes, on the walls and in the passages, are inlaid chapters of theKoran, the letters being exquisitely formed of black marble. It is assertedthat the whole of theKoran is thus inlaid in the Taaje......From the resemblance of this screen and the workmanship of the tombto Florentine mosaic, it is supposed by some to have been executed by anItalian artist; and I have even heard it stated that....

4. p 71 As for the flowers, represented in bas-relief on the marble panels, ithas been said that they are not to be found in India. Now these flowers, asnear as they can be identified, are the tulip, the iris ( both natives of Persia), and the lotus... Bishop Heber has declared that he recognised Italian artin the ornaments of the Taaje....he fell .. into many other glaring errors...which I have no time to point out. On one side of theTaajeis a mosquewith three domes, of red sandstone, covered with mosaic of white marble.Now on the opposite side, there is a building precisely similar, but of no usewhatever, except as a balance to the mosque, lest the perfect symmetry ofthe whole design should be spoiled. This building is called the Jawab, oranswer......

5. p 72 In comparing these master pieces of architecture with the Moorishremains in Spain, which resemble them most nearly, I have been struck withthe singular fact, that while, at the central seats of the Moslem empire, artreached but a comparative degree of development, here, in India and there,

on the opposite and most distant frontiers, it attained rapid and splendidculmination. {surprise ! surprise !!} The capitals of Caliphs and Sultans -Bagdad, Cairo, Damascus and Constantinople, - stand far below Agra andDelhi, Granada and Seville, in point of architecture.....It is not improbablethat the Moorish architects, after the fall of Granada, gradually made theirway to the eastward, and that their art was thus brought to India - or, atleast, modified and improved the art then existing. The conquest of Indiaby Babur ( grandson of Tamerlaneand grandfather ofAkbar ), is almostcoeval with the expulsion of the Moors from Granada. {Typical mentalityof Westerners!}......On the opposite bank of the Jumna there is an immense foundation-terrace whereon it is said, Shah Jehanintended to erect a tomb for himself,of equal magnificence but the rebellion of his sons, and his own death,prevented it...A shekh who takes care of the Taaje, told me, that had theemperor carried out his design the tombs were to have been joined by abridge, with a silver railing on each side. He told me that the Taaje, with

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its gateways, mosque and other buildings attached, had cost = 95,000,000.This however, seems quite impossible, when we consider the cheapness oflabour in those days and I believe the real cost is estimated at = 93,000,000which does not seem exaggerated. { Note : Taylor does not tell us wherehe got his figure of 3 million from}. Architectural Illustrations of the Prin-cipal Mohamedan Buildings of Bijapur by Mr.P.D.Hart was edited by JamesFergusson.

- Matriculation examination of Bombay University takes place for the firsttime.

1860: Among the many lessons the Indian mutiny conveys to the historian, none isof great importance than the warning that it is possible to have a revolution3 in whichBrahmins and Sudras, Hindus and Mahomedans, could be united against us andthat it is not safe to suppose that the peace and stability of our dominions, in any greatmeasure, depends on the continent being inhabited by different religious systems forthey mutually understand and respect and take part in each others modes and waysand doings. The mutiny reminds us that our dominions rests on a thin crust everlikely to be rent by titanic fires and social changes and religious revolutions.

....Our endeavour should be to uphold in full force the separation which ( for usfortunate ) exists between the different religions and races, not to endeavour to amal-gamate them. Divide et impera should be the principle4 of Indian Government....Remarks of Lt.Colonel Coke, Commandant of Moradabad 1860. {Note : Aligarh,where Muslim separatism started and flourished, is only 30 miles from Moradabad.}- Viceroy Lord Canning visits Agra.- An Account of the Loyal Mahomedans of India by Syed Ahmad Khan was pub-lished.- After the death of Prof Wilson, Max Muller stands for election to Sanskritchair atOxford University, but fails.

