"What is history, but a fable agreed upon"

“What is history, but a fable agreed upon!”
Napoleon Bonaparte.

After months of brewing, my mind is at last ready to write about the monument the sight of which had me speechless. The white marble edifice, the world knows as the Taj Mahal, grave of Mumtaz Mahal Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan’ s beloved wife (this also is disputed by some), was never shorn of controversies. The latest one takes the cake however: Taj Mahal was ‘Tejo Mahalya’, an ancient Shiva temple!
One professor P.N. Oak has written a book (Taj Mahal: The True Story) elaborating on how he feels the world has been taken for a ride by hiding the true facts regarding the structure.

I admit that having failed to procure a copy; I am compelled to comment, though obliquely, on its contents. However, I only attempt to present my point of view regarding the controversy.

So, some believe that it was a sacred place…a temple palace wherein the idol worshipped was that of Lord Shiva.
Since I have not conducted any research that many others seemed to have been a part of, let me take the statement at its face value. The point is that it was a temple. Might have been…no intention of disputing it. Indian history is after all pregnant with facts that the Mughal rulers, for reasons known and fancied by them, destroyed many Hindu temples and constructed structures suiting their religious taste. So, it was a temple. Does that stop it from being a grave that it is? Does it prove that the marble structure was not caused to be built by Shah Jehan? I think not. All that perhaps can be assumed or logically deduced is that this one also, like many others, was built over the remains of a temple. Also that perhaps the Emperor was no exception when it came to religious intolerance.

It is said that in Badshahnama, Shah Jahan’s court chronicle, there is a mention that an ‘exceptionally beautiful grand mansion’ in Agra belonging to Jai Singh was taken from him for the late Empress’s burial.
This could also be true. But how can anyone shut its eyes to the architecture of the Taj that is primarily and essentially Islamic? Only a keen eye and some fascination for such buildings does one require to understand something as basic as that. Again, the point is that this alleged mansion could have been razed by the Mughals to erect a new one. The present edifice still remains what it is popular as…Mumtaz Mahal’s resting place built by Shah Jehan. Period.

Picture of Taj showing four floors

Taj Mahal is claimed to be a seven storeyed structure. (see pic). It is said that there is a gap of 83 ft between the outer dome and the inner dome ceiling which makes the first storey. Then we have storey 2, which cannot be accessed by the public. In any case, I was not permitted to go upstairs when I visited the monument in 2004. Storey 3 consists of the counterfeit graves of the royals open for public viewing. The fourth one, barred by an iron grill, contains the true cenotaphs. A peek below is all that is permitted to the public. The 5th and 6th storey are made of red sandstone that can be seen from the rear (river side). It is claimed that they contain several rooms. The last one is below the river level, serving as a basement for the monument. Carbon dating is claimed to have been carried out on one of these sandstone structures and the result reveals it to be older than the times during which Shah Jehan ruled/lived.

Picture showing the rear view of the Taj. Notice the latticed window in the 5th storey (below) and a doorway in the sixth storey (above)

All this, I am ill-equipped to dispute or corroborate. However, since one does not require the skill and expertise of a seasoned archeologist to question the basics, I have but one question: How can it be presumed that just because the sandstone portion predates the concerned era, the entire structure predates his reign? Is it not an utterly foolish and presumptuous claim? If the monument is really a structure that has been built over a Hindu temple, why is it not possible that Shah Jehan kept the base as original, demolished just the portion that was required and rebuilt it accordingly? Poor guy must have been hard pressed for time. His beloved wife had died and he had been compelled to bury her at a God forsaken place, Burhanpur, a site improper for a royal burial at any rate, in a jiffy. Then the architects must have taken awfully long to come up with a suitable design…and everyone knows where the marble came from…and that was no jet age. Coming to ‘age’, we cannot forget that old age was catching up…and Aurangzeb was already breathing down his neck to claim the throne. Yes, it could be that the wonderful mausoleum rests on the remains of a temple. Again, where does it prove that the structure recognized by the world as the Taj was not caused to be built by Shah Jehan?

However, one can, and I think should, protest against the embargo that has been placed by the ASI by not allowing the public to access floor 5, 6 and indeed 7, if at all they exist. One can blame the government for hiding the whole truth perhaps. But that is all. To claim that the present structure as it stands was actually a temple would be stupendously stupid. A temple with double domes, mihrabs, minarets, jaali’s, pietra dura and a charbagh style garden? I mean, do the claimants even understand their idiocy levels?

