Aurangzeb himself destroyed 10,000 Hindu temples during his reign! Some
of the larger temples were converted into mosques or other Islamic structures.
Rama Janmbhoomi (at Ayodhya) and Krishna Temple (at Mathura) are just
two examples. Many others exist! This is history.
Deities plced under the ground in doorways so that everyone had to walk over and defile the icon:
KASHI'S OLDEST HINDU TEMPLE DESTROYED BY MUSLIM RULERS
Taj Mahal - A Hindu Temple-Palace
The Vijayanagara Kingdom - the Mathura of the South - the Hampi ruins:
http://www.hindunet.org/ramjanmabhoomi/
On the site of the birth of Lord Rama, one of the most important avatars
of Lord Vishnu, stood a magnificent temple devoted to Him. However,
Babur, a fifteenth Mogul invader, who brutalized India and destroyed temples
in his zeal to spread Islam destroyed the temple and in its place - a structure
he called Babri Masjid.
For centuries Hindus tried to recover this auspicious site. Legal
challenges were filed and were unresolved for decades. Hindus presented
volumes of historical and archeological data to prove the existence of
Shree Ramjanmabhoomi Temple. In fact, for at least 70 years no Moslem
had prayed in that mosque, whereas Hindus continued circumambulating around
this site, despite it being a mosque.
Finally, in what is now widely accepted as India's second freedom struggle,
on December 6, 1992 the Babri Masjid was brought down and icon representing
Lord Rama, was installed and worshipped.
The Ruins of Ayodhya
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa030302a.htm
Controversial Hindu temple construction sparks riots, killing hundreds
Dateline: March 3, 2002
The Indian state of Gujarat has often been a flashpoint for brutal Hindu-Muslim
fighting. The home state of Mohandas Gandhi has been the site of
fierce inter-religious violence ever since India's independence in 1947.
In the past few days, riots there have killed hundreds of people, often
in the most barbaric ways.
Background of the Current Conflict
For over 500 years, the city of Ayodhya(in north-central India) was
the site of a beautiful and historic mosque, called the Babri Mosque.
It was built in 1528 A.D. by Mir Baqi, and named after Zahir-ud-Deen Muhammad
Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India.
There continues to be a disputeamong Hindus and Muslims about whether
a Hindu temple had been on the site before the 16th century. Hindus
believe the area to be the birthplace of their revered god, Rama.
The mosque was listed as a protected monument under the Indian "Ancient
Monuments Preservation Act of 1904," and courts continued to protect the
mosque as an historic landmark. Nevertheless, some Hindu radicals
opposed the court rulings, insisting that the mosque be torn down and a
temple built in honor of Rama.
On December 6-7, 1992, thousands of Hindu activists destroyed the ancient mosque, razing it to the groundin the modern world's worst act of vandalism against a religious house of worship. Muslims were naturally angered by the illegal act and the government's lack of action to protect the minority Muslim community. Rioting broke out, leading to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
To add insult to injury, the World Hindu Councilannounced its plans to build a massive Hindu temple on the ruins of the Babri Mosque. Despite pleas from Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee, plans for the temple continue to move forward. Fifty Hindu artisans have gathered in the area to begin carving sandstone figures to place in the temple. On-site construction of the temple is scheduled to begin on March 15th. In anticipation of this event, over 15,000 Hindu activists had been camped out at the site, and thousands more have been making pilgrimages to the area.
On Wednesday, February 27th, a train carrying Hindu activists was brutally
attacked as it returned to Gujarat after visiting the site. Fifty-eight
people were killed. Religious leaders condemned the attack, government
officials appealed for calm, but many angered Hindus took justice into
their own hands.
In the days since, nearly 500 more people have been brutally murdered.
Reports indicate that large Muslim neighborhoods have been torched by fire,
the residents burned alive. While the riots are calming now, there
are still pockets of violence, particularly in rural areas. As the
March 15th temple construction date approaches, questions remain on whether
the two faith communities can ever live in peace.
Indian Government's presentation on Rama Janmabhoomi
site:
http://www.hinduunity.org/ayodhya/ayodhya.html
Plans for the future:
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1722/17221190.htm
http://www.hindunet.org/krishnajanmabhoomi/index.htm
Lord Krishna, one of the most important avatars of Lord Vishnu is universally
worshipped by Hindus. It was Lord Krishna who gave Bhagwad Gita to
the world. Today, the at the birth place of Lord Krishna stands a
Masjid (Moslem place of worship), Shahi Mosque, instituted by a foreign
invader who destroyed a magnificent temple that stood there for centuries
if not more. A Hindu movement is underway to reinstate this temple.
The following excerpt of a news story lends further credence to
the Hindu claim
The Mathura administration has found clinching evidence which proves
the Hindus' claim that the Shahi Mosque at Mathura was built over Shri
Krishnajanmabhoomi temple.
According to the locals, on August 14 the local administration started
digging in the courtyard of the mosque for construction of some rooms for
the security staff. During the digging the labourers found stone pillars,
carving and an idol of a Hindu God. They immediately reported that matter
to the authorities.
As news of the recovery of the idol from the courtyard of the Shahi
Mosque spread, senior police and administrative officials and members of
Shri Krishnajanmabhoomi Trust reached the spot. The patron of the Trust,
Shri Gopeshwar Chaturvedi, told this correspondent that during digging
between August 14 and 17, besides carved stones and pillars, an idol of
a Hindu God with a snake over its head was found.
http://www.indianvisit.com/ivnew/destinationguides/historical/mathura.htm
Muslims are urged to recognize their Indian roots
By BALBIR K. PUNJ
http://www.newsindia-times.com/2002/04/05/opinion-top.html
LAWMAKER’S VIEWPOINT
The violence claiming more than 700 lives in Gujarat and elsewhere
has dealt a blow to the secular image of India. It is a scar on the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)-led government, which rightfully prided its track record
of giving a riot-free government.
The epicenter of the riots was Ahmedabad, the premier city of a supposedly
progressive state. Gujarat has an image of dynamic state. In recent years,
it has displayed tremendous resilience in overcoming havoc caused by natural
calamities — cyclone, draught and the great earthquake of last year. Gujarat
has the ability to rebuild itself: Like the Somnath temple that rose anew
every time it was destroyed by Islamic invaders. One hopes the state will
tide over this human calamity as well.
The English language media has done tremendous disservice to truth
and communal harmony by portraying the riots as one-sided — almost as a
genocide of minorities. But they have wilfully disregarded its provocation.
The grisly incident at Godhra on Feb. 27, in which a 1,500-strong Muslim
mob burned to death 58 innocent Ram bhakts (devotees of Lord Ram) proved
to be the spark for the riots.
Godhra speaks of meticulous pre-planning, mercilessly executed. The
suspected hands that executed the carnage have largely been identified
and apprehended. They include Mohammed Hussain Kolata, president of Godhra
Municipal Corporation (with Congress Party backing). The arrest of suspect
Haji Bilal, who has visited Pakistan thrice, strongly hints at the involvement
of that country’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in this dastardly mission.
India is a land of diversity in respect of religion, language, customs,
dress code and food habits. This worldview stems from the catholicity of
Hindu religion that does not treat uniformity as a precondition for unity.
It is symbolically represented by the 330 million deities, several times
the actual population of India when it was conceived of in the ancient
past. But an event like Godhra comes as an assault on this worldview. Who
waters this poison ivy of hatred that runs in a certain section of society?
Annals of Islamic history in India, recorded by their own historians,
speak of the destruction or vandalization of around 3,000 temples in the
country. A mere look at Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura or parts of the
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is enough to prove mosques had been insultingly
mounted atop those structures.
It is the perverted concept of “secularism” as practiced by most of
non-BJP parties that nourishes this mindset. The initial political reactions
to Godhra were in tune with this mindset. The pseudo-secularists (read
Congress Party, the Communists and the Communalist combine) practically
held the victims of Godhra responsible for their miserable end.
In short, they described Godhra as a minority backlash to the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) provocative Ram janambhoomi (Ram’s birthplace) movement
to build a Ram temple at the disputed site of the 16th century Babri mosque
at Ayodhya. Fearful of losing the minority vote bank, most of them kept
their mouth shut lest they be seen as sympathizing with the Ayodhya cause.
Their antipathy toward the majority actually poured fuel into the fire
that engulfed Gujarat within a day.
It is true that Godhra came about against the backdrop of the VHP’s
renewed movement to recover the Ram janmabhoomi at Ayodhya. But in conducting
a purna ahuti yagna (sacred fire ritual) far from the disputed land, the
VHP had neither stepped outside of the legal ambit nor flouted civil norms.
Hindus have steadfastly believed that Ram was born here.
The demolition of the Babri structure, defunct as a mosque for 60 years,
is much publicized as “fascist Hindu act.” But what is not said is that
Hindus have been trying to recover Ram janmabhoomi from the day Mir Baqi,
a noble of Mughal emperor Babar, imposed a mosque on it in 1528. This mosque
was a memorial to humiliate the vanquished Hindus.
Tell-tale evidence excavated from around the disputed site speaks volumes
about the Hindu connection. A stone slab of about 5’x2.25’ recovered from
the debris on Dec. 6, 1992, records the construction of a magnificent gold-topped
temple of Ram during the reign of emperor Govind Gahadwal (1114-1154 A.D.)
by king Naya Chandra and Ayush Chandra. This certainly proves the presence
of a temple that was demolished to make way for a mosque.
It is an open question before the minority community whether they would
like to identify themselves with their ideological forefathers, who came
as invaders from Arabia and Central Asia, or their real forefathers, who
belonged to this land.