1861: Alexander Cunningham now aged 47 retires from the army with the rank ofMajor General. Following his correspondence with Lord Canning, the first Viceroy,Archaeological Survey of India ( A.S.I. ) was started. Cunningham was appointed asan Archaeological Surveyor in December.- Indian Penal Code comes into operation. Star of India order was instituted.- Motilal Nehru and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were born. Motilal Nehru be-came a successful lawyer and a moderate political leader. Malaviya founded theBenares Hindu University.

1862: History of India by Henry Beveridge ( Advocate ) was published. On page 289

of Volume I he says,3Ref : Central India During the Rebellion of 1857-58 by Thomas Lowe, MRCS, Medical Officer to the

Corps of Madras Sappers and Miners.4{Ref : Pakistan - Military Rule or Peoples Power by Tariq Ali, Jonathan Cape, London 1970 page 25}

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1. ...In (Agra) the latter stands conspicuous above all the Taje Mahal, the mau-soleum of his queen Mumtaz Mahal... On the same page, we find a pictureof the interior ofTaje Mahal at Agra reproduced from Oriental Drawing5, EastIndia House. In the footnote, Beveridge refers to and quotes from FergussonsHandbook of Architecture ( 1855 ), but does not produce the cross-section anddeletes the vital sentence when used as a Barrah-dari or pleasure palace. ....In the footnote on pages 289, 290 Beveridge says, ...Tavernier saw this building

begun and finished and tells us that it occupied 20,000 men for twenty two years.The mausoleum and all the buildings that appertain to it cost Rs 3,17,48,026 or3,174,802 sterling.

Indian Empire by R.M.Martin was published. Volume 3 contains copy of a paintingofTaj Mahal by Captain R. Elliot. It shows several basement rooms in the so calledmosque and the so called Jawab. These were blocked by British authorities at somelater date. Why ? And why is there no record ? The painting also shows palacesupstream and downstream ofTaj Mahal. As the remains of these palaces were de-stroyed during the famine works of 1837 the painting must have been made before1837.

- Alexander Cunningham becomes the Director of A.S.I.- History of Modern Styles of Architecture, being a sequel to the Handbook of Ar-chitecture by James Fergusson, was published. {Editions 1873 and 1891 }- 9 De-cember...James Fergusson delivers a lecture on Architecture at the Royal EngineersEstablishment, Chatham, England.- First batch of graduates of Bombay University come out. Among them we findJustice M G Ranade, R G Bhandarkar and V A Modak.History written by Mill, Duff, Elphinstone and others was a compulsory subject forthe B A Examination from the beginning.

1863 : Viceroy Lord Elgin visits Agra.

1864: Bombay Government decides to give grants even to institutions that madeattendance at the Bible classes compulsory.- Rock Cut Temples of India ( with 74 photographs ) by J.Fergusson was published.His address is given as 20 Langham Place, London.- Syed Ahmed Khan was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of GreatBritain and Ireland.

1865: Archaeological Survey of India was closed.Telegraphic connection between India and Britain was completed.Lala Lajpat Rai, a militant political leader from Punjab and famous historian G.S.Sardesai

were born.J.Fergusson becomes a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects ( FRIBA )

5( Ref : Sleemans Rambles and Recollections by an Indian Official)

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1866: Max Muller writes6 to his wife on 9 December, ...I hope I shall finishthat work, and I feel convinced, though I shall not live to see it, yet this edition

of mine and the translation of the Veda will hereafter tell to a great extent on

the fate of India, and on the growth of millions of souls in that country. It is

the root of their religion, and to show them what that root is, is, I feel sure, the

only way of uprooting all that sprung from it during the last 3000 years....

18 December. J.Fergusson delivers a lecture on The Study of Indian Architecture

at a meeting of the Society of Arts, London.- Viceroy Lord Lawrence holds a grand Durbar at Agra and also presents a goldmedal to Syed Ahmed Khanfor good services and efforts in the cause of education.

