Taj Mahal - A Hindu Temple-Palace -2

Taj Mahal: Was it a Vedic Temple?

The Photographic Evidence

A Presentation Assembled by Stephen Knapp, Available at www.stephen-knapp.com

This presents photographs (listed below in two collections) that show the Vedic influence found in such buildings as the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and other structures in India. It also presents photos of drawings and art that have been discovered from other parts of the world, such as Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Italy, that show a definite Vedic influence. This also presents articles that explain the evidence for and against the idea that the Taj Mahal was a pre-existing structure before it was said to be built by Shah Jahan. So, no matter whether you accept all of this or not, it nonetheless makes for an extremely fascinating and interesting story. Take a look and decide for yourself what you think. The articles listed below are practically more important than the photographs that are supplied. So be sure to read them.  

The point of this presentation is that we have all heard how the Taj Mahal, which is considered one of the great wonders of the world, was built as the preeminent expression of a man's love for a wife. That it was built by emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his wife Mumtaz. However, is this a true story? So, in our continuous effort to get to the truth, we have acquired some very important documents and information. Regardless of what anyone thinks, there is some thoughtful information that indicates that the Taj Mahal was never built by Shah Jahan. Some say the Taj Mahal pre-dates Shah Jahan by several centuries and was originally built as a Hindu or Vedic temple/palace complex, and that Shah Jahan merely acquired it from its previous owner, the Hindu King Jai Singh. This is not unlike the many other buildings that were acquired by the Muslim invaders to be used for their own purposes. The point to consider is how much more of India's history has been distorted if the background of such a grand building is so inaccurate.

PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTION ONE
The photographs listed below are taken from an album that was found in India. On the back of each photo there is a stamp mark that says, "Copyright Archaeology Survey of India." This signifies that they may have been the property of that institution, or that they had researched the evidence that shows the Taj Mahal and many other buildings may not have been of Muslim origin. Thus, it would be good if they could open up further research into areas of the Taj Mahal that would reveal the true nature and originality of the buildings.
These photos are black and white and except for old age and some water damage on some of them (creating white spots in areas), most are still in relatively good condition. Each photograph was accompanied by a typed caption taped in the album under or near the photo, each of which gives a very interesting explanation of the subject and the Vedic influence recognized on the building and what it means. The captions accompany the photos on the following pages just as they were written in the album, so the style of English and the explanations are kept the same. I did not write them myself. They are obviously written from an Indian perspective. Whatever I may say about the photos are displayed in brackets [ ]. Otherwise, I let the captions and photos speak for themselves. Some of these photos will show areas of the Taj where the public presently has no access, or what is rarely seen or noticed today. This collection has since traveled all across the internet after I have posted them here.
It is because of the manipulation of history by invaders that the true greatness of India and Vedic culture has been stifled or hidden. And it is time that people everywhere realize how numerous lies and false propaganda have been passed around as if it were the truth in regard to India and its past, as well as its art, archeology, and the wonder of its culture. India and its Vedic society was one of the preeminent civilizations of the world, as I explained in "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence." Now, through the increasing amount of revealing evidence that is being uncovered, that greatness of India's past and its contributions to the world are gradually being recognized. It is because of this that it is now time to rewrite the history of India.


PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTION TWO
These photos (scroll down to find the list) provide a deeper view and a tour into the secrets of the Taj Mahal. There are also a few blueprints of the Taj Mahal to look at further proofs of the real purpose and function of the Taj Mahal. I thank Mr. V. S. Godbole for allowing me to use these photos to present them in a way so that everyone can see them through the internet. 

ADDITIONAL ONLINE ARTICLES

        "The Question of the Taj Mahal" (Itihas Patrika, vol 5, pp. 98-111, 1985) by P. S. Bhat and A. L. Athavale is a profound and thoroughly researched and well balanced paper on the Taj Mahal controversy. This paper goes well with the photographs listed below. It uncovers the reasons for the rumors and assumptions of why it is said that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, and presents all the inconsistencies of why that theory doesn't hold up. It also covers such things as the descriptions found in the old Agra court papers on the Taj; descriptions and measurements of the building in the old records; Aurangzeb's letter of the much needed repairs even in 1632 which is unlikely for a new building; records that reveal Shah Jahan acquired marble but was it enough for really building the Taj or merely for inlay work and decorative coverings; the observations of European travelers at the time; the actual age of the Taj; how the architecture is definitely of Indian Hindu orientation and could very well have been designed as a Shiva temple; the issue of the arch and the dome; how the invader Timurlung (1398) took back thousands of prisoner craftsmen to build his capital at Samarkhand and where the dome could have been incorporated into Islamic architecture; how it was not Shah Jahan's religious tolerance that could have been a reason for Hindu elements in the design of the Taj; how the direction of the mosque does not point toward Mecca as most mosques do; the real purpose of the minarets at the Taj; the Hindu symbolism recognized in the Taj which would not have been allowed if it was truly Muslim built; and even as late as 1910 the Encyclopaedia Britannica included the statement by Fergusson that the building was previously a palace before becoming a tomb for Shah Jahan; and more. A most interesting paper.

