The Taj is a Hindu Temple
The well-publicised theory that the Taj Mahal was in fact a Shiva temple built in the 12th century and only later converted into Mumtaz Mahal’s famous mausoleum was developed by Purushottam Nagesh Oak. In 2000 India’s Supreme Court dismissed his petition to have the sealed basement rooms of the Taj opened to prove his theory. Oak also claims that the Kaaba, Stonehenge and the Papacy all have Hindu origins.
The Black Taj Mahal
The story goes that Shah Jahan planned to build a negative image of the Taj Mahal in black marble on the opposite side of the river as his own mausoleum, and that work began before he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort. Extensive excavations at Mehtab Bagh have found no trace of any such construction.
Craftsmen Mutilations
Legend has it that, on completion of the Taj, Shah Jahan ordered that the hands of the project’s craftsmen be chopped off , to prevent them from ever building anything as beautiful again. Some even say he went so far as to have their eyes gouged out. Thankfully, no historical evidence supports either story.
Sinking Taj
Some experts believe there is evidence to show that the Taj is slowly tilting towards and sinking into the riverbed due to the changing nature of the soil beside an increasingly dry Yamuna River. The Archaeological Survey of India has dismissed any marginal change in the elevation of the building as statistically insignifi cant, adding that it has not detected any structural damage at its base in the seven decades since its fi rst scientifi c study of the Taj was carried out, in 1941.
See also: 5 Ideas for India
See also: 5 Ideas for India