( 28 November 1866 ) : - Following books were published :

1. Architecture at Bijapur by Col.M.Taylor ( Notes by J.Fergusson )

2. Architecture at Ahmedabad by Sir T.C.Hope, ICS ( Photographs by Col.Briggs.Architectural notes by J.Fergusson )

3. Architecture in Dharwar and Mysore by Col.M.Taylor ( Architectural notes

by J.Fergusson )

- Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a moderate leader, was born

1867: History of Architecture of All Countries by J.Fergusson was published. All theinformation on Taje Mahal given in his Handbook of Architecture ( 1855 ) is re-peated. The cross-section through central edifice is repeated on page 693 of volumeII. He now tells us that it has been drawn to a scale of 110 ft to 1 inch. Apart fromthis, there is no change.Asiatic Society of Bengal published the Persian text ofLahoris Badshahnama, vol-ume I. It was edited by two Muslims: Mawalawis Kabir AL-Din Ahmad and Abd Al

Rahim, under the superintendence of Major.W.N.Lees. Volume II was published in1868.- Elliot and Dowsons History of India as told by its own Historians, The Muham-madan Period Vol I, was published in London by Trubner and Co. Other sevenvolumes were published over next ten years. In his preface Sir Henry M Elliot statesthat he is dealing with the history of only the Mohammedan rule in India. He givessome examples of how in the 18th and 19th century, Muslims had fabricated variouschronicles. He also concludes that the true picture of Muslim rule was far from whatwas generally believed.It was full of murders and massacres, razing of temples, forcible conversions andmarriages, sensuality and drunkenness. Common people were plunged into the low-est depths of wretchedness and despondency.{Prof John Dowson, M R A S, of Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in his prefacethanks General Cunningham for his important notes, and placing at his disposal his

6Ref : The life and letters of F Max Muller, edited by his wife, Longman Green and co, London 1902.p 328

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Archaeological Survey of India reports.}- The History of India from the Earliest days by James Talboys Wheeler waspublished. ( Taj Mahal on page 156 )

1868: On 16 December Max Muller writes7 to the Duke of Argyll, Secretary of Statefor India, ...India has been conquered once, but India must be conquered againand that second conquest should be a conquest by education ....The missionaries

have done far more than they themselves seem to be aware of, nay, much of the

work which is theirs they would disclaim. The Christianity of our nineteenth

century will hardly be the Christianity of India. But the ancient religion of

India is doomed - and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be ?

1869: Dr Forbes Watsons Report on the Illustration of the Architecture of India,etc with Appendices by Fergusson, Cunningham and Colonel Meadows Taylor, waspublished. History of India written by Marshman at the request of the University of Calcuttawas published.In Volume I page 146 he tells us, ..To him ( Shahjahan ) the country was indebted

for the immaculate Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of his queen {Who? the pride ofIndia and the admiration of the world...- Syed Ahmed Khan and his two sons leave Bombay for England on 6th August. AtLondon he is received by Mr {later Sir} John Kaye - Secretary to the Duke of Argyll,Secretary of State for India.Syed Ahmed Khan is awarded Star of India (Class III)- Suez Canal was completed and opened to traffic.- Mahatma Gandhi was born.- Travels of Fah Hien and Sung Yum was translated by Samuel Beal.

1869-70: Duke of Edinburgh, 2nd son of Queen Victoria visits India : Dec 1869 to

March 1870. He did visit Agra. 1870: Archaeological Survey of India was restarted. Duke of Argyll, Secretary of

State for India sanctioned Cunninghams appointment, after consultation with LordMayo, Viceroy of India. Cunningham resumes charge, promoted to Director Generalof that department, next year. 12 inch to 1 mile map of Agra Cantonment, city and Environs , was publishedby the Government of India. It shows the main walls of the Taj Mahal, continuousbeyond the Taj Ganjgate at South and enclosing a large market.- Bombay-Jubblepoor-Calcutta railway connection was completed.- Historian Yadunath Sarkar and Chittaranjan Das a political leader from Bengal,

were born.

1871: J.Fergusson was awarded Royal Gold Medal by the RIBA.Vincent Smith joins the Indian Civil Service.

7{Ref : The Life and Letters of F.Max Muller, edited by his wife, 1902 volume I pages 357-8}

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The Indian Musalmans : Are They Bound in conscience to Rebel Against theQueen ? by Sir.W.W.Hunter was published.

