Taj Mahal Legends

There are myths about Taj Mahal which are well said among the people, but they are not proved to be true. Due to several myths, the Taj Mahal seems a mysterious monument; people even would like to talk on this. It seems really wonderful and unbelievable how such a marvelous monument has been built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife simply to immortalize their love. The white marble beauty of the Taj Mahal is known all over the world; hence Taj is visited by millions of people in a year.

Adorned with white marble and precious stones brought from the foreign soil, Taj becomes a jealousy bar for the malice ones. The symmetry of Taj has become a question mark for the architects who put their heads to contemplate how this could have been done in the 17th century.

Italian Architecture

Shah Jahan had passion for architecture and hence he built some of the greatest Mughal monuments beside Taj. But the brilliant architecture might be a creation of some great architects as Taj is quite unique in the world. There are several notions regarding this. Because of ornamentation one has said that it was designed by a European master craftsman Geronimo Veroneo. This was first suggested by Father Manrique, a monk traveled to India in 1640 A.D. According to ancient records, a goldsmith named Veroneo came to India and he had also contributions in building of Taj. It is true that there were two master craftsmen who supervised the works of Taj are Mir ‘Abd ul-Karim and Makramat Khan. The main creator of Taj Mahal is said the architect Ustad Ahmad Lohri, however chronicles make no mention of his name. however

Was Black Taj Mahal really built?

During his lifetime Shah Jahan wanted to build a second Taj from black marble. Dethroned by his own son Aurangzeb Shah Jahan met a tragic end in his later life imprisoned in a palace of Agra Fort. However, the remains of Black Taj across the river Yamuna proved that it was never completed only the foundation was laid. It is still a mystery. Whether it was constructed or not is not sure.

Demolition of Taj Mahal

The jealousy eyes of someone hanker after the precious marbles and every object of Taj. It is said that Lord William Bentinck, governor general of India in the 1830’s planned to demolish the Taj and auction off the marble in Europe. There is no real proof of this thought of Bentinck. Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy in India stopped the heinous plan of plundering and took steps to save this monument.