Islamic history in India, recorded by their own historians, speak of
the destruction or vandalization of around 3,000 temples in the country.
A mere look at Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura or parts of the Kashi Vishwanath
Temple is enough to prove mosques had been insultingly mounted atop those
structures.
A mosque near Qutab Minar in Delhi is recorded by the Archaeological
Survey of India as the earliest extant mosque in India, constructed with
material from 27 destroyed Hindu and Jain temples between 1193 and 1197
A.D.
Hindus have never abandoned their pursuit of Ram janmabhoomi. Prior
to 1947, there were a total of 77 recorded unsuccessful attempts to recover
the land both in Muslim and British time. Hindus continued to assemble
at the place and, in 1857, a Hindu priest built an altar (Ram chabutara)
on part of the shrine compound.
Hindus have tried to recover that piece of land in accordance to the
law of the land. Mahant Raghuvar Das had filed a case in the Faizabad District
Court as early as 1885. Even though the court could not oblige him, the
British judge recorded two important facts in a judgment dated March 18,
1886. That the structure was built by Babar and that it was erected on
Hindu sacred land.
The present legal tangle has been in court since 1949. Dec. 6 , 1992,
should never have happened if the legal system was not so slothful in deciding
the case. Mahant Ramchandra Das was 40 when he took the matter to the Faizabad
District Court.
Today, he is over 90 and is still awaiting the reply of a special bench
of the Allahabad High Court. We can hardly criticize him for being on the
warpath at this late age. How long is he — and the Hindus — expected to
await a decision in the matter?
Unfortunately, the secularists have always tried to play it down merely
as a titular dispute pertaining to law and order. They have overlooked
the sentiments of 850 million of Hindus. The Muslims can easily give up
their demand over this piece of land since they have no special sacredness
attached to it, but for the bigoted view in a certain coterie that “once
a mosque always a mosque.”
There are so many mosques enjoying threat-less freedom all over India.
The communalists cannot perpetually hold the majority community to ransom
over this dispute.
While Hindus have pledged to abide by the court orders, authorities
must understand that the satisfaction of the majority community is vital
to governing any country. It is an open question before the minority community
whether they would like to identify themselves with their ideological forefathers,
who came as invaders from Arabia and Central Asia, or their real forefathers,
who belonged to this land.
The key to Hindu-Muslim relations lies in Muslims realizing the fact
that their cultural roots lie in the Hindu-Buddhist culture of their ancestors
— and not in the Middle East.
(The writer is a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker in the Rajya Sabha,
the upper house of Parliament)
The Magnificent Vijayanagar
http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/greatlkings/hakkabukka/page5.htm
The new capital was named 'Vijayanagar'; the name means 'the City of
Victory'; this was in honor of the grand victory that Harihara and his
brothers had scored against the Sultan of Delhi. Later the empire that
Harihara. Built was also named 'Vijayanagar'.
This was the first victory that the united kings of the South scored
against the Sultan of Delhi. Thereafter it took several years more for
them to drive out completely all the forces of the Sultan from South India.
But Hindu Dharma had to regain strength. Harihara and his brothers with
the help of Veera Ballala founded the Vijayanagar Empire and this was a
good beginning. The attacks of the Sultan of Delhi ended and South India
became free once again.
Later, Vijayanagar became a great empire in India. Famous emperors
like Proudhadeva Raya, Krishnadeva Raya, Salva Narasimha and Aliya Rama
Raya brought greater and greater glory to the throne of Vijayanagar. Still
the people did not forget Hakka and Bukka. Their very names suggest that
they wereKannadigas. Many dedicated warriors fought for the preservation
of the freedom of the country and the preservation of Hindu Dharma. Hakka
and Bukka were gems among these champions.
Saintly Guidance
Harihara and Bukkaraya were really fortunate to have obtained the guidance
and protection of such a great saint as Vidyaranya. Before he became a
Sanyasi,
Viayaranya's name was Madhava. He was a great scholar in the Vedas
and other
religious texts. At the age of thirty-one he gave up worldly life and
became a Sanyasi (or monk). He saw the sufferings of the people all round
him; he saw how they had to live in fear and without freedom, under the
Sultan of Delhi; and he felt unhappy. He lived for fifty years after he
became a Sanyasi, and was a tower of strength to those who fought for freedom.
It was he who inspired Harihara and Bukkaraya to found the Empire of Vijayanagar
and expand it. He always guided them with his advice and encouragement.
Later Sri Vidyaranya became the Swamiji of Sringeri Mutt.
The Sacred Hampi
In the cultural and religious history of India, Hampi occupies as important
a place as
Kashi. Anegondi and Hampi were on the opposite banks of the Tungabhadra.
There are many mythological stories concerning these twin towns and their
surroundings. One of them is as follows:
Pampa was the daughter of Brahma. By strict and deep meditation on
Lord Shiva, she became his wife. So Shiva became 'Pampapathi' (the husband
of Pampa). He settled down in this region.
The Ramayana is a very old and a very great epic (a long poem telling
the story of a mighty hero) of India. Sri Rama is the hero of this epic;
the great poet and sage Valmiki wrote this. He refers in the Ramayana to
Hampi and the region around.Kishkindha, the capital of Vali and Sugreeva
of the Ramayana, is said to have been situated near Anegondi. Places bearing
the names 'Sita Sarovara', 'Ramapada', Vali Bhandara', 'Sugreeva's Cave'
and the 'Ashram of Shabari' bring back to us memories of that great epic.
The hillocks nearby are popularly known as 'Rishyamooka','Malya-vanta'
and 'Matunga'; these names appear in the Ramayana.
The crowning glory of the region is the temple of Virupaksha. It is
one of the most
important of the ancient monuments here. It was probably built in the
fourth century,
nearly a thousand years before the founding of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Harihara the Brave (1336 - 1356)
In 1336, Harihara was crowned the King of Vijayanagar. Bukkaraya became
its Crown
Prince.
But Veera Ballala's goal had not yet been reached. Hakka and Bukka
had still much to achieve with their courage and strength. The Delhi Sultan's
forces were still strong in several regions of Andhra Pradesh.
After crowning Harihara. The King of Vijayanagar, Veera Ballala returned
to Madurai. The Sultan's officers in that region were giving much trouble
to the people. There was no one to check them. They behaved as if they
were independent kings. They looted the people's money. Veera Ballala had
made up his mind to put an end to all this. He was building up an army
for this purpose.
In the north Harihara and Bukkaraya were left to perform a similar
task. The Sultan's
forces were still strong in the north of the Tungabhadra and some important
places in Andhra Pradesh. They knew very well that it was necessary for
the freedom of the country to destroy the military camps of the Sultan's
forces and drive them away from the south. They started collecting men
and money. They tried to get popular support for this purpose. What remained
of the Hoysala treasury was of use to them.
This is a Leader!
A king must have certain qualities if his subjects are to love and
respect him. He must have a strong will to complete a task undertaken,
whatever the obstacles. He must be able to foresee the results of every
step he takes. A capacity to plan his work is one of the most essential
qualities of a good leader. He should also know how to deal with his enemies
and how to earn the friendship of other kings.
Hakka and Bukka had all these qualities. Their brothers Kampana, Marappa
and
Muddappa offered them all co-operation. More than all, the five brothers
had fully
developed in themselves a capacity to plan their action together and
carry out their plans with efficiency. As a result, a fully equipped army,
capable of facing the enemy with confidence, was soon ready.
Efficient Administrator
It was not an easy task to teach a lesson to the officers of the Sultan
and it could not be done in a short time. Hakka and Bukka had to struggle
for five years before they could get any success. At last theenemies ran
away. A very vast area between the Eastern and the Western Ghats came under
the rule of Hakka and Bukka. Hakka took to himself the title 'Poorva-Paschima
Samudradhishwara' (The Lord of the Eastern and Western Oceans). Having
the good of his subjects at heart, he divided the large kingdom into several
'mandalas' (divisions) and appointed divisional administrators. The government
had to be based on a good system; this took several years. His brothers
fully co-operated with him in the task.
End of Veera Ballala
Just as the struggle for freedom was gaining victory after victory
in the northern portion of the Hoysala Empire, very sad news reached Vijayanagar.
The fight, which Veera Ballala had started against the cruel officers of
the Sultan of Delhi in the region of Madurai, was still going on. Madurai
was yet in the hands of the enemies. Veera Ballala surrounded that strong
fortress. The local leaders did not render any help to him, because they
were afraid of the Sultan's officers. Hakka and Bukka were too busy in
the north to go to his help. Nor could they send any army to assist him.At
this stage, the Sultan's generals deceived Veera Ballala. They told him
that if he permitted them to go back to their own places with their wealth
and their belongings they would hand over Madurai to him without a fight.
Veera Ballala believed them, raised the siege and turned back. The Sultan's
army rushed out of the fort all of a sudden, and fell on Veera Ballala's
army. In the unequal battle that followed, Veera Ballala was killed. He
was eighty then.
Veera Ballala was a very unfortunate king. He fought for twenty long
years in the cause of his country and Dharma. He showed a rare political
farsightedness in the establishment of the Vijayanagar kingdom. But most
people have forgot him.
Virupaksha, son of Veera Ballala, was in contrast an inefficient and
incapable ruler.
Veera Ballala had several chieftains under him. As long as he was on
the throne they
were all-afraid of him and were obedient. But once Virupaksha came
to the throne, they wanted to become independent. So Hakka and Bukka themselves
had to look after the welfare of the Hoysala Empire. In course of time,
the Hoysala Empire merged into the Vijayanagar Empire.