1872: Syed Ahmed Khan replies to Hunters book.Tilak passes the Matriculation examination.

1872-73: Archaeological Survey of India Report for the Year 1871-72 was preparedby M/s Beglar ( on Delhi ) and Carllyle (on Agra ) In volume II Mr Carlleyle tells us

:

1. p 4 ... Again as bearing on the other side of the argument I have now tomention that, on the right bank of the river about three miles above the fort,there is the site of an ancient garden palace called the garden and palace ofRajaBhoj! Certain intelligent educated Hindus in Agra say that it is traditionally heldto have been a palace of Raja Bhojof Malwa of the fifth to sixth century; butat any rate all agree as to the fact that this garden palace ofRaja Bhojwas inexistence previous to the Muhammadan conquest of this part of the country. Iam, however, inclined to think that the Raja Bhojwho built this garden palaceat Agra may have been The Bhoja, the successor ofGuhila or Sri Gohadit ofGelhotedynasty ofMewar......

2. On page 67 we find :MUMTAZ MAHAL, COMMONLY CALLED THE TAJ MAHAL It will be unnecessary for me to give either the measurements or a descrip-tion of this well known and beautiful white marble mausoleum, so famous forits exquisite mosaics, and noble dome, and lofty graceful minars, as GeneralCunningham informed me that he had in his possession a complete groundplan and sections and all measurements of this building.....Carllyle describesTaj Mahalin 18 lines and says I cannot presume to say moreon this subject, when I know that General Cunningham has both the materials

at hand, and the ability, coupled with the experience of a practised archaeologist,to do it so much more justice than it would ever be possible for me to do. {Note: General Cunningham became Director General of ASI in 1870 and remainedin charge for further 14 years but he never said anything about these sectionsand particulars. ASI never produced the said sections. Why ? Why ?? Why ???What were they hiding ?}

3. Carllyle tells us about some mysterious pillars in Taj Mahal. On pages 124-125he says, Before concluding this report, it may be well that I should offer a fewremarks in connection with the great square black basaltic pillar which, with thebase and capital of another similar pillar, and a long ponderous block of similar

stone, which probably formed part of the entablature over the pillars, are nowin the grounds of the museum at Agra. The pillar above referred to, it is well known, once stood in the garden of TajMahal; and while there, for some reason or other now unknown, the shaft ofthe pillar used to rock on its base, with a slight touch of the hand, like one ofthe logan or rocking stones. Besides the remains of another pillar, and the

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large block of similar stone, before mentioned, which are in the grounds of themuseum, there are also the remains of a third pillar now placed as gate postsat the gate of a European residence in the cantonments at Agra. Now, it is said that these block pillars, when in a perfect state, along withseveral others originally stood in a line outside the water-gate of the fort ofAgra, between the fort and the river, but that some of them had fallen downbefore the most perfect and complete one of was removed from thence and

placed in the Taj garden. The pillars were, most certainly, the work of Hindus and they may be eitherJainor Brahmanical, although I myself am inclined to think that they are Jain,as their shape and style are Jain in character, and I believe that they resemblethe pillars of several ancient Jain colonnades still existing in India. The only conclusion therefore that I can come to is that these pillars formedthe colonnade to the entrance from the river of some ancient Hindu buildingwhich was probably pulled down and destroyed when the Fort was built; and,moreover, I believe that.a very massive and elaborately sculptured black marbleJainimage ( ofMunisuvrathajudging by the tortoise symbol ), which is now atthe Agra Museum must .originally have belonged to the same locality, as I have

heard that it was dug up somewhere near the fort and the river.

- Pathan Kings of Delhi, by Edward Thomas was published.

1873 : A Handbook for visitors to Agra by H G Keene was published. It was enlarged,rectified and illustrated and founded on Agra Guide by the same author. The TajMahal is described on pages 23 to 36.The causes of the Indian Revolt {in Urdu} bySyed Ahmed Khan was translated bySir Auckland Colvin and Colonel Graham. Sir Colvin, late

taj mahal_conspiracy_british_muslims_jews

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