Letter of Aurangzeb to Emperor Shahjehan recommending elaborate repairs for the Taj

Oh yes, then there is this letter (claimed as original) from Aurangzeb (see pic) wherein he says that “several rooms on the second storey, the secret rooms and tops of the seven storey ceilings have all absorbed water through seepage and are so old that they were all leaking, and the dome had developed a crack on the northern side…” This was in 1652. Taj was completed in 1653. (Mumtaz died in 1631 and it is claimed that the monument took 22 long years to complete; so 1631+22=1653).
Now, it is questioned by Tejo Mahalya believers that if Taj was a new construction, how could it have required extensive repairs before it was fully complete? Why not I say? When was the edifice ever claimed as infallible and surefire against the elements? I would rest this point here…it is for the readers to form an opinion.

Now about the Hindu motifs and architectural styles claimed to have been used in the structure…
“The frontal view of the structure is octagonal because the Hindus believe in 10 directions. The pinnacle pointing to the heaven and the foundation to the nether world, plus the eight surface directions make the 10 directions. Divinity and royalty are believed to hold sway in all those 10 directions.”
And all these years I thought that the octagonal plan was essentially non-Hindu. So many structures of the Delhi Sultanate in the Lodhi Gardens etc (the tomb of Sikandar Lodhi, for instance) have an octagonal layout…so what were they? All temples?

The alleged Lotus flower cap atop the marble dome

The monument contains many apparent Hindu motifs and features…the famous lotus flower cap on the head of the dome being a typical one (see pic). No denying that it does appear to be so…and so are numerous other designs and motifs used at various places. So, what does this prove? Only this that perhaps the previous structure, if any, was so majestic that even the Mughal architects were smitten by its charms and decided to creatively use some of its parts and designs in the new building as well, giving the whole mausoleum an Indo-Islamic aura.

By the way, the Internet tells me that Prof Oak, in other articles has tried to prove that the war of Mahabharata involved the whole world; that the Holy Ka'bah in Makkah was originally a Shiva temple (again?!); that the name Baghdad is the corrupted form of Bhagwat Nagar etc etc. Hmm…I would say the leader as well as the followers collectively donated the most important part of their anatomy!

I rest my case partially here…

PS: So ethereal is the appeal of this wonder that not only do us mortals, struck by its beauty, forget that it is but a grave and so alluring is its charm that we get to hear strange stories woven around it. One such tale-maker tried to claim ownership of the monument itself! Remember the news about Taj Mahal being Wakf property? It was interesting. More interesting was the appalling audacity of the Board in declaring so. Seriously, it amazes me beyond any measure on how for some religious factions there is no limit for being silly.
Whatever the Taj might be…a tomb, graveyard, erstwhile temple or a combination of all these, the fact remains that it is a part of our national heritage being managed and maintained by the ASI since a long time now and cannot in any case be claimed by any single community—Hindu or Muslim. Does one need the grey cells of Einstein to understand something as basic and logical as this?
That the Allahabad High Court actually directed the Wakf, one of the claimants, to decide the matter compels me to cast serious doubts about the intelligence and logical quotient of the Judiciary. That the esteemed body had the time even to entertain such a trifling and frivolous claim had me stunned. Suddenly, the ‘sale of Taj’ sequence in ‘Bunty aur Babli’ does not seem funny, as funnier episodes happen in this country.
I rest my case completely.

All pictures courtesy: http:// www.stephen-knapp.com

Rowling does great injustice* : (

I wrote it long back when I read HP and the HBP ...am posting it now.

I am through with reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I had no idea that any form of print had the strength to evoke such a plethora of emotions within me. Immediately the moment after, I was saddened …then agitated and now I am angry I guess.

Those who have read the novel would understand that there are reasons to be sad, for after all Dumbledore is no more in Hogwarts…no, I would not say or admit that he is dead or anything because that would amount to playing into the ruse that Rowling seems to have cleverly (read shrewdly) planted. However, I must admit that it is not the absence of Dumbledore that disturbs and saddens me…it is the after effects…no Hogwarts next year!?? I mean, does Rowling even know what she is getting into…I hope she does. Then, Fawkes gone…I cried through the last few chapters…And then Ginny and Harry mutually deciding not to continue with their relationship, after almost admitting that they never really gave up on each other…what is this! Rowling, what have you done! I am left helpless with all this sadness at the end of the novel.