        "An Architect Looks at the Taj Mahal Legend" by Marvin Mills, is a great review of the information available on the Taj Mahal and raises some very interesting questions that make it obvious that the Taj could not have been built the way or during the time that history presents, which makes it more like a fable than accurate history. This suggests a construction date of 1359 AD, about 300 years before Shah Jahan. 

        The True Story of the Taj Mahal. This article by P. N. Oak (from Pune, India) provides an overview of his research and lists his 109 proofs of how the Taj Mahal was a pre-existing Hindu temple palace, built not by Shah Jahan but originally at least 500 years earlier in 1155 AD by Raja Paramardi Dev as a Vedic temple. Mr. P. N. Oak is another who has done much research into this topic, and such a study is hardly complete without considering his findings. The evidence he presents here is a most interesting read, whether you agree with it all or not, or care for some of the anger in his sentiment. Mr. Oak has presented his own conclusions in his books, most notably Taj Mahal--The True Story (ISBN: 0-9611614-4-2).

        The Letter of Aurangzeb ordering repairs on the old Taj Mahal in the year just before it is said to have been completed. 

        The Badshahnama is the history written by the Emperor's own chronicler. This page shows how Aurangzeb had acquired the Taj from the previous owner, Jai Singh, grandson of Raja Mansingh, after selecting this site for the burial of Queen Mumtaz. 

        Taj Mahal -- Time to Tell the Truth, an analysis by Dr. V. S. Godbole that shows how the Taj Mahal was not built by ShahJahan but was the Palace of Raja Mansingh. 

        The Distorted History of the Taj Mahal, by Dr. Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari shows how pervasive the false history of the Taj Mahal is and how it developed, but how it should be corrected.

        The website http://veda.wikidot.com/taj-mahal has a most comprehensive and historical overview of interesting information about the origins of the Taj Mahal, which you should read thoroughly to get a good understanding of the truth of the Taj Mahal.

        

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Collection One

The following photographs are divided according to content and accessed through the links. Click on the photo number for access:

Taj Mahal Photo #1	Aerial view of the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal Photo #2	The interior water well
Taj Mahal Photo #3	Frontal view of the Taj Mahal and dome
Taj Mahal Photo #4	Close up of the dome with pinnacle
Taj Mahal Photo #5	Close up of the pinnacle
Taj Mahal Photo #6	Inlaid pinnacle pattern in courtyard
Taj Mahal Photo #7	Red lotus at apex of the entrance
Taj Mahal Photo #8	Rear view of the Taj & 22 apartments
Taj Mahal Photo #9	View of sealed doors & windows in back
Taj Mahal Photo #10	Typical Vedic style corridors
Taj Mahal Photo #11	The Music House--a contradiction
Taj Mahal Photo #12	A locked room on upper floor
Taj Mahal Photo #13	A marble apartment on ground floor
Taj Mahal Photo #14	The OM in the flowers on the walls
Taj Mahal Photo #15	Staircase that leads to the lower levels
Taj Mahal Photo #16	300 foot long corridor inside apartments
Taj Mahal Photo #17	One of the 22 rooms in the secret lower level
Taj Mahal Photo #18	Interior of one of the 22 secret rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #19	Interior of another of the locked rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #20	Vedic design on ceiling of a locked room
Taj Mahal Photo #21	Huge ventilator sealed shut with bricks
Taj Mahal Photo #22	Secret walled door that leads to other rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #23	Secret bricked door that hides more evidence
Taj Mahal Photo #24	Palace in Barhanpur where Mumtaz died
Taj Mahal Photo #25	Pavilion where Mumtaz is said to be buried

Taj Mahal Photo #1

[Below is] An aerial view of the Taj Mahal alias Tejo Mahalaya, ancient Hindu temple complex in Agra. For the last 300 years the world has been fooled to believe that this stupendous edifice was built by the 5^thgeneration Mogul emperor Shahjahan to commemorate one of his dead wives--Mumtaz. The two flanking buildings although identical, only the one in the rear is known as a mosque.