The Struggle Continues
After the death of Veera Ballala, the Sultan's generals once again
became powerful. They recaptured the regions taken from them by Veera 13611ala
and once again became the lords of the Madurai kingdom.
The kings of Vijayanagar had thus tocontinue the half-finished struggle
for freedom in the South. But they used different tactics. They decided
to surround Madurai instead of attacking it directly. All long the eastern
coast, from Kanchee- puram to Rameswaram they captured important places.
The people in these regions, who had become disgusted with the misrule
of the Sultan's officers gladly accepted the lordship of the rulers of
Vijayanagar. Hakka and Bukka beganmaking preparations to march on the Southern
army posts of the Sultan of Delhi.
A Champion of Country and Dharma, A Good King
Harihara became the king when the New Kingdom was born in 1336. He
ruled till 1356. He had to strengthen the defence of the borders; he had
to build up a good system of government. These took up much of his time.
As already said, the Sangama dynasty was the first to rule over Vijayanagar
and Harihara was its first king. Kriyashakti Pandita of the Kriyashakti
Peetha, belonging to the Kalamukhakirti sect, was his guide in administration.
After the death of Veera Ballala, the southern parts of the Hoysala Empire
came under the rule of the king of Vijayanagar. Dorasamudra, the capital
of the Hoysala kings, had been attacked by enemies and was in a sad state.
It could not resist another attack. So Hakka had to rebuild it and make
it strong. He had to plan also the defence of the surrounding areas. Temples
and mutts (seats of holy'-teachers of religion) were almost in ruins. Hakka
had to bring back to the temples and mutts the honor due to them. He engaged
himself in this work" with sincerity and devotion. Fouryears after the
death of Veera Ballala, Hakka visited Sirngeri with his close relatives
and officers. Adi Sankaracharya established the Sringeri Jagadguru Peetha
at Sringeri in his efforts to give new strength to Hindu Dharma. When Hakka
visited the Mutt, Sri Bharati Tirtha was in the seat. Hakka and his brothers
were very respectful towards the Swamiji and requested his blessings. They
also granted many donations in keeping with the worth and the high place
of the Peetha.
Hakka and Bukka were incomparable warriors. They continued the freedom
struggle started by Veera Ballala and saved Hindu Dharma and culture when
they were in great danger.
Hakka died in 1356. Bukkaraya succeeded him as king.
Bukkaraya (1356-1377)
When Hakka was fighting the enemies, and also later when he was the
King of
Vijayanagar, Bukkaraya gave him all support and was his right-hand
man. But now he had to shoulder all the responsibilities himself. It was
now his work to remove all the obstacles in the path of his country's progress.
His achievements in this direction make as thrilling a history as the establishment
of the Vijayanagar Empire.Of course, the Vijayanagar Empire had been placed
on firm foundations. But its enemies were always trying to undermine this
foundation. Bukkaraya knew that his first duty was to strengthen the borders
of his kingdom and protect them.
The Bahamani Menace
Most of the generals and officers of the Sultan of Delhi had been defeated
and driven away from the South. But some of them had remained behind and
they were trying to build for themselves independent kingdoms. One such
adventurer was Allauddin Hassan Bahamani. He founded a New Kingdom in 1346
at Kalburgi (Gulburga of today), north of the river Krishna. It became
famous as the Bahamani Kingdom.
The Bahamani kings were adventurous. Their ambition was to capture
the whole of
South India. Particularly ambitious was Mohammed Shah, one of the Bahamani
kings. Bukkaraya was wise enough to understand the danger from this king
and developed friendship with the King of Warangal. Mohammed Shah invaded
Vijayanagar thrice and all the three times, ran away completely defeated.
But he and his successors put up a continuous struggle to capture and land
between the Krishna and the Tungabhadra.
The war with Mohammed Shah taught Bukka a lesson; these was that he
should always be alert and ready and that he should expand his army and
equip it well. There were some kings under him who made a show of faithfulness
towards him but were really unfaithful. Bukka had to bring them under his
control. In the South, the Sultan's officers were again raising their heads
after the death of Veera Ballala. They had to be checked. Madurai was to
be saved. Bukkaraya planned to achieve all these things at one stroke.
He decided to build a very huge army, unheard of in the South at any time.
Madurai Recaptured
As soon as the army was ready, Bukkaraya entrusted his second son,
Kampana, with the task of capturing Madurai. Kampana was young but brave;
he was determined to finish any task he undertook. He was an expert in
the science of warfare. When Bukkaraya was engaged in driving the foreigners
out of his kingdom, Kampana had fought by his side. He was also well trained
in the art of ruling. He had, in addition, the wisdom to bring round to
his own side the defeated enemies and make them faithful supporters of
the Empire.
Tondaimandalam was a kingdom to the east of Vijayanagar. The Bahamani
kings had an eye on it. The ruler of this kingdom was one Champaraya. Bukka
had offered his hand of friendship to him but Champaraya had not cared
for him. So the Sultans of Bahamani were planning to attack Tondaimandalam.
Bukka saw that, if Tondaimandalam fell into the hands of the Sultan, his
Vijayanagar would be in danger. So Kampana's army marched against Champaraya.
Champaraya was defeated; the chieftains under him wanted to come to terms
with Kampana. But Champaraya himself was stubborn. He took shelter in a
fort known as Rajagambhira. Kampana had no choice; he had 'to attack Rajagambhira.
Champaraya died in the battle. So Kampana was able to bring Tondai- mandalam
under the Vijayanagar King. By that time, he had received sad news. All
worship had stopped in the sacred places of the south like Chidambaram,
Srirangam and Madurai. Once, thousands of pilgrims used to go to these
holy places. But now the sacred images were no longer there. The Sultan's
officers were responsible for it. The local people, afraid of these foreigners,
had shifted the idols from the temples to safer places. Kampana could not
bear the news. He laid siege to Madurai. The Sultan's general died on the
battlefield. Madurai became free. Srirangam also became free, thanks to
Kampana.
The Savior
After this glorious victory, Kampana became the Governor of the Southern
Province of the Vijayanagar Empire. He had under his rule a vast area in
the south upto Rameswaram. Virinchipuram or Marakatanagar on the banks
of the Kaveri was his capital. The Bangalore and Kolar Districts of today
were also under his rule.
Worship was resumed in the temples. People could freely move about,
go on pilgrimage and worship God according to their faiths. Under the Sultan's
officers, the Hindus could not even breathe freely. But now they could
live happily as free men. They did not have to live in fear of sudden disaster.
There was peace everywhere. Kampana achieved in the south what Hakka and
Bukka had achieved in the north.
The Lamp Goes Out
In 1375, an unexpected disaster struck Bukkaraya and the empire. .
The brave Kampana died.
He was to have adorned the throne of Vijayanagar after Bukkaraya. He
was a warrior capable of safeguarding the freedom of his country and a
ruler who could keep his subjects happy. It was really a great misfortune
that Bukka and the Vijayanagar Empire lost him most unexpectedly.
Gangadevi, the wife of Kampana, has described his valor in her Sanskrit
work, 'Madura Vijayam' or 'Veera Kampanaraya Charitam'. The book brings
out very clearly the sad state of our country, our Dharma and our culture
before, and how Hakka, Bukka and Kampana saved them. The whole work throbs
with patriotic devotion.
Great in War and Great in Peace
Bukkaraya won great victories on the battlefield. He won equally great
and enduring victories in times of peace as a ruler. During his reign,
the empire, extending from the Tungabhadra to Rameswaram, enjoyed peace
and plenty.
Bukka was a far-sighted and wise king. One mark of a wise leader is
that he puts an end to a trouble before it becomes a danger. He is watchful;
at the first sign of trouble he deals with it firmly. He is especially
careful in guarding the unity of the people. One instance shows Bukka's
greatness as a ruler:
Once it so happened that two groups in his own kingdom began fighting
with each other:
The Jains were in a minority. The Shrivaishnavas, who followed a different
religion, were in the majority. Differences of opinion developed between
them. Gradually these grew, and they began to fight. News of this reached
Bukka.
He sent for the leaders of both the communities and advised them thus
: "Jainism is great and Shrivaishnavism also is great. Both of you should
respect the faith of each other and help each other. Both of your faith
show peoples how to live a life of goodness. Do they not both teach that
you should give up violence and hatred and help others with love? The Delhi
and the Bahamani Sultans are just waiting with their mouths open to swallow
us. How could you fight with each other at this time? Do you not think
that your internal fight will result only in danger to all?"
The leaders hung down their heads in shame. They promised the king
that they would be friends thereafter.
Bukka called for a public meeting. There he made the leaders of the
two communities join hands. He advised them again: "it is wrong to say
that one man is high and another man is low. It is also wrong to think
that one's loss is the other's gain. You should consider each other's troubles
as your own." He also ordered that the Shrivaishnavas should compensate
the Jains for their losses.
'Respect the faith of each other.'
This incident is described in one of the stone inscriptions found at
Sravanabelagola.
The mistaken idea that one religion was higher than the other was thus
removed even in the early stages. People of all religions could respect
one another and live together in peace and harmony. In this way Bukkaraya
acted in time and put an end to a great danger to the unity and safety
of the empire. This policy of his has set an example to people of all lands
and times.
Freedom to Live And Learn
Under the Sultans of Bahamani and Delhi, the people could not worship
their own Gods. Hakka and Bukka brought them the freedom to do so. Still,
not many of them could read or understand their religious texts. The two
brothers therefore made it possible for the learned in every religion to
explain their religions to the masses. Sri Vidyaranya wrote 'Vedartha Prakashika'
for those who could not read and understand the Vedas in the original.
Efforts were made to collect and publish Veerasaiva literature and 'Vachanas'.
