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EDITORIAL  Origins Of The Taj Mahal BY KALAVATI DEVI DASI  EDITORIAL, Jan 17 (VNN) — 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)." References Interviews: Dr. Pika Ghosh Assistant Professor Art Department University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Phone: (919-962-0731) pghosh@email.unc.edu email interview Stephen Knapp Author of "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence" srinandan@aol.com phone interview Dr. David Lelyveld Cornell University Executive Director The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies Phone: (607) 255-8927 d155@cornell.edu email interview Dr. Darielle Mason Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art Philadelphia Museum of Art dMason@philamuseum.org email interview Dr. Anne Monius Professor, Religious Studies University of Virginia am9s@unix.mail.virginia.edu email interview Dr. George Saliba Professor, History of Islamic Science Columbia University 604 Kent Hall Phone: (212) 854-4166 Gas1@columbia.edu phone interview Srila Jayapataka Swami ISKCON Governing Body Commissioner Sri Mayapur Dham West Bengal, Nadia India jayapataka@pamho.net email interview Dr. Evan T. Williams Lewis & Clark University Professor of Chemistry Phone: (503) 768-7699 etw@lclark.edu phone interview Dr. Joanna Williams University of California at Berkeley Department of South and South Asian Studies Phone: (510) 642-4353 prusty@socrates.berkeley.edu email interview Online References: Archaeological Survey of India Circle Reports (1881-1921) University of Chicago http://crlcatalog.uchicago.edu/ online resource V.S. Godbole Author of "Taj Mahal and the Great British Conspiracy" http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj1.html online resource P.N. Oaks Author of "Taj Mahal - The True Story" http://home.freeuk.net/tajmahal/19author.htm online resource Hardcopy References: Asher, Catherine B., Architecture of Mughal India, 1992; Foundation Books G. Michell et al., Architecture of the Islamic World, 1978; Thames & Hudson, Inc. Kuhnel, Ernst, Islamic Art and Architecture, 1966; Cornell University Press Tadgell, Christopher, The History of Architecture in India, 1990; Phaidon Press Limited Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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