The Taj Mahal has seven stories. Five of them lie sealed and barred concealing rich evidence. The marble building in the centre is flanked by two symmetrical ones. The one in the foreground is the eastern one. The one in the background is being represented as a mosque because it is to the west. They should not have been identical if only one was to be a mosque. In the courtyard at the foot of the eastern building is inlaid a full scale replica of the trident pinnacle [found at the top of the dome]. The tiny tower at the left near the western building, encloses a huge octagonal multi-storied well.

Taj Mahal Photo # 2

This is the massive octagonal well with palatial apartments along its seven stories. A royal staircase descends right down to the water level indicated by the tiny white patch showing the sun's reflection.

This was the traditional treasury well of the Hindu temple palace. Treasure chests used to be stacked in the lower stories. Accountants, cashiers and treasurers sat in the upper stories. Cheques called handies used to be issued from here. On being besieged, if the building had to be surrendered to the enemy, the treasure used to be pushed into the water for salvage later after recapture. For real research, water should be pumped out of this well to reveal the evidence that lies at the bottom. This well is inside a tower near the so-called mosque to the west of the marble Taj. Had the Taj been a mausoleum this octagonal multistoried well would have been superfluous.

Taj Mahal Photo # 3

A frontal view of the Taj Mahal alias Tejo Mahalaya in Agra. It 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. Hence in Hindu tradition, buildings connected with royalty and divinity must have some octagonal features or the buildings themselves should be octagonal. The two flanking cupolas (two others to the rear are not seen in this photo) are also identical.

The towers at the four plinth corners served as watch towers during the day, and to hold lights at night. Hindu wedding altars and Satyanarayan worship altars invariably have such towers at corners. [Many other Hindu temples, such as those at Khajurao, also can be found to have four towers or temples, one at each corner of the temple foundation.]

The lotus flower cap on the head of the dome is a Hindu feature. Muslim domes are bald. This marble edifice has four stories. Inside the dome is an 83 ft. high hall. The Taj has a double dome. The dome one sees from inside ends like an inverted pan on the terrace. The dome seen from outside is a cover on the inner dome. Therefore, in between them is an 83 ft. hall. This may be considered as one storey. Underneath may be seen the first storey arches and the ground floor rooms. In the basement, visitors are shown one room. All these constitute the four storeys in the marble edifice. Below the marble structure are two stories in red stone reaching down to the river level. The 7^th storey must be below the river level because every ancient Hindu historic building did have a basement. Thus, the Taj is a seven-storied structure.

 

Taj Mahal Photo # 4

The dome of the Taj Mahal bearing a trident pinnacle made of a non-rusting eight-metal Hindu alloy. The pinnacle served as a lightning deflector too.

This pinnacle has been blindly assumed by many to be an Islamic crescent and star, or a lightning conductor installed by the British. This is a measure of the careless manner in which Indian history has been studied till now. Visually identifiable things like this pinnacle too have been misinterpreted with impunity. The flower top of the dome, below the pinnacle, is an unmistakable Hindu sign. A full scale figure of this pinnacle is inlaid in the eastern courtyard.

 

Taj Mahal Photo # 5

A close up of the upper portion of the pinnacle of the Taj Mahal, photographed from the parapet beneath the dome. The Hindu horizontal crescent and the coconut top together look like a trident from the garden level. Islamic crescents are always oblique. Moreover they are almost always complete circles leaving a little opening for a star. This Hindu pinnacle had all these centuries been misinterpreted as an Islamic crescent and star or a lightning conductor installed by the British. The word "Allah" etched here by Shahjahan is absent in the courtyard replica. The coconut, the bent mango leaves under it and the supporting Kalash (water pot) are exclusive Hindu motifs.

 

Taj Mahal Photo # 6

The full scale figure of the pinnacle on the dome has been inlaid on the red stone courtyard of the Taj Mahal. One may see it to the east at the foot of the riverside arch of the flanking building wrongly dubbed as Jamiat Khana (community hall) by Muslim usurpers. Such floor sketches in courtyards are a common Hindu trait. In Fatehpur Sikri it is the backgammon board which is sketched on a central courtyard. The coconut top and the bent mango leaves underneath, resting on a kalash (i.e. a water pot) is a sacred Hindu motif. Hindu shrines in the Himalayan foothills have identical pinnacles [especially noticed at Kedarnath, a prominent Shiva temple]. The eastern location of the sketch is also typically Hindu. The length measures almost 32 ft.

 

Taj Mahal Photo # 7

The apex of the lofty entrance arch on all four sides of the Taj Mahal bears this red lotus and white trident--indicating that the building originated as a Hindu temple. The Koranic lettering forming the middle strip was grafted after Shahjahan seized the building from Jaipur state's Hindu ruler.