(The 'Vachana' is a form of literature in Kannada. The great Veerasaiva
teachers put their teachings into short passages; these are in prose. They
are very close to the spoken language; they are in a clear and powerful
style, and contain vivid pictures.) Hakka and Bukka respected all religions
equally. So Jain authors and writers could also freely write books on their
religion. Hakka and Bukka were patrons of learning and literature. They
were as interested in culture as in war. The age of these kings was a remarkable
age; the king, the religious teacher, the scholar and the poet all respected
one another; they worked together for the good of the people. Any country
should be proud of such an age and such men.
After a successful rule of twenty- one years, Bukkaraya passed away
in 1377. His son, Harihara the Second, succeeded him.
The Creators of A New Age
The period of Hakka and Bukka (1336-1377) is a very important one in
the history of South India. Before them the Hindus were in great trouble
because of their disunity. The Sultans of Delhi and Bahamani kingdoms were
always trying to conquer the Hindu kingdoms. It was in such circumstances
that these brothers brought the Hindus together. They respected all sects
and groups and taught them how to live in co- operation and
peace. They also encouraged learned men to write books so that people
could
understand religious texts more easily.
Hampi, the divine abode of Lord Virupaksha, became the capital of Harihara's
New Kingdom; it grew in wealth and prosperity during the reign of Bukkaraya
and later blossomed into a great city that enchanted tourists from different
parts of the world.
Gangadevi, the poetess of the age and the daughter-in-law of Bukkaraya,
has in her
'Madura Vijayam' described Hakka and Bukka as two wise and brave men
who created a new nation, a new religion and a new society. The description
is without doubt apt and richly deserved.
It is said that winning peace is difficult as winning a war.
True, it is difficult to win a war. It requires a powerful army. Food
and arms have to be
regularly supplied for the soldiers. The soldiers have to be sincere
and faithful. The general has to be clever and wise. He must have the capacity
to take quick decisions and give clear and exact orders to his army. He
should also be an expert in the science of warfare. But it is even more
difficult to administer the country, after the war is won, in such a way
that the people live in peace, prosperity and happiness. An efficient army
is to be maintained to prevent It-he enemies from attacking the land. Efficient
off icers has to be chosen to carry on the government. They should be kept
under strict control so that they do not become too powerful and cruel
towards the people. Care must be taken to see that the majority does not
ill-treat the minority, that the rich do not make the poor work and suffer,
and that the powerful do not trouble the powerless. Injustice to any section
of the society has to be prevented.
Hakka and Bukka were patriots who won both war and peace. Acquiring
the blessing of Dharma for their powers of brain and brawn, they created
a new and great age in the history of South India.
For all the details from there on see the link: A Forgotten Empire:
The Vijayanagara Empire[1336 AD - 1565 AD]
http://www.historyofindia.com/hist_text/vijayngr.html
Hariharaand Bukka, two brothers from Warangal, whom the Sultan Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaqhad
taken captive, were converted to Islam, and were commissioned to consolidate
his rule in Kampila. When the Sultan became weak, they renounced Islam
and conquered the territory of the Hoysalas.
They founded the Vijayanagara Empirealong the river Tungabhadra, in
1336 with the capital Hastinavati(modern Hampi). This Empire protectedsouth
India from any further muslim depredation and brought a Golden Erain south
India.
Bukka succeeded Harihara in 1356 AD and ruled till 1377 AD. The rising
power of the empire brought it into clash with many powers both in the
north and in the south.
In the south they had to fight with the Sultan of Maduraifor about
four decades, till they wiped it out in 1377 AD. In the north the Bahamaniswere
their strong enemies.
The interestof the Vijayanagara and Bahamani empires clashed on four
areas :
The Tungabhadra doab(for wealth and resources),
The Krishna-Godavari delta(fertile and had numerous ports for foreign
trade),
The control of diamond minesof Golconda, and
control of Konkan(extremely fertile and included the port of Goa -
an important outlet in the west).
Military conflictbetween these kingdoms were almost regularand resulted
in the widespread devastationof the contested areas and neighbouring territories
and a considerable loss to life and property. Both committed various barbarities.
Finally both sides were exhausted and decided to conclude treatyand agreed
to avoid crueltyin war.
After the death of Deva Raya IIin 1446 AD, there was a series of civil
warsamong the various contenders to the throne. After some time, the throne
was usurped by the king's minister, Saluva, who restored the internal law
and order. This dynasty also soon ended and a new Tuluva dynastywas founded
by Krishnadeva Raya(1509 AD - 1530 AD).
The economycontinued to grow on the Chola patternand Hinduismwas restored.
Architecture and culture reached their pinnacle and saw the Golden Erain
the south under Krishna Deva Raya. At its peak, the kingdom extended from
Cuttack in east to Goa in the West and from Raichur Doab in the North to
the Indian Ocean in the South. He wrote Amuktamalyada, a Telugu compendium
on polity.
Under him the empire emerged as the strongest militarypower in the
south. After his death there was a struggle among his relations as his
sons were all minor. Ultimately in 1543, Sadashiva Rayaascended the throne
and ruled till 1567, however the real power was in the hand of Rama Raja,
who played off the various muslim powers against one another.
In a series of wars Rama Raja completely defeated the Bijapurruler
to inflict humiliating defeats on Golconda and Ahmadnagar. It seems Rama
Raja had no larger purpose than to maintain a balance of powerfavourable
to Vijayanagara.
Due to the weakening of Bahamani kingdom, there was internal strife
and were finally divided into five parts, namely,
Adil Shahiof Bijapur, Qutub Shahiof Golconda, Nizam Shahiof Ahmadnagar,
Barid Shahiof Bidar and Imad Shahiof Berar.
Later, The five broken Bahamani kingdoms, did a combined crusadeon
Vijayanagara at Bannihattiin 1565 and in the battle of Rakshasa-Tangadi,
Rama Raja was surrounded, taken prisoner and immediately executed and this
brought an end to the Best Empire of the South. It was thoroughly lootedand
left in ruins.
This page has some wonderful pictures of around Hampi
- Vijayanagara:
http://hulk.bu.edu/misc/karnataka/districts/bellary/hampi.html
A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagara;
A Contribution to the History of India - Robert Sewell
http://www.blackmask.com/books23c/fevch.htm
More pictures of the glorious Vijayanagara kingdom's ruins:
http://www.geocities.com/chetak74/earlyvisitors.html
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/tejo.html
By now you all know through my previous articles, the irrefutable facts and deductive logic which prove that Islam is evil right at its very foundation. It is not a religion, but a means to legalize rape, murder, loot and destruction! Given what I have shown in these previous weeks, no one should have the slightest doubt that the true followers of such a "religion" can only be called dacoits!
These dacoits have looted and raped many countries, but no country can tell a bloodier tale of muslim oppression than India! The muslim dacoits started their rule over India in 712 A.D. with the invasion of Mohammed Qasem and looking at the present situation of our country it still continues on today!
During their rule they looted and destroyed hundereds of thousands of Hindu temples. Aurangzeb himself destroyed 10,000 Hindu temples during his reign! Some of the larger temples were converted into mosques or other Islamic structures. Ram Janmbhoomi(at Ayodhya) and Krishna Temple(at Mathura) are just two examples. Many others exist!
The most evident of such structures is Taj Mahal--a structure supposedly
devoted to carnal love by the "great" moghul king Shah Jahan to his favorite
wife Mumtaz Mahal. Please keep in my mind that this is the same Shah Jahan
who had a harem of 5,000 women and the same Shah Jahan who had a incestuous
relationship with his daughter justifing it by saying, 'a gardner has every
right to taste the fruit he has planted'! Is such a person even capable
of imagning such a wondrous structure as the Taj Mahal let alone be the
architect of it?
The answer is no. It cannot be. And it isn't as has been proven. The
Taj Mahal is as much a Islamic structure as is mathematics a muslim discovery!
The famous historian Shri P.N. Oak has proven that Taj Mahal is actually
Tejo Mahalaya-- a shiv temple-palace. His work was published in 1965 in
the book, Taj Mahal - The True Story. However, we have not heard much about
it because it was banned by the corrupt and power crazed Congress government
of Bharat who did not want to alienate their precious vote bank--the muslims.
After reading Shri Oak's work which provides more than adequate evidence
to prove that Taj Mahal is indeed Tejo Mahalaya, one has to wonder if the
government of Bharat has been full of traitors for the past 50 years! Because
to ban such a book which states only the truth is surely a crime against
our great nation of Bharat.
The most valuable evidence of all that Tejo Mahalaya is not an Islamic
building is in the Badshahnamawhich contains the history of the first twenty
years of Shah Jahan's reign. The writer Abdul Hamid has stated that Taj
Mahal is a temple-palace taken from Jaipur's Maharaja Jaisigh and the building
was known as Raja Mansingh's palace. This by itself is enough proof to
state that Tejo Mahalaya is a Hindu structure captured, plundered and converted
to a mausoleum by Shah Jahan and his henchmen. But I have taken the liberty
to provide you with 109 other proofs and logical points which tell us that
the structure known as the Taj Mahal is actually Tejo Mahalaya.
There is a similar story behind EveryIslamic structure in Bharat. They
are all converted Hindu structures. As I mentioned above, hundereds of
thousands of temples in Bharat have been destroyed by the barbaric muslim
invaders and I shall dedicate several articles to these destroyed temples.
However, the scope of this article is to prove to you beyond the shadow
of any doubt that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalaya and should be recognized as
such! Not as a monument to the dead Mumtaz Mahal--an insignificant sex
object in the incestous Shah Jahan's harem of 5,000. Another very important
proof that Taj Mahal is a Hindu structure is shown by figure 1 below. It
depicts Aurangzeb's letter to Shah Jahan in Persian in which he has unintentionally
revealed the true identity of the Taj Mahal as a Hindu Temple-Palace. Refer
to proofs 20 and 66 stated below.
