Collection Two
This is an additional collection that provides a closer look at the secrets of the Taj Mahal as supplied by V. S. Godbole from England. You can look at the ones that interest you the most as described below, or go through them like a slide show by using the "Next" links on each page.
| Taj Photo # 1 | Typical view of the beautiful Taj Mahal |
| Taj Photo # 2 | View of Taj Mahal from West looking East |
| Taj Photo # 3 | Entrance Gate on the West side |
| Taj Photo # 4 | Road between Western Gate to Eastern Gate is around 1000 ft with several rooms on either side. |
| Taj Photo # 5 | Note the veranda. The architecture is typical Rajput design. |
| Taj Photo # 6 | View of the entrance through the South Gate |
| Taj Photo # 7 | South gate entrance as painted by Thomas Daniell in 1789 |
| Taj Photo # 8 | In a detail on the gate, we can see what would be called Ganesh |
| Taj Photo # 9 | Details of the South Gate with Vedic design. |
| Taj Photo # 10 | Wall decorations as seen here are typical Rajput design on South Gate |
| Taj Photo # 11 | The graffiti, i.e. Koranic inscriptions later added by Shahjahan |
| Taj Photo # 12 | The Trident designed within the lotus, both typically Vedic designs. |
| Taj Photo # 13 | Veranda on the West side of Entrance Gate, probably for public assemblies. |
| Taj Photo # 14 | Examples of the Dhotra flowers in the marble work |
| Taj Photo # 15 | Now you can see the "3" figure of the OM design within the carved marble flower |
| Taj Photo # 16 | Here is an example of the conch shell design in the central petals in the flowers |
| Taj Photo # 17 | More conch shell decorations in marble carving |
| Taj Photo # 18 | Carved marble doors and decorations on the exterior of the Taj Mahal |
| Taj Photo # 19 | You can see blocked doorways and windows where there are several rooms in the 19 foot high plinth. |
| Taj Photo # 20 | Decoration on the side of blocked up doorway |
| Taj Photo # 21 | A view of the outside of the central Cenotaph Chamber |
| Taj Photo # 22 | The interior of one of the rooms around the cenotaph chamber. |
| Taj Photo # 23 | The Cenotaph chamber with marble screen |
| Taj Photo # 24 | The Cenotaphs, or the supposed graves of Shahjahan and Mumtaz |
| Taj Photo # 25 | Top of octagonal marble screen with beautiful inlay jewelled work that surrounds the cenotaphs |
| Taj Photo # 26 | Basic blueprint of the Taj Mahal that shows stairways to upper and lower floors. |
| Taj Photo # 27 | Here you can see the upper floor above the cenotaph. Each room has a balcony. |
| Taj Photo # 28 | The Vedic style design on the under-side of the dome over the central cenotaph chamber. |
| Taj Photo # 29 | Cobras in pairs at top of wall, another typical Vedic design. |
| Taj Photo # 30 | Typical Minaret on the Taj Mahal. |
| Taj Photo # 31 | The design on the underside of a staging on the Minaret. |
| Taj Photo # 32 | The Baoli Burj water well, going down seven stories to water level. |
| Taj Photo # 33 | The so-called Mosque at one end from the Taj |
| Taj Photo # 34 | The so-called Mosque at one end from the Taj with evidence it was converted later into a mausoleum |
| Taj Photo # 35 | Replica of pinnacle design of the top of the main dome in the garden |
| Taj Photo # 36 | Survey plan of Taj Mahal by Col Hodgson, 1825. |
| Taj Photo # 37 | An early photo of Taj from the riverside clearly showing 2 hidden basements |
| Taj Photo # 38 | Photo of Taj Mahal from Yamuna riverside showing rooms with grills in the marble plinth |
| Taj Photo # 39 | Blue print of the Taj Mahal showing cross-section of Central Edifice in a book by J Fergusson in 1855 |
| Taj Photo # 40 | The blue print plan of the Taj Mahal showing stairways that go down to the 22 basement rooms. |
| Taj Photo # 41 | Typical view of the 2 basement floors along the Yamuna River. |
| Taj Photo # 42 | Here you can see, not far from the plinth of the Taj, the steps to go down to the 22 rooms |
| Taj Photo # 43 |
Decorations on outside of upper basement floor with a ventilation grill built in for the apartment.