 

Taj Mahal Photo # 8

This is a riverside view of the Taj Mahal. The four storied marble structure above has under it these two stories reaching down to the river level. The 22 rooms shown in other photos are behind that line of arches seen in the middle. Each arch is flanked by Hindu lotus discs in white marble. Just above the ground level is the plinth. In the left corner of the plinth is a doorway indicating inside the plinth are many rooms sealed by Shahjahan. One could step out to the river bank from the door at the left. The 7^th storey is surmised to be under the plinth below the ground because every ancient Hindu mansion had a basement. Excavation to reach the basement chamber should start under this door.

Taj Mahal Photo # 9

Most people content to see Mumtaz's grave inside the Taj fail to go to the rear riverside. This is the riverside view. From here one may notice that the four-storied marble structure on top has below it two more stories in red stone. Note the window aperture in the arch at the left. That indicates that there are rooms inside. Inside the row of arches in the upper part of the wall are 22 rooms. In addition to the four stories in marble, this one shows red stone arches in the 5^th storey. The 6^th storey lies in the plinth in the lower portion of the photo. In another photo a doorway would be seen in the left corner of the plinth, indicating the presence of apartments inside, from where one could emerge on the river for a bath.

Taj Mahal Photo # 10

These corridors at the approach of the Taj Mahal are typically Hindu. They may be seen in any ancient Hindu capital. Note the two octagonal tower cupolas at the right and left top. Only Hindus have special names for the eight directions and celestial guards assigned to each. Any octagonal feature in historic buildings should convince the visitor of their Hindu origin. Guards, palanquin bearers and other attendants resided in hundreds of rooms along numerous such corridors when the Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple palace. Thus the Taj was more magnificent and majestic before it was reduced to a sombre Islamic cemetery.

Taj Mahal Photo # 11

This Naqqar Khana alias Music House in the Taj Mahal garden is an incongruity if the Taj Mahal were an Islamic tomb. Close by on the right is the building which Muslims claim to be a mosque. The proximity of a mosque to the Music House is incongruous with Muslim tradition. In India, Muslims have a tradition of pelting stones on Hindu music processions passing over a mosque. Moreover a mausoleum needs silence. A dead person's repose is never to be disturbed. Who would then provide a band house for a dead Mumtaz? Contrarily Hindu temples and palaces have a music house because morning and evening Hindu chores begin to the sweet strains of sacred music.

Taj Mahal Photo # 12

Such are the rooms on the 1^st floor of the marble structure of the Taj Mahal. The two staircases leading to this upper floor are kept locked and barred since Shahjahan's time. The floor and the marble walls of such upper floor rooms can be seen in the picture to have been stripped of its marble panels. Shahjahan used that uprooted marble from the upper floor for constructing graves and engraving the Koran because he did not know wherefrom to procure marble matching the splendour of the rest of the Taj Mahal. He was also so stingy as not to want to spend much even on converting a robbed Hindu temple into an Islamic mausoleum.

Taj Mahal Photo # 13

Such are the magnificent marble-paved, shining, cool, white bright rooms of the Taj Mahal temple palace's marble ground floor. Even the lower third portion of the walls is covered with magnificent marble mosaic. The doorway at the left looks suspiciously closed with a stone slab. One can perambulate through these rooms around the central octagonal sanctorum, now occupied by Mumtaz's fake grave. The aperture, seen through of the central door, enabled perambulating devotees to keep their eyes fixed on the Shiva Linga in the central chamber. Hindu Shiva Lingas are consecrated in two chambers, one above the other. Therefore, Shahjahan had to raise two graves in the name of Mumtaz--one in the marble basement and the other on the ground floor to desecrate and hide both the Shiva emblems from public view. [The famous Shiva temple in Ujjain also has an underground chamber for one of its Shiva-lingams.]

Taj Mahal Photo # 14

This is the Dhatura flower essential for Hindu Shiva worship. The flower is depicted in the shape of the sacred, esoteric Hindu incantation 'OM.' Embossed designs of this blooming 'OM' are drawn over the exterior of the octagonal central sanctorum of Shiva where now a fake grave in Mumtaz's has been planted. While perambulating around the central chamber one may see such 'OM' designs.

Taj Mahal Photo # 15

This staircase and another symmetrical one at the other end lead down to the storey beneath the marble platform. Visitors may go to the back of the marble plinth at the eastern or western end and descend down the staircase because it is open to the sky. But at the foot the archaeology department has set up an iron door which it keeps locked. Yet one may peep inside from the iron gate in the upper part of the door. Shahjahan had sealed even these two staircases. It was the British who opened them. But from Shahjahan's time the stories below and above the marble ground floor have been barred to visitors. We are still following Mogul dictates though long free from Mogul rule.