Take the time to read the proofs stated below and know to what extent
we have been lied to by our own leaders. These proofs of Shri P.N. Oak
have been taken from the URL: http://rbhatnagar.ececs.uc.edu:8080/hindu_history/modern/taj_oak.htmlI
would like to commend the creator of the above mentioned web site for taking
the time to put up the proofs given by Shri P.N. Oak.
For more information you can order the book, Taj Mahal - The True Storyauthored
by Shri P.N. Oak. The ISBN number of the book is ISBN 0-9611614-4-2. The
book is available through A. Ghosh (Publisher), 5720 W. Little York, #216,
Houston, Texas 77091. Visit Sword Of Truth - Online Magazinefor more information
Proofs follow below:
Name
1.The term Tajmahal itself never occurs in any mogul court paper or
chronicle even in Aurangzeb's time. The attempt to explain it away as Taj-i-mahal
is therefore, ridiculous.
2.The ending "Mahal" is never muslim because in none of the muslim
countries around the world from Afghanistan to Algeria is there a building
known as "Mahal".
3.The unusual explanation of the term Tajmahal derives from Mumtaz
Mahal, who is buried in it, is illogical in at least two respects viz.,
firstly her name was never Mumtaj Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani and secondly
one cannot omit the first three letters "Mum" from a woman's name to derive
the remainder as the name of the building.
4.Since the lady's name was Mumtaz (ending with 'Z') the name of the
building derived from her should have been Taz Mahal, if at all, and not
Taj (spelled with a 'J').
5.Several European visitors of Shahjahan's time allude to the building
as Taj-e-Mahal is almost the correct tradition, age old Sanskrit name Tej-o-Mahalaya,
signifying a Shiva temple. Contrarily Shahjahan and Aurangzeb scrupulously
avoid using the Sanskrit term and call it just a holy grave.
6.The tomb should be understood to signify Not A Buildingbut only the
grave or centotaph inside it. This would help people to realize that all
dead muslim courtiers and royalty including Humayun, Akbar, Mumtaz, Etmad-ud-Daula
and Safdarjang have been buried in capture Hindu mansions and temples.
7.Moreover, if the Taj is believed to be a burial place, how can the
term Mahal, i.e., mansion apply to it?
8.Since the term Taj Mahal does not occur in mogul courts it is absurd
to search for any mogul explanation for it. Both its components namely,
'Taj' and' Mahal' are of Sanskrit origin.
Temple Tradition
9.The term Taj Mahal is a corrupt form of the sanskrit term TejoMahalay
signifying a Shiva Temple. Agreshwar Mahadevi.e., The Lord of Agra was
consecrated in it.
10.The tradition of removing the shoes before climbing the marble platform
originates from pre Shahjahan times when the Taj was a Shiva Temple. Had
the Taj originated as a tomb, shoes need not have to be removed because
shoes are a necessity in a cemetery.
11.Visitors may notice that the base slab of the centotaph is the marble
basement in plain white while its superstructure and the other three centotaphs
on the two floors are covered with inlaid creeper designs. This indicates
that the marble pedestal of the Shiva idol is still in place and Mumtaz's
centotaphs are fake.
12.The pitchers carved inside the upper border of the marble lattice
plus those mounted on it number 108-a number sacred in Hindu Temple tradition.
13.There are persons who are connected with the repair and the maintainance
of the Taj who have seen the ancient sacred Shiva Linga and other idols
sealed in the thick walls and in chambers in the secret, sealed red stone
stories below the marble basement. The Archaeological Survey of India is
keeping discretely, politely and diplomatically silent about it to the
point of dereliction of its own duty to probe into hidden historical evidence.
14.In India there are 12 Jyotirlingasi.e., the outstanding Shiva Temples.
The Tejomahalaya alias The Tajmahal appears to be one of them known as
Nagnatheshwar since its parapet is girdled with Naga, i.e., Cobra figures.
Ever since Shahjahan's capture of it the sacred temple has lost its Hindudom.
15.The famous Hindu treatise on architecture titled Vishwakarma Vastushastramentions
the Tej-Lingaamongst the Shivalingas i.e., the stone emblems of Lord Shiva,
the Hindu deity. Such a Tej Linga was consecrated in the Taj Mahal, hence
the term Taj Mahal alias Tejo Mahalaya.
16.Agra city, in which the Taj Mahal is located, is an ancient centre
of Shiva worship. Its orthodox residents have through ages continued the
tradition of worshipping at five Shiva shrines before taking the last meal
every night especially during the month of Shravan. During the last few
centuries the residents of Agra had to be content with worshipping at only
four prominent Shiva temples viz., Balkeshwar, Prithvinath, Manakameshwarand
Rajarajeshwar. They had lost track of the fifth Shiva deity which their
forefathers worshipped. Apparently the fifth was Agreshwar Mahadev Nagnatheshwari.e.,
The Lord Great God of Agra, The Deity of the King of Cobras, consecrated
in the Tejomahalay alias Tajmahal.
17.The people who dominate the Agra region are Jats. Their name of
Shiva is Tejaji. The Jat special issue of The Illustrated Weekly of India
(June 28,1971)mentions that the Jats have the Teja Mandirs i.e., Teja Temples.
This is because Teja-Linga is among the several names of the Shiva Lingas.
From this it is apparent that the Taj-Mahal is Tejo-Mahalaya, The Great
Abode of Tej.
Documentary Evidence
18.Shahjahan's own court chronicle, the Badshahnama, admits (page 403,
vol 1) that a grand mansion of unique splendor, capped with a dome (Imaarat-a-Alishan
wa Gumbaze) was taken from the Jaipur Maharaja Jaisigh for Mumtaz's burial,
and the building was known as Raja Mansingh's palace.
19. The plaque put the archealogy department outside the Tajmahal describes
the edifice as a mausoleum built by Shahjahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal,
over 22 years from 1631 to 1653 That plaque is a specimen of historical
bungling. Firstly, the plaque sites no authority for its claim. Secondly
the lady's name was Mumtaz-ulZamani and not Mumtazmahal. Thirdly, the period
of 22 years is taken from some mumbo jumbo noting by an unreliable French
visitor Tavernier, to the exclusion of all muslim versions, which is an
absurdity.
20. Prince Aurangzeb's letter (Refer to Figure 1 above) to his father,
emperor Shahjahan, is recorded in atleast three chronicles titled Aadaab-e-Alamgiri,
Yadgarnama, and the Muruqqa-i-Akbarabadi(edited by Said Ahmed, Agra, 1931,
page 43, footnote 2). In that letter Aurangzeb records in 1652 A.D itself
that the several buildings in the fancied burial place of Mumtaz were seven
storeyed and were so old that they were all leaking, while the dome had
developed a crack on the northern side. Aurangzeb, therefore, ordered immediate
repairs to the buildings at his own expense while recommending to the emperor
that more elaborate repairs be carried out later. This is the proof that
during Shahjahan's reign itself that the Taj complex was so old as to need
immediate repairs.
21. The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur retains in his secret personal KapadDwaracollection
two orders from Shahjahan dated Dec 18, 1633 (bearing modern nos. R.176
and 177) requestioning the Taj building complex. That was so blatant a
usurpation that the then ruler of Jaipur was ashamed to make the document
public.
22. The Rajasthan State archives at Bikaner preserve three other firmans
addressed by Shahjahan to the Jaipur's ruler Jaisingh ordering the latter
to supply marble (for Mumtaz's grave and koranic grafts) from his Makranna
quarris, and stone cutters. Jaisingh was apparently so enraged at the blatant
seizure of the Tajmahal that he refused to oblige Shahjahan by providing
marble for grafting koranic engravings and fake centotaphs for further
desecration of the Tajmahal. Jaisingh looked at Shahjahan's demand for
marble and stone cutters, as an insult added to injury. Therefore, he refused
to send any marble and instead detained the stone cutters in his protective
custody.
23. The three firmans demanding marble were sent to Jaisingh within
about two years of Mumtaz's death. Had Shahjahan really built the Tajmahal
over a period of 22 years, the marble would have needed only after 15 or
20 years not immediately after Mumtaz's death.
24. Moreover, the three mention neither the Tajmahal, nor Mumtaz, nor
the burial. The cost and the quantity of the stone also are not mentioned.
This proves that an insignificant quantity of marble was needed just for
some supercial tinkering and tampering with the Tajmahal. Even otherwise
Shahjahan could never hope to build a fabulous Tajmahal by abject dependence
for marble on a non cooperative Jaisingh.
European Visitor's Accounts
25. Tavernier, a French jeweller has recorded in his travel memoirs
that Shahjahan purposely buried Mumtaz near the Taz-i-Makan (i.e.,`The
Taj building') where foriegners used to come as they do even today so that
the world may admire. He also adds that the cost of the scaffolding was
more than that of the entire work. The work that Shahjahan commissioned
in the Tejomahalaya Shiva temple was plundering at the costly fixtures
inside it, uprooting the Shiva idols, planting the centotaphs in their
place on two stories, inscribing the koran along the arches and walling
up six of the seven stories of the Taj. It was this plunder, desecrating
and plunderring of the rooms which took 22 years.
26. Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra recorded in 1632 (within
only a year of Mumtaz's death) that `the places of note in and around Agra,
included Taj-e-Mahal's tomb, gardens and bazaars'. He, therefore, confirms
that that the Tajmahal had been a noteworthy building even before Shahjahan.
