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The Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal built
the Taj Mahal. It was built in 22 years (1631 to 1653) by 20,000 artisans
brought to India from all over the world!. Many people believe Ustad Isa of
Iran designed it." This is what your guide probably told you if you ever
visited the Taj Mahal. This is the same story I read in my history book as a
student.
NOW READ THIS.......
No one has ever challenged it except Prof. P. N. Oak, who believes the whole
world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal:
The True Story, Oak says the Taj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an
ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya). In
the course of his research Oak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was
usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh. In his own
court chronicle, Badshahnama, Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally
beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai SIngh for Mumtaz's
burial.
The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur still retains in his secret collection two orders
from Shah Jahan for surrendering the Taj building. Using captured temples
and mansions, as a burial place! for dead courtiers and royalty was a common
practice among Muslim rulers.
For example, Humayun, Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in
such mansions. Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says the
term "Mahal" has never been used for a building in any Muslim countries from
Afghanisthan to Algeria. "The unusual explanation that the term Taj Mahal
derives from Mumtaz Mahal was an illogical in atleast two aspects.
Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani," he writes.
Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters 'Mum' from a woman's name
to derive the remainder as the name for the building. "Taj Mahal, he claims,
is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace.
Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale
created by court sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy
archaeologists. Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time
corroborates the love story. Furthermore, Oak cites several documents
suggesting the Taj Mahal< predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple
dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city.
For example, Prof. Marvin Miller of New York took a few samples from the
riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was
300 years older than Shah Jahan.
European traveler Johan Albert Mandelslo, who visited Agra in 1638 (only
seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the city in his
memoirs. But he makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built.
The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of
Mumtaz's death, also suggest the Taj was a noteworthy building well before
Shah Jahan's time.
Prof. Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies
that support the belief of the Taj Mahal being a typical Hindu temple rather
than a mausoleum. Many rooms in the Taj !Mahal have remained sealed since
Shah Jahan's time and are still inaccessible to the public. Oak asserts they
contain a headless statue of Lord Shiva and other objects commonly used for
worship rituals in Hindu temples.
Fearing politicalbacklash, Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Prof.
Oak's book withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian
publisher of the first edition dire consequences. There is only one way to
discredit or validate Oak's research.
The current government should open the sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal under
U.N. supervision, and let international experts investigate.
Do circulate this to all you know and let them know about this.

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