The fact that Rowling has left so many things unexplained agitates me. Though, I am inclined to believe that she has reasons to do so…Sirius—what became of him; his body was not found after all. Then what about the mirror that he gave Harry in the 5th novel…the one that shattered—surely Harry has not thrown the pieces away; he was/is too fond of his Godfather to have attempted that.
Then, from the present novel…Snape, why does Dumbledore trust him so blindly? Has he actually betrayed his trust or was he doing everything on D’Dore’s orders/insistence. Is it possible that he is actually cheating on Voldemort, relying on his exceptional expertise at Occlumency? Was D’Dore not pleading him to do exactly what he did to end the Headmaster’s pain or execute the final act of the Headmaster’s ingenious plan?
And, why does he get so furious when Harry addresses him as a ‘Coward’? Is it because, he is the only one of the lot (at Hogwarts) that does not fit that bill? Is it because he is the only one who has been risking his neck and reputation for D’Dore and cheating Voldemort/Narcissa and so many others…Is it because that he is the only one who would have had the courage to do that to Dumbledore on the latter’s insistence? I somehow feel that I might be right; for D’Dore being the greatest wizards of his times cannot be shown to be fooled like that by Snape. Voldemort on the other hand can be fooled, though not easily, for he is loveless, vain, pompous and a bit too confident. D’Dore wanted Harry to only fetch Snape after landing in Hogwarts…I think it is because he wanted everyone to believe him to be dead at the hands of Snape (so that Snape secures a safe berth amongst Voldemorts cronies)…for surely, he cannot be shown to have died for nothing…and after all, even D Dore would have wanted someone to spy on Voldemort more closely and who else but Snape fitted the bill.

And, finally, I am angry. Hogwarts is supposed to be a protected place, right?…protected by powerful magic…charms and all. Then how the hell could Draco…he, for all people could penetrate that so called protection? Of course, an attempt has been made to explain how he does it, but it is as feeble as anything…since when did the junior Malfoy get brains like that? I mean, is this not a bit too much to digest? Then again, Hogwarts is a home for so many powerful people…and many more are shown to be there, present at Hogwarts for additional security…yet, only one…one Death-eater dies and that too because of a curse that misses the real target? What is this? And, are Ron and Hermione friends of Harry’s just to display loyalty towards him? They are Gryffindor’s for Godssake, a mark that is known for courage as well…why have they been shown in such poor light then? Ron messes up and Hermione, the cleverest witch of the age, acts stupid…is this all that they are worth? …proving to be a fiasco at the most crucial juncture…acting as mere lumps of mud and brainless rag-dolls?; for if they are, then I think Ginny, Neville and Loona deserve the title of Harry’s best friends more than the duo. They actually managed to do something brave in the midst of all chaos and fear.
Then of course there is this related aspect of Ginny and Harry…if Harry can tacitly agree to Ron and Hermione’s proposal of helping him and being there for him in his future endeavors; why the heck did he have to refuse Ginny like that?; for by being close to him, the duo faces the same threat that Harry fears for Ginny. This did not make sense at all.

* An appeal to all the fans out there to share what you think.

Determination

When things go wrong
as they sometimes will...
When the days trek seem all uphill
rest if you must, but do not quit. 

Resolve reflects the strength of your faith, determination and grit...so
in the battles of life...
stick to the fight when you are hardest hit...
it's when things go wrong, that you must not quit.

More about Noor...

Those who have read 'Noor, the Impeccable' on this blog and enjoyed it might like 'The 20th Wife', a novel by Indu Sundaresan (Penguin publishing).

Could not lay the book to rest till I had read the last of the prints...it is a treat to those who know
or rather would like to unravel the enigma that surrounds Noor. The novel makes you re-live those glorious days when feminity and fragility was considered a virtue amongst women...and it was exploited shrewdly and shamelessly by its bearers. The menfolk ...royal or plebian had no choice but to be smitten and beguiled by those luring charms. Oh! the power that these mermaids weilded!

And, Noor...the strength of her character impresses me beyond anything. There is an episode where Jehangir, the proud Emperor of Hindostan suggests to Noor to be a part his Zenana as a concubine and she refuses. After all she had nurtured the dream of becoming his lawfully wedded wife since the age of eight; how then could she accept anything lesser? Amazing woman.

The words of Milton Berle resound in my heart and mind as I think of her refusal...

"I would rather be a 'could be', if I cannot be an 'are'...

Because a 'could be' is a 'may be' who is reaching for a star.

I would rather be a 'has been' than a 'might have been' by far...

For a 'might have been' has 'never been', but a 'has been' was once an 'are'!