Taj Mahal - Seventh Wonder of the World

[Sunds]

 

 

 

Recently the 'Taj Mahal' was voted as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the World'.I have personally visited the 'Taj' thrice and can confidently say that it is one of the most beautiful man made structures on Earth.

The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. A team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri being the principal designer.The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu. In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan's real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 at a cost of 32 Million Rupees.

 

The Taj Mahal is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures with a beautiful persian garden besides the river Yamuna.

[indulekhadasi]

Didnt they cut the fingers of the builders so that they could never build such a thing again?

[sreeram]

http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/tejo.html

 

Have a look at this link. It was a shiva temple. Tejo mahalaya.

[Sarva gattah]

 

Didnt they cut the fingers of the builders so that they could never build such a thing again?

 

Yes, Muslim leaders would cut the hands off Hindu workers and sculptors so they could not built such a monument for others. This 'Taj Mahal' 'muslim monument' is a disgrace and I have never been there nor would I waist my time or lower myself to go there.

The same invading Muslim ‘dog like humans’ destroyed many beautiful Temples in Vrndavana, Mathura and other places throughout India, stealing the art work for their own

 

Origins Of The Taj Mahal

BY KALAVATI DEVI DASI

The Taj Mahal is constructed of exquisite white marble and flower motifs. The Yamuna River flows along its eastern side. Tall minarets guard the Taj's four corners, and prayers echo in the courtyard five times a day.

This monument is India's national treasure. It represents a love story between a mogul emperor and his wife. Delve deeper into the Taj Mahal's origins, however, and simple explanations become illusive. A new generation of Indian nationalists claim the Taj Mahal is actually a Hindu temple that was usurped by invading Mughals during the 17th century.

What is it about the Taj Mahal that suggests Hindu origins? According to P.N. Oaks, author of "Taj Mahal - The True Story", there are many Hindu symbols throughout the Taj that are derivative of Hindu temples. A specific example is of Ganesh carvings that appear on the red stone of the gateway to the Taj gardens.

India and her monuments have an intricate history, evolving through centuries of Muslim and Hindu conflicts. Just as Palestinians and Israelis are fighting over land and religion the Hindus and Muslims fight over land lost and won.

Perhaps the struggle within India is not as prominent as current struggles in the Middle East because as Dr. George Saliba from Columbia University says, "Especially within India, the most tolerant of environments has developed in the face of religious diversity."

From a distance the Taj's surface of inlaid decorative marble emulates shimmering pearls. Paths, canals, and pools of water divide the gardens. In centuries past, fruit and Cyprus trees lined garden passageways.

Dr. Darielle Mason from the Philadelphia Museum of Art explains the Ganesh carvings, "The Taj and other Mughal architecture show decorative elements derived from indigenous buildings, traditional of Northern India. You simply cannot separate styles by religious affiliation."

Most academics of South Asian History agree with Mason. The fact the Taj Mahal's axis is not facing Mecca (the most holy place on earth for Muslims) has no sway over scholars. Nor do the various documents that Oak has gathered, including records purportedly showing the Taj was purchased from Raja Mansingh by the emperor Shah Jahn (rather than having been built by Shah Jahn) in the early 1600's.

Some South Asian academics bristle when hearing Oak's unsubstantiated claims. Regardless of the Taj Mahal's "true" origins, it is interesting to note the very reactive opinions of scholars and fundamentalist alike. Mason says, "The issue is fascinating from the viewpoint of current politics, religious sectarian rivalry and cultural history."

Stephen Knapp, author of "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence", has continued in the same vain as Oak in trying to "uncover" the Taj's Vedic roots. In a clandestine maneuver, he managed to obtain photographs smuggled out of India, originally taken of the Taj by the Archaeological Survey of India. These photos purportedly demonstrate a number of rooms and ventilation systems that have been sealed with brick for centuries. Speculation has been driven by the fact that experts cannot seem to agree as to the purpose of the blocked air ducts.

Critics argue Knapp's photos prove nothing and are misleading. Dr. David Lelyveld from Cornell University believes Oaks is misinterpreting Mughal architecture, although he suggests, "There might be a bit more of a case for Hindu iconography in some of the symbols associated with the Mughal court architecture in Agra, or Delhi."

Mughal (Islamic) architecture throughout history lays claim to arches designed to fit within invisible rectangles, as is the case for the Taj Mahal. The Taj's windows echo this arched design on a smaller scale. The overall effect aimed at subtly and naturalism, supported by imprecise details. A floor of "rippling water" marble surrounds the tomb of the Emperor's deceased wife.

As recent as the late seventies, a graduate student named Marvin Mills smuggled a piece of a wooden door from the Taj to have the piece carbon dated. Dr. Evan Williams, the scientist who performed the carbon dating, published his findings in the Academic Journal Radio Carbon, volume 19 in 1977.

Williams, who is now at Lewis & Clark University, explains, "The piece that Marvin provided for carbon dating did suggest it was older than the 1600's. But this does not prove anything conclusively. Most academics have a patronizing attitude towards radiocarbon dating and scientists in this field. Archaeologists, for instance, will include radiocarbon dating results only if it supports their own theories." Williams readily admits that radiocarbon dating is not an exact science. Depending on the year, variations will occur in the calibration of radio carbons.

Srila Jayapataka Swami, a sannyasi or "priest", has studied India's religious history for the past 30 years. He says, "The Taj was probably built by Mughals but using Hindu artisans and architects. In those days things were very integrated. Mughals were ruling but often they had Hindu ministers and generals."