27. De Laet, a Dutch official has listed Mansingh's palace about a
mile from Agra fort, as an outstanding building of pre shahjahan's time.
Shahjahan's court chronicle, the Badshahnama records, Mumtaz's burial in
the same Mansingh's palace.
28. Bernier, a contemporary French visitor has noted that non muslim's
were barred entry into the basement (at the time when Shahjahan requisitioned
Mansingh's palace) which contained a dazzling light. Obviously, he reffered
to the silver doors, gold railing, the gem studded lattice and strings
of pearl hanging over Shiva's idol. Shahjahan comandeered the building
to grab all the wealth, making Mumtaz's death a convineant pretext.
29. Johan Albert Mandelslo, who describes life in agra in 1638 (only
7 years after mumtaz's death) in detail (in his Voyages and Travels to
West-Indies, published by John Starkey and John Basset, London), makes
no mention of the Tajmahal being under constuction though it is commonly
erringly asserted or assumed that the Taj was being built from 1631 to
1653.
Sanskrit Inscription
30. A Sanskrit inscription too supports the conclusion that the Taj
originated as a Shiva temple. Wrongly termed as the Bateshwar inscription
(currently preserved on the top floor of the Lucknow museum), it refers
to the raising of a "crystal white Shiva temple so alluring that Lord Shiva
once enshrined in it decided never to return to Mount Kailash his usual
abode". That inscription dated 1155 A.D. was removed from the Tajmahal
garden at Shahjahan's orders. Historicians and Archeaologists have blundered
in terming the insription the Bateshwar inscriptionwhen the record doesn't
say that it was found by Bateshwar. It ought, in fact, to be called The
Tejomahalaya inscriptionbecause it was originally installed in the Taj
garden before it was uprooted and cast away at Shahjahan's command.
A clue to the tampering by Shahjahan is found on pages 216-217, vol.
4, of Archealogiical Survey of India Reports (published 1874) stating that
a "great square black balistic pillar which, with the base and capital
of another pillar....now in the grounds of Agra, ...it is well known, once
stood in the garden of Tajmahal".
Missing Elephants
31. Far from the building of the Taj, Shahjahan disfigured it with
black koranic lettering and heavily robbed it of its Sanskrit inscription,
several idols and two huge stone elephants extending their trunks in a
welcome arch over the gateway where visitors these days buy entry tickets.
An Englishman, Thomas Twinning, records (pg.191 of his book "Travels in
India A Hundred Years ago") that in November 1794 "I arrived at the high
walls which enclose the Taj-e-Mahal and its circumjacent buildings. I here
got out of the palanquine and.....mounted a short flight of steps leading
to a beautiful portal which formed the centre of this side of the Court
Of Elephantsas the great area was called."
Koranic Patches
32. The Taj Mahal is scrawled over with 14 chapters of the Koran but
nowhere is there even the slightest or the remotest allusion in that Islamic
overwriting to Shahjahan's authorship of the Taj. Had Shahjahan been the
builder he would have said so in so many words before beginning to quote
Koran.
33. That Shahjahan, far from building the marble Taj, only disfigured
it with black lettering is mentioned by the inscriber Amanat Khan Shirazi
himself in an inscription on the building. A close scrutiny of the Koranic
lettering reveals that they are grafts patched up with bits of variegated
stone on an ancient Shiva temple.
Carbon 14 Test
34. A wooden piece from the riverside doorway of the Taj subjected
to the carbon 14 test by an American Laboratory and initiated by Professors
at Pratt School of Architecture, New York, has revealed that the door to
be 300 years older than Shahjahan,since the doors of the Taj, broken open
by Muslim invaders repeatedly from the 11th century onwards, had to b replaced
from time to time. The Taj edifice is much more older. It belongs to 1155
A.D, i.e., almost 500 years anterior to Shahjahan.
Architectural Evidence
35. Well known Western authorities on architechture like E.B.Havell,
Mrs.Kenoyer and Sir W.W.Hunterhave gone on record to say that the TajMahal
is built in the Hindu temple style. Havell points out the ground plan of
the ancient Hindu Chandi Seva Temple in Java is identical with that of
the Taj.
36. A central dome with cupolas at its four corners is a universal
feature of Hindu temples.
37. The four marble pillars at the plinth corners are of the Hindu
style. They are used as lamp towers during night and watch towers during
the day. Such towers serve to demarcate the holy precincts. Hindu wedding
altars and the altar set up for God Satyanarayan worship have pillars raised
at the four corners.
38. The octagonal shape of the Tajmahal has a special Hindu significance
because Hindus alone have special names for the eight directions, and celestial
guards assigned to them. The pinnacle points to the heaven while the foundation
signifies to the nether world. Hindu forts, cities, palaces and temples
genrally have an octagonal layout or some octagonal features so that together
with the pinnacle and the foundation they cover all the ten directions
in which the king or God holds sway, according to Hindu belief.
39. The Tajmahal has a trident pinncle over the dome. A full scale
of the trident pinnacle is inlaid in the red stone courtyard to the east
of the Taj. The central shaft of the trident depicts a Kalash(sacred pot)
holding two bent mango leaves and a coconut. This is a sacred Hindu motif.
Identical pinnacles have been seen over Hindu and Buddhist temples in the
Himalayan region. Tridents are also depicted against a red lotus background
at the apex of the stately marble arched entrances on all four sides of
the Taj. People fondly but mistakenly believed all these centuries that
the Taj pinnacle depicts a Islamic cresent and star was a lighting conductor
installed by the British rulers in India. Contrarily, the pinnacle is a
marvel of Hindu metallurgy since the pinnacle made of non rusting alloy,
is also perhaps a lightning deflector. That the pinnacle of the replica
is drawn in the eastern courtyard is significant because the east is of
special importance to the Hindus, as the direction in which the sun rises.
The pinnacle on the dome has the word `Allah' on it after capture. The
pinnacle figure on the ground does not have the word Allah.
Inconsistencies
40. The two buildings which face the marble Taj from the east and west
are identical in design, size and shape and yet the eastern building is
explained away by Islamic tradition, as a community hall while the western
building is claimed to be a mosque. How could buildings meant for radically
different purposes be identical? This proves that the western building
was put to use as a mosque after seizure of the Taj property by Shahjahan.
Curiously enough the building being explained away as a mosque has no minaret.
They form a pair af reception pavilions of the Tejomahalaya temple palace.
41. A few yards away from the same flank is the Nakkar Khana alias
DrumHouse which is a intolerable incongruity for Islam. The proximity of
the Drum House indicates that the western annex was not originally a mosque.
Contrarily a drum house is a neccesity in a Hindu temple or palace because
Hindu chores,in the morning and evening, begin to the sweet strains of
music.
42. The embossed patterns on the marble exterior of the centotaph chamber
wall are foilage of the conch shell design and the Hindu letter OM. The
octagonally laid marble lattices inside the centotaph chamber depict pink
lotuses on their top railing. The Lotus, the conch and the OMare the sacred
motifs associated with the Hindu deities and temples.
43. The spot occupied by Mumtaz's centotaph was formerly occupied by
the Hindu Teja Linga a lithic representation of Lord Shiva. Around it are
five perambulatory passages. Perambulation could be done around the marble
lattice or through the spacious marble chambers surrounding the centotaph
chamber, and in the open over the marble platform. It is also customary
for the Hindus to have apertures along the perambulatory passage, overlooking
the deity. Such apertures exist in the perambulatories in the Tajmahal.
44. The sanctom sanctorum in the Taj has silver doors and gold railings
as Hindu temples have. It also had nets of pearl and gems stuffed in the
marble lattices. It was the lure of this wealth which made Shahjahan commandeer
the Taj from a helpless vassal Jaisingh, the then ruler of Jaipur.
45. Peter Mundy, a Englishman records (in 1632, within a year of Mumtaz's
death) having seen a gem studded gold railing around her tomb. Had the
Taj been under construction for 22 years, a costly gold railing would not
have been noticed by Peter mundy within a year of Mumtaz's death. Such
costl fixtures are installed in a building only after it is ready for use.
This indicates that Mumtaz's centotaph was grafted in place of the Shivalinga
in the centre of the gold railings. Subsequently the gold railings, silver
doors, nets of pearls, gem fillings etc. were all carried away to Shahjahan's
treasury. The seizure of the Taj thus constituted an act of highhanded
Moghul robery causing a big row between Shahjahan and Jaisingh.
46. In the marble flooring around Mumtaz's centotaph may be seen tiny
mosaic patches. Those patches indicate the spots where the support for
the gold railings were embedded in the floor. They indicate a rectangular
fencing.
47. Above Mumtaz's centotaph hangs a chain by which now hangs a lamp.
Before capture by Shahjahan the chain used to hold a water pitcher from
which water used to drip on the Shivalinga.
48. It is this earlier Hindu tradition in the Tajmahal which gave the
Islamic myth of Shahjahan's love tear dropping on Mumtaz's tomb on the
full moon day of the winter eve.
Treasury Well
49. Between the so-called mosque and the drum house is a multistoried
octagonal well with a flight of stairs reaching down to the water level.
This is a traditional treasury well in Hindu temple palaces. Treasure chests
used to be kept in the lower apartments while treasury personnel had their
offices in the upper chambers. The circular stairs made it difficult for
intruders to reach down to the treasury or to escape with it undetected
or unpursued. In case the premises had to be surrendered to a besieging
enemy the treasure could be pushed into the well to remain hidden from
the conquerer and remain safe for salvaging if the place was reconquered.
Such an elaborate multistoried well is superflous for a mere mausoleum.
