Distortion of Indian History for Muslim appeasement, Part 6C

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By Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari It has been mentioned in the previous article that, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Shah Jahan floated a global tender and the respondents were asked to submit designs and wooden models along with the tender. Innumerable plans with models had been received by the authorities and at last, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “The plan was prepared by a council of architects from India , Persia , Central Asia and beyond and the credit for the final plan was given to Ustad Isa of either Persian or Turkish origin.” [1] Some historians believe that the name of the chief architect was Makamal Khan. And some others believe that his name was Abdul Karim.[2] It is really amusing to note that, according to some Western historians, the chief architect was from Venice , Italy and his name was Jarenimo Verona [2]. But, most surprisingly, a French traveller called Thevenot, in 1650, said that the Taj Mahal was an excellent example of India ’s finest artitechtural and artistic skill. [2] From the above discussions, it is not difficult to understand that there is no authentic source that contains the name of the chief architect and the names provided above are outcomes of wild conjectures. But the Munj Bateswar edict clearly states that the building, now called Taj Mahal, was built by the Chandel King Paramardi Dev nearly 500 years before the times of Shah Jahan and hence its architect must have been none other than an Indian or a Hindu architect. Mr D J Kale, in his Epigraphica India, has given a genealogy of the Chandratreya or Chandel Kings, that shows that King Paramardi Dev ascended the throne in 1165 (or 1167 AD).[3] According to R C Majumdar, the Chandel Raj Paramardi Dev ruled from 1163 to 1203 AD. [4] It has also been mentioned earlier that, the Munj Bateswar Edict was laid in 1212 Vikram Samvat or 1156 AD. Or in other words, it was laid nearly 475 years before the death of Arjumand Banu, the wife of Shah Jahan. The so called secular and Marxist historians of India, according to their policy of Muslim appeasement and to glorify the foreign Muslim invaders, are used to project Shah Jahan as a luxurious and foppish man having refined taste and say that due to this reason Shah Jahan used marble to build palaces and monuments. So, the historian S K Saraswati writes, “Imbued with the prevailing ideas and his (Shah Jahan’s) love for pomp and luxury and display of splendour, Shah Jahan chose marble as the chief medium for all his architectural undertakings.” [5] There is no doubt that Mr Saraswati points to Taj Mahal of Agra and the marble palace, called Dewan-i-Khas, inside the Red Fort in Delhi . But the Munj Bateswar Edict has disproved the claim of Shah Jahan’s authorship of Taj Mahal. It has also been pointed out earlier that Shah Jahan’s authorship of the Red Fort in Delhi is a fraud. But these spineless slave historians are harping on the same string and say that Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi . It has been mentioned in the previous article that, according to the Munj Bateswar Edict, the Chandel King Paramardi Dev built two marble temples, one for Lord Vishnu and the other of Lord Shiva, in Agra and the Muslim invaders Shah Jahan converted the temple of Vishnu to the mausoleum of Idmat-ud-daula and the temple of Shiva to the mausoleum of his wife Arjumand Banu. And there are so many evidence to show that the building, called Taj Mahal today, was, firstly a Hindu temple and more pointedly, a temple of Lord Shiva . A few evidence that Taj Mahal was a Hindu Temple : As shown in Figure-1, there is a red lotus at the apex of the main entrance of the so called Taj Mahal. There is no doubt that, Hindus use lotus for worshipping their deities and the lotus is a Hindu symbol.

The Figure-2 shows the design of OM in Devnagri, carved out of stone in the wall of Taj Mahal. It is well known that OM and Swastika are considered holiest symbols by the Hindus. It should also be mentioned here that, had the building, now called Taj Mahal, been built by the Muslim ruler Shah Jahan, he would certainly not have tolerated Hindu symbols like OM and lotus in stone carvings of Taj. Here is an example of the conch shell design incorporated into the three top central petals in the flowers. In a detail on the gate, we can see two elephant’s trunks, one on either side of the design, which would indicate Lord Ganesh.

The Figure-3 shows conch-shells, as petals of flowers, carved out in the stone wall of Taj Mahal. It is exclusively a Hindu religious practice to blow conch-shells during worshipping of gods and goddesses. Hence conch-shell is a Hindu symbol which Muslims abhor. So, the existence of these conch-shells on the stone wall of Taj Mahal is a strong evidence the once upon a time the building, now called Taj Mahal, was a Hindu temple. In Figure 4, the reader should notice that the Idol of Lord Ganesha has been carved out of leaves and flowers. One should also notice two elephant trunks on both sides of the idol of Lord Ganesha. This provides strong evidence that the building, now called Taj Mahal, was originally a Hindu temple.

The Figure-5 shows the top of the South Gate of Taj Mahal. One should notice inverted water-pots, which is a Hindu system of decoration. The number pots must always be in odd numbers and there are 11 in the picture. One should also notice the design of cobras in pairs, just below the gallery. It should be mentioned here that copying Allah’s creation, either in painting or in sculpture, is a terrible sin in Islam. So, there is no doubt that, had the Muslims been the designer and builder of the building, now called Taj Mahal, they would not have incorporated such designs declared sinful in Islam. One should also notice that the Koranic inscriptions were a graffiti added by Shah Jahan in order give the entire edifice an Islamic face. The Figure-6 shows the Naqqar Khana or Naubat Khana, alias a Music House, in the Taj Complex, which is a contradiction. A mausoleum is generally a place of silence and hence the existence of this Music House is a strong evidence that the building, now called Taj Mahal, was originally not a mausoleum. On the contrary, it provides a strong evidence in favour of the claim that originally it was a Hindu temple complex, as a Music House is an integral part of many temple complexes of the Hindus. In a Hindu temple complex, the Naobat Khana or the Music House is used for playing Shehnai and other musical instruments at dawn and at sunset. The Figure-7 shows a corridor, built according to typical Vedic or Hindu design. The Vedic or Hindu design is reflected in the design of the ceiling of a room, shown in Figure-8. Hindu, particularly Rajput design, is also prominent in the design of the veranda shown in Figure-9. Tavernier mentioned in his Travel in India that a big shopping market had sprung up surrounding the Taj complex. Such markets usually grow up around a Hindu temple complex, but not in a Muslim mausoleum. Even today, one finds such market complexes around the temples at Benares, Puri, Hardwar , Madurai , Kalighat in Kolkata and so on. It is also an evidence that proves that the Taj Mahal of today was originally a temple complex of the Hindus. In this article, we have provided a few evidence to show that the building now known as Taj Mahal, was originally a Hindu temple complex and in the next instalment, we shall try prove that the said temple complex was dedicated to Lord Shiva. (To be continued) References: [1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, (1964), XXI, 759. [2] A C Roy, Bharater Itihas (in Bengali), I, 186. [3] D J Kale, Epigraphica India , published by S D Kale & M D Kale, I, 140-141. [4] R.C. Majumdar (General Editor), The History and Culture of the Indian People, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan   (in 12 volumes), Mumbai (1996) V, 122. [5] R.C. Majumdar, ibid, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai (1996) VII, 781.