Focusing on the integration of Hindu and Muslim societies, Srila Jayapataka tells the story of a Hindu minister who lived 300 years ago in West Bengal. The minister grew up alongside the ruling Mughal emperor. When they were boys, the emperor was accidentally injured and left with a slight scar on his face. When the emperor later married, his wife insisted on punishing the person responsible for the scar.

The Hindu minister was given two options - death or conversion to Islam. The minister converted to escape death. Years later, the Hindu community would not allow him to convert back to Hinduism. They advised the minister to purify his body by drinking boiling ghee (purified butter). Once this killed him, he could be reborn a Hindu.

India's religious history has been integrated for centuries. In analyzing the origins of the Taj Mahal, it is important to study the chronology of the Vedas, when the Taj was built, and what is known about Vedic revivals at the time of the Taj construction.

An expert on Hindu iconography, Dr. Pika Ghosh from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, offers this explanation; "The iconography of the Taj is highly complex and does indeed use a few features also found in temples. But then again those features had all been used in mosques and tombs for Islamic rulers before."

The impressive Taj has carried its beauty through centuries, regardless of the rulers of the land. Its pear shaped dome, whether constructed by Muslims or Hindus, has been designed to manipulate both light and space. The Taj's walls and facades are decorated with jade, yellow amber and lapis lazuli imported from Tibet, Afghanistan, and Egypt.

With the existing dichotomy of Hindu versus Muslim, Dr. Ghosh places the Taj Mahal mystery in perspective; "The basic premise of Hindu iconography is one that needs rethinking. The question is not about Hindu iconography at all, but rather what iconography is shared among monuments used by the two traditions (Hindu and Islamic)."

[indulekhadasi]

I have never been there either. It would be a waste of time. On the way to Vrindavan, the driver asked if we would like to stop at Agra and I refused. What is the use of simply staring at a monument?

[RadheyRadhey108]

 

Didnt they cut the fingers of the builders so that they could never build such a thing again?

OMG! That's terrible!

[indulekhadasi]

Yeah, I didn't know myself until a few months ago, when my mother told me. It is really horrible. So what if they made another monument like that? I can't understand why people can be so envious.

[RadheyRadhey108]

I don't understand it either. I can't believe he would turn building a monument to his deceased wife into an occasion for mass-torture.

[indulekhadasi]

Too selfish.

[RadheyRadhey108]

Indeed. What a horrible thing to do They do all this work for him, and that's what he does to them. What a hideous person.

[Amlesh]

Anything done without having the mind in focus of Hari is always a dirty job.

 

Proof: The Sultan cut off the Hands of the Workers in the Beloved memory of his wife.

[GODSEED]

SHREERÄDHÄKRSHNACHAITANYÄY NAMAH

GURU SHREECHAITANYÄY NAMAH

SHREENITYÄNANDA PRABHAVE NAMAH

SHREESHIVASHIVÄYA NAMAH

JAY JAY SHREEBHAKTA VRUNDA...

 

shame on you, mate!

 

how can u appreciate this monument...its a symbol of stinking sex attachment of one tyrant muslim red-tape...

 

i mean how could somebody, to show off its bodily attachments for one woman, can one try, errect anything over a Shiva Linga?

 

and to add salt to wounds...cut fingers of those who might have had a hand it it, just to prevent its replication?

 

too much...

 

i think taj mahal is a famous monument of mogul lust and they way they invaded this Pristine Land of Pure Sanätana Vedic Dharma!

 

as sarva gattah has rightly said...

 

the muslims have invaded our Pristine Land...they have tried to attack various temples, that is how they propogate their (ir)religion:mad2:

 

and there is nothing for indians to take proud of it!

 

SHREENITÄIGAURAPREMÄNANDE...SHREEGAURAHARIBOL

[indulekhadasi]

Godseedji,

 

I totally agree with you on many matters, but I see your posts are mainly criticizing people. Please keep in mind that devotees should always speak with a cool head. Thank you.

[RadheyRadhey108]

 

SHREERÄDHÄKRSHNACHAITANYÄY NAMAH

GURU SHREECHAITANYÄY NAMAH

SHREENITYÄNANDA PRABHAVE NAMAH

SHREESHIVASHIVÄYA NAMAH

JAY JAY SHREEBHAKTA VRUNDA...

 

shame on you, mate!

 

how can u appreciate this monument...its a symbol of stinking sex attachment of one tyrant muslim red-tape...

 

i mean how could somebody, to show off its bodily attachments for one woman, can one try, errect anything over a Shiva Linga?

 

and to add salt to wounds...cut fingers of those who might have had a hand it it, just to prevent its replication?

 

too much...

 

i think taj mahal is a famous monument of mogul lust and they way they invaded this Pristine Land of Pure Sanätana Vedic Dharma!

 

as sarva gattah has rightly said...

 

the muslims have invaded our Pristine Land...they have tried to attack various temples, that is how they propogate their (ir)religion:mad2:

 

and there is nothing for indians to take proud of it!

 

SHREENITÄIGAURAPREMÄNANDE...SHREEGAURAHARIBOL

I think it would've been a sweet monument if he would've treated the workers properly and not destroyed a shrine to Lord Shiva Dev to build it... but he was psychotic... so you're right, it's just terrible. I say they tear it down and make deities of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna and Sri Sri Narayani-Shiva.