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| Taj Photo # 44 | Ventilation grill in the design of the outside of the apartments |
| Taj Photo # 45 | Entrance to lower basement floor that is now bricked up. |
| Taj Photo # 46 | The timber door where Prof. Marvin Mills took the sample that proved the Taj predates Shajahan |
| Taj Photo # 47 | Close up of the the steps that go down to the 22 apartments |
| Taj Photo # 48 | Another of the secret stairways in the Taj Mahal. |
| Taj Photo # 49 | After we climb down the steps we see a doorway to the passage on right of the hidden rooms. |
| Taj Photo # 50 | Typical roof painted design in the 22 rooms. |
| Taj Photo # 51 | Here is a typical tower (Burj) that is in familiar Rajput style, not Islamic in any way. |
| Taj Photo # 52 | Stone rings for anchoring boats for river transportation amongst the residents in the Taj. |
Taj Photo # 1
Typical view of the Taj Mahal from the south entrance.
Taj Photo # 2
View of Taj Mahal from the West looking East, from what is called the Mosque.
Taj Photo # 3
Entrance Gate on the West side.
Taj Photo # 4
Western Gate to Eastern Gate is around 1000 ft. There are several rooms on either side of this road, showing the residential nature of this place.
Taj Photo # 5
Note the veranda is typical Rajput architecture.
Taj Photo # 6
View of the entrance through the South Gate.
Taj Photo # 7
Entrance Gate as painted by Thomas Daniell in 1789
Taj Photo # 8
In a detail on the gate, we can see two elephant’s trunks, one on either side of the design, which would indicate Ganesh.
Taj Photo # 9
Inverted water-pots on top. Their number is always odd, 11 in this case, typical of the Vedic system. Notice also the cobra design in pairs below the gallery. Koranic inscriptions were a graffiti added by Shahjahan.
Taj Photo # 10
Wall decorations as we see here are typical Rajput style. There is also a balcony at first floor level.
Taj Photo # 11
A close up of the the graffiti, i.e. Koranic inscriptions put up by Shahjahan.
Taj Photo # 12
Note the Trident within the lotus form at the apex. Both of which are Vedic references, the trident being connected with Lord Shiva.
Taj Photo # 13
The Veranda on the west side of the Entrance Gate. It was probably for public assemblies, discussions, teaching or chanting of Mantras.
Taj Photo # 14
Examples of the Dhotra flowers in the marble work of the Taj Mahal.
Taj Photo # 15
Now you can see the "3" figure of the OM design within the carved marble flower, a definite Vedic design.
Taj Photo # 16
Here is an example of the conch shell design incorporated into the three top central petals in the flowers.
Taj Photo # 17
More conch shell decorations in marble carving next to the ventilation grill.
Taj Photo # 18
Carved marble doors, decorations and ventilation grills on the exterior of the Taj Mahal.
Taj Photo # 19
You can see blocked doorways and windows where there are several rooms in the 19 foot high plinth. This would be where entrances would lead to many pathways to the rooms within.
Taj Photo # 20
Decoration on the side of blocked up doorway.
Taj Photo # 21
We are now outside the Cenotaph Chamber. Note how the steps in plain marble break up the designs on the plinth wall. This means that they are not original.
Taj Photo # 22
The interior of one of the rooms around the cenotaph chamber. These are areas where other forms of worship were held around the central shrine room, if the Taj was indeed a temple palace.
Taj Photo # 23
The Cenotaph chamber with marble screen. The point is why have an octagonal screen around two graves? It is more likely to have been an area of where sacred activities once took place.
Taj Photo # 24
The Cenotaphs, or the supposed graves of Shahjahan (on the left) and Mumtaz.
Taj Photo # 25
Top of octagonal marble screen with beautiful inlay jewelled work that surrounds the cenotaphs.
A closer look at the jeweled inlay work in the beautiful screen.
CONTINUED
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