Taj Mahal Photo # 16

On the inner flank of the 22 locked rooms (in the secret storey in red stone below the marble platform) is this corridor about 12 ft. broad and 300 ft. long. Note the scallop design at the base of the plinth supporting the arches. This is the Hindu decoration which enables one to identify even a bare plinth.

Taj Mahal Photo # 17

One of the 22 rooms in the secret storey underneath the marble plinth of the Taj Mahal. Many such features of the Taj remain unknown to the public so long as they see it only as a tomb. If the public knew how much it is missing in the Taj Mahal it will insist that the government unseal its many stories. Two doorways at either end of this corridor in the right side wall leading to inner apartments have been sealed by Shahjahan. If those doorways are opened, important evidence concealed inside by Shahjahan may come to light.

Taj Mahal Photo # 18

A corner of one of the 22 rooms in the secret storey immediately below the marble platform of the Taj Mahal. Note the strips of Hindu paint on the wall. The ventilator at the left, meant for air and light from the riverside, has been crudely walled up by Shahjahan. He did not bother even to plaster them. Had Shahjahan built the Taj as a mausoleum what was the purpose of the 22 rooms? And why are they kept locked and hidden from the public?

Taj Mahal Photo # 19

One of the 22 locked rooms in the secret storey beneath the marble platform of the Taj Mahal. Strips of ancient Hindu paint are seen on the wall flanking the doorway. The niches above had paintings of Hindu idols, obviously rubbed off by Muslim desecraters. The rooms may be seen door within door in a row. If the public knew that the Taj Mahal is a structure hiding hundreds of rooms, they would insist on seeing the whole of it. At present they only peep into the grave chamber and walk away.

Taj Mahal Photo # 20

This esoteric Hindu design is painted on the ceiling of some of the 22 locked rooms in the secret storey below the marble platform of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Had Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal he would not have kept such elaborately painted rooms sealed and barred to the public. Even now one can enter these rooms only if one can influence the archaeology department to remove the locks.

Taj Mahal Photo # 21

A huge ventilator of one of the 22 rooms in a secret storey of the Taj, is seen here crudely sealed with unplastered bricks by Shahjahan. History has been so perverted and inverted that alien Muslims like Shahjahan who spoiled, damaged, desecrated and destroyed historic Hindu buildings, are being falsely paraded as great builders.

Taj Mahal Photo # 22

One of the 22 riverside rooms in a secret storey of the Taj Mahal, unknown to the public. Shahjahan, far from building the shining marble Taj, wantonly disfigured it. Here he has crudely walled up a doorway. Such imperial Mogul vandalism lies hidden from the public. This room is in the red stone storey immediately below the marble platform. Indian history has been turned topsy turvy in lauding destroyers as great builders.

Taj Mahal Photo # 23

Many such doorways of chambers in secret stories underneath the Taj Mahal have been sealed with brick and lime. Concealed inside could be valuable evidence such as Sanskrit inscriptions, Hindu idols, the original Hindu model of the Taj, the desecrated Shiva Linga, Hindu scriptures and temple equipment. Besides such sealed chambers there are many which are kept locked by the Government. The Public must raise its voice to have these opened or it should institute legal proceedings. Shree P. N. Sharma of Green Park, New Delhi who peeped through an aperture in these chambers in 1934 A.D. saw a pillared hall with images carved on the pillars.

Taj Mahal Photo # 24

Burhanpur is a very ancient historic city on the Central Railway between Khandwa and Bhusawal junctions. Burhanpur and the nearby Asirgarh (fort) used to provide hospitality to Hindu royals proceeding north or south on pilgrimage, weddings or military expeditions. Barhanpur has many magnificent mansions which are currently being described as mosques and tombs of alien Islamic invaders. This building is one such ancient Hindu royal palace captured by the Moghuls. Mumtaz died here during her 14^th delivery around 1630 A.D. while she and Shahjahan were camping here. She is said to be buried in a Hindu pavilion in front of this palace.

Taj Mahal Photo # 25

Mumtaz is supposed to be buried in this garden pavilion of the ancient Hindu palace (Ahu Mahal) 600 miles from Agra, in Burhanpur. Another version says that Mumtaz's corpse was kept here exposed to sun, rain, and wild beasts for six months. The date of her death, the date of her removal from Burhanpur to Agra, and the date of her assumed burial in the Taj Mahal are all unknown because the entire Taj Mahal-Mumtaz legend is a concoction from the beginning to end. [Mumtaz was only one of several hundred wives and women that Shahjahan kept in his harem.]