Such a grand, gigantic well is unneccesary for a tomb.
Burial Date Unknown
50. Had Shahjahan really built the Taj Mahal as a wonder mausoleum,
history would have recorded a specific date on which she was ceremoniously
buried in the Taj Mahal. No such date is ever mentioned. This important
missing detail decisively exposes the falsity of the Tajmahal legend.
51. Even the year of Mumtaz's death is unknown. It is variously speculated
to be 1629, 1630, 1631 or 1632. Had she deserved a fabulous burial, as
is claimed, the date of her death had not been a matter of much speculation.
In an harem teeming with 5000 womenit was difficult to keep track of dates
of death. Apparently the date of Mumtaz's death was so insignificant an
event, as not to merit any special notice. Who would then build a Taj for
her burial?
Baseless Love Stories
52. Stories of Shahjahan's exclusive infatuation for Mumtaz's are concoctions.
They have no basis in history nor has any book ever written on their fancied
love affairs. Those stories have been invented as an afterthought to make
Shahjahan's authorship of the Taj look plausible.
Cost
53. The cost of the Taj is nowhere recorded in Shahjahan's court papers
because Shahjahan never built the Tajmahal. That is why wild estimates
of the cost by gullible writers have ranged from 4 million to 91.7 million
rupees.
Period Of Construction
54. Likewise the period of construction has been guessed to be anywhere
between 10 years and 22 years. There would have not been any scope for
guesswork had the building construction been on record in the court papers.
Architects
55. The designer of the Tajmahal is also variously mentioned as Essa
Effendy, a Persian or Turk, or Ahmed Mehendis or a Frenchman, Austin deBordeaux,
or Geronimo Veroneo, an Italian, or Shahjahan himself.
Records Don't Exist
56. Twenty thousand labourers are supposed to have worked for 22 years
during Shahjahan's reign in building the Tajmahal. Had this been true,
there should have been available in Shahjahan's court papers design drawings,
heaps of labour muster rolls, daily expenditure sheets, bills and receipts
of material ordered, and commisioning orders. There is not even a scrap
of paper of this kind.
57. It is, therefore, court flatterers, blundering historians, somnolent
archeologists, fiction writers, senile poets, careless tourists officials
and erring guides who are responsible for hustling the world into believing
in Shahjahan's mythical authorship of the Taj.
58. Description of the gardens around the Taj of Shahjahan's time mention
Ketaki, Jai, Jui, Champa, Maulashree, Harshringar and Bel. All these are
plants whose flowers or leaves are used in the worship of Hindu deities.
Bel leaves are exclusively used in Lord Shiva's worship. A graveyard is
planted only with shady trees because the idea of using fruit and flower
from plants in a cemetary is abhorrent to human conscience. The presence
of Bel and other flower plants in the Taj garden is proof of its having
been a Shiva temple before seizure by Shahjahan.
59. Hindu temples are often built on river banks and sea beaches. The
Taj is one such built on the bank of the Yamuna river an ideal location
for a Shiva temple.
60. Prophet Mohammad has ordained that the burial spot of a muslim
should be inconspicous and must not be marked by even a single tombstone.
In flagrant violation of this, the Tajamhal has one grave in the basement
and another in the first floor chamber both ascribed to Mumtaz. Those two
centotaphs were infact erected by Shahjahan to bury the two tier Shivalingas
that were consecrated in the Taj. It is customary for Hindus to install
two Shivalingas one over the other in two stories as may be seen in the
Mahankaleshwar temple in Ujjain and the Somnath temple raised by Ahilyabai
in Somnath Pattan.
61. The Tajmahal has identical entrance arches on all four sides. This
is a typical Hindu building style known as Chaturmukhi, i.e., four faced.
The Hindu Dome
62. The Tajmahal has a reverberating dome. Such a dome is an absurdity
for a tomb which must ensure peace and silence. Contrarily reverberating
domes are a neccesity in Hindu temples because they create an ecstatic
dinmultiplying and magnifying the sound of bells, drums and pipes accompanying
the worship of Hindu deities.
63. The Tajmahal dome bears a lotus cap. Original Islamic domes have
a bald top as is exemplified by the Pakistan Embassy in Chanakyapuri, New
Delhi, and the domes in the Pakistan's newly built capital Islamabad.
64. The Tajmahal entrance faces south. Had the Taj been an Islamic
building it should have faced the west.
Tomb is the Grave, not the Building
65. A widespread misunderstanding has resulted in mistaking the building
for the grave.Invading Islam raised graves in captured buildings in every
country it overran. Therefore, hereafter people must learn not to confound
the building with the grave mounds which are grafts in conquered buildings.
This is true of the Tajmahal too. One may therefore admit (for arguments
sake) that Mumtaz lies buried inside the Taj. But that should not be construed
to mean that the Taj was raised over Mumtaz's grave.
66. The Taj is a seven storied building. Prince Aurangzeb also mentions
this in his letter to Shahjahan (Refer to the Figure 1 above). The marble
edifice comprises four stories including the lone, tall circular hall inside
the top, and the lone chamber in the basement. In between are two floors
each containing 12 to 15 palatial rooms. Below the marble plinth reaching
down to the river at the rear are two more stories in red stone. They may
be seen from the river bank. The seventh storey must be below the ground
(river) level since every ancient Hindu building had a subterranian storey.
67. Immediately bellow the marble plinth on the river flank are 22
rooms in red stone with their ventilators all walled up by Shahjahan. Those
rooms, made uninhibitably by Shahjahan, are kept locked by Archealogy Department
of India. The lay visitor is kept in the dark about them. Those 22 rooms
still bear ancient Hindu paint on their walls and ceilings. On their side
is a nearly 33 feet long corridor. There are two door frames one at either
end ofthe corridor. But those doors are intriguingly sealed with brick
and lime.
68. Apparently those doorways originally sealed by Shahjahan have been
since unsealed and again walled up several times. In 1934 a resident of
Delhi took a peep inside from an opening in the upper part of the doorway.
To his dismay he saw huge hall inside. It contained many statues huddled
around a central beheaded image of Lord Shiva. It could be that, in there,
are Sanskrit inscriptions too. All the seven stories of the Tajmahal need
to be unsealed and scoured to ascertain what evidence they may be hiding
in the form of Hindu images, Sanskrit inscriptions, scriptures, coins and
utensils.
69. Apart from Hindu images hidden in the sealed stories it is also
learnt that Hindu images are also stored in the massive walls of the Taj.
Between 1959 and 1962 when Mr. S.R. Rao was the Archealogical Superintendent
in Agra, he happened to notice a deep and wide crack in the wall of the
central octagonal chamber of the Taj. When a part of the wall was dismantled
to study the crack out popped two or three marble images. The matter was
hushed up and the images were reburied where they had been embedded at
Shahjahan's behest. Confirmation of this has been obtained from several
sources. It was only when I began my investigation into the antecedents
of the Taj I came across the above information which had remained a forgotten
secret. What better proof is needed of the Temple origin of the Tajmahal?
Its walls and sealed chambers still hide in Hindu idols that were consecrated
in it before Shahjahan's seizure of the Taj.
Pre-Shahjahan References to the Taj
70. Apparently the Taj as a central palace seems to have an chequered
history. The Taj was perhaps desecrated and looted by every Muslim invader
from Mohammad Ghazni onwards but passing into Hindu hands off and on, the
sanctity of the Taj as a Shiva temple continued to be revived after every
muslim onslaught. Shahjahan was the last muslim to desecrate the Tajmahal
alias Tejomahalay.
71. Vincent Smith records in his book titled `Akbar the Great Moghul'
that `Babur's turbulent life came to an end in his garden palace in Agra
in 1630'. That palace was none other than the Tajmahal.
72. Babur's daughter Gulbadan Begum in her chronicle titled Humayun
Namarefers to the Taj as the Mystic House.
73. Babur himself refers to the Taj in his memoirs as the palace captured
by Ibrahim Lodi containing a central octagonal chamber and having pillars
on the four sides. All these historical references allude to the Taj 100
years before Shahjahan.
74. The Tajmahal precincts extend to several hundred yards in all directions.
Across the river are ruins of the annexes of the Taj, the bathing ghats
and a jetty for the ferry boat. In the Victoria gardens outside covered
with creepers is the long spur of the ancient outer wall ending in a octagonal
red stone tower. Such extensive grounds all magnificently done up, are
a superfluity for a grave.
75. Had the Taj been specially built to bury Mumtaz, it should not
have been cluttered with other graves. But the Taj premises contain several
graves atleast in its eastern and southern pavilions.
76. In the southern flank, on the other side of the Tajganj gate are
buried in identical pavilions queens Sarhandi Begum, and Fatehpuri Begum
and a maid Satunnisa Khanum. Such parity burial can be justified only if
the queens had been demoted or the maid promoted. But since Shahjahan had
commandeered (not built) the Taj, he reduced it general to a muslim cemetary
as was the habit of all his Islamic predeccssors, and buried a queen in
a vacant pavillion and a maid in another idenitcal pavilion.
77. Shahjahan was married to several other women before and after Mumtaz.
She, therefore, deserved no special consideration in having a wonder mausoleum
built for her.
78. Mumtaz was a commoner by birth and so she did not qualify for a
fairyland burial.
79. Mumtaz died in Burhanpur which is about 600 miles from Agra. Her
grave there is intact. Therefore, the centotaphs raised in stories of the
Taj in her name seem to be fakes hiding in Hindu Shiva emblems.
80. Shahjahan seems to have simulated Mumtaz's burial in Agra to find
a pretext to surround the temple palace with his fierce and fanatic troops
and remove all the costly fixtures in his treasury. This finds confirmation
in the vague noting in the Badshahnama which says that the Mumtaz's (exhumed)
body was brought to Agra from Burhanpur and buried `next year'. An official
term would not use a nebulous term unless it is to hide some thing.
81. A pertinent consideration is that a Shahjahan who did not build
any palaces for Mumtaz while she was alive, would not build a fabulous
mausoleum for a corpse which was no longer kicking or clicking.
82. Another factor is that Mumtaz died within two or three years of
Shahjahan becoming an emperor. Could he amass so much superflous wealth
in that short span as to squander it on a wonder mausoleum?
83. While Shahjahan's special attachment to Mumtaz is nowhere recorded
in history his amorous affairs with many other ladies from maids to mannequins
including his own daughter Jahanara, find special attention in accounts
of Shahjahan's reign. Would Shahjahan shower his hard earned wealth on
Mumtaz's corpse?
84. Shahjahan was a stingy, usurious monarch. He came to throne murdering
all his rivals. He was not therefore, the doting spendthrift that he is
made out to be.
85. A Shahjahan disconsolate on Mumtaz's death is suddenly credited
with a resolve to build the Taj. This is a psychological incongruity. Grief
is a disabling, incapacitating emotion.
86. A infatuated Shahjahan is supposed to have raised the Taj over
the dead Mumtaz, but carnal, physical sexual love is again a incapacitating
emotion. A womaniser is ipso facto incapable of any constructive activity.
When carnal love becomes uncontrollable the person either murders somebody
or commits suicide. He cannot raise a Tajmahal. A building like the Taj
invariably originates in an ennobling emotion like devotion to God, to
one's mother and mother country or power and glory.
87. Early in the year 1973, chance digging in the garden in front of
the Taj revealed another set of fountains about six feet below the present
fountains. This proved two things. Firstly, the subterranean fountains
were there before Shahjahan laid the surface fountains. And secondly that
those fountains are aligned to the Taj that edifice too is of pre Shahjahan
origin. Apparently the garden and its fountains had sunk from annual monsoon
flooding and lack of maintenance for centuries during the Islamic rule.
88. The stately rooms on the upper floor of the Tajmahal have been
striped of their marble mosaic by Shahjahan to obtain matching marble for
raising fake tomb stones inside the Taj premises at several places. Contrasting
with the rich finished marble ground floor rooms the striping of the marble
mosaic covering the lower half of the walls and flooring of the upper storey
have given those rooms a naked, robbed look. Since no visitors are allowed
entry to the upper storey this despoilation by Shahjahan has remained a
well guarded secret. There is no reason why Shahjahan's loot of the upper
floor marble should continue to be hidden from the public even after 200
years of termination of Moghul rule.
89. Bernier, the French traveller has recorded that no non muslim was
allowed entry into the secret nether chambers of the Taj because there
are some dazzling fixtures there. Had those been installed by Shahjahan
they should have been shown the public as a matter of pride. But since
it was commandeered Hindu wealth which Shahjahan wanted to remove to his
treasury, he didn't want the public to know about it.
90. The approach to Taj is dotted with hillocks raised with earth dugout
from foundation trenches. The hillocks served as outer defences of the
Taj building complex. Raising such hillocks from foundation earth, is a
common Hindu device of hoary origin. Nearby Bharatpur provides a graphic
parallel. Peter Mundy has recorded that Shahjahan employed thousands of
labourers to level some of those hillocks. This is a graphic proof of the
Tajmahal existing before Shahjahan.
91. At the backside of the river bank is a Hindu crematorium, several
palaces, Shiva temples and bathings of ancient origin. Had Shahjahan built
the Tajmahal, he would have destroyed the Hindu features.
92. The story that Shahjahan wanted to build a Black marble Taj across
the river, is another motivated myth. The ruins dotting the other side
of the river are those of Hindu structures demolished during muslim invasions
and not the plinth of another Tajmahal. Shahjahan who did not even build
the white Tajmahal would hardly ever think of building a black marble Taj.
He was so miserly that he forced labourers to work gratis even in the superficial
tampering neccesary to make a Hindu temple serve as a Muslim tomb.
93. The marble that Shahjahan used for grafting Koranic lettering in
the Taj is of a pale white shade while the rest of the Taj is built of
a marble with rich yellow tint. This disparity is proof of the Koranic
extracts being a superimposition.
94. Though imaginative attempts have been made by some historians to
foist some fictitious name on history as the designer of the Taj others
more imaginative have credited Shajahan himself with superb architechtural
proficiency and artistic talent which could easily concieve and plan the
Taj even in acute bereavment. Such people betray gross ignorance of history
in as much as Shajahan was a cruel tyrant ,a great womaniser and a drug
and drink addict.
95. Fanciful accounts about Shahjahan commisioning the Taj are all
confused. Some asserted that Shahjahan ordered building drawing from all
over the world and chose one from among them. Others assert that a man
at hand was ordered to design a mausoleum amd his design was approved.
Had any of those versions been true Shahjahan's court papers should have
had thousands of drawings concerning the Taj. But there is not even a single
drawing. This is yet another clinching proof that Shahjahan did not commision
the Taj.
96. The Tajmahal is surrounded by huge mansions which indicate that
several battles have been waged around the Taj several times.
97. At the south east corner of the Taj is an ancient royal cattle
house. Cows attached to the Tejomahalay temple used to reared there. A
cowshed is an incongruity in an Islamic tomb.
98. Over the western flank of the Taj are several stately red stone
annexes. These are superflous for a mausoleum.
99. The entire Taj complex comprises of 400 to 500 rooms. Residential
accomodation on such a stupendous scale is unthinkable in a mausoleum.
100. The neighbouring Tajganj township's massive protective wall also
encloses the Tajmahal temple palace complex. This is a clear indication
that the Tejomahalay temple palace was part and parcel of the township.
A street of that township leads straight into the Tajmahal. The Tajganj
gate is aligned in a perfect straight line to the octagonal red stone garden
gate and the stately entrance arch of the Tajmahal. The Tajganj gatebesides
being central to the Taj temple complex, is also put on a pedestal. The
western gate by which the visitors enter the Taj complex is a camparatively
minor gateway. It has become the entry gate for most visitors today because
the railway station and the bus station are on that side.
101. The Tajmahal has pleasure pavillions which a tomb would never
have.
102. A tiny mirror glass in a gallery of the Red Fort in Agra reflects
the Taj mahal. Shahjahan is said to have spent his last eight years of
life as a prisoner in that gallery peering at the reflected Tajmahal and
sighing in the name of Mumtaz. This myth is a blend of many falsehoods.
Firstly, old Shajahan was held prisoner by his son Aurangzeb in the basement
storey in the Fort and not in an open, fashionable upper storey. Secondly,
the glass piece was fixed in the 1930's by Insha Allah Khan, a peon of
the archaelogy dept.just to illustrate to the visitors how in ancient times
the entire apartment used to scintillate with tiny mirror pieces reflecting
the Tejomahalay temple a thousand fold. Thirdly, a old decrepit Shahjahan
with pain in his joints and cataract in his eyes, would not spend his day
craning his neck at an awkward angle to peer into a tiny glass piece with
bedimmed eyesight when he could as well his face around and have full,
direct view of the Tjamahal itself. But the general public is so gullible
as to gulp all such prattle of wily, unscrupulous guides.
103. That the Tajmahal dome has hundreds of iron rings sticking out
of its exterior is a feature rarely noticed. These are made to hold Hindu
earthen oil lamps for temple illumination.
104. Those putting implicit faith in Shahjahan authorship of the Taj
have been imagining Shahjahan-Mumtaz to be a soft hearted romantic pair
like Romeo and Juliet. But contemporary accounts speak of Shahjahan as
a hard hearted ruler who was constantly egged on to acts of tyranny and
cruelty, by Mumtaz.
105. School and College history carry the myth that Shahjahan reign
was a golden period in which there was peace and plenty and that Shahjahan
commisioned many buildings and patronized literature. This is pure fabrication.
Shahjahan did not commision even a single building as we have illustrated
by a detailed analysis of the Tajmahal legend. Shahjahn had to enrage in
48 military campaigns during a reign of nearly 30 years which proves that
his was not a era of peace and plenty.
106. The interior of the dome rising over Mumtaz's centotaph has a
representation of Sun and cobras drawn in gold. Hindu warriors trace their
origin to the Sun. For an Islamic mausoleum the Sun is redundant. Cobras
are always associated with Lord Shiva.
Forged Documents
107. The muslim caretakers of the tomb in the Tajmahal used to possess
a document which they styled as Tarikh-i-Tajmahal. Historian H.G. Keene
has branded it as a document of doubtful authenticity. Keene was uncannily
right since we have seen that Shahjahan not being the creator of the Tajmahal
any document which credits Shahjahn with the Tajmahal, must be an outright
forgery. Even that forged document is reported to have been smuggled out
of Pakistan. Besides such forged documents there are whole chronicles on
the Taj which are pure concoctions.
108. There is lot of sophistry and casuistry or atleast confused thinking
associated with the Taj even in the minds of proffesional historians, archaelogists
and architects. At the outset they assert that the Taj is entirely Muslim
in design. But when it is pointed out that its lotus capped dome and the
four corner pillars etc. are all entirely Hindu those worthies shift ground
and argue that that was probably because the workmen were Hindu and were
to introduce their own patterns. Both these arguments are wrong because
Muslim accounts claim the designers to be Muslim, and the workers invariably
carry out the employer's dictates.
The Taj is only a typical illustration of how all historic buildings and townships from Kashmir to Cape Comorin though of Hindu origin have been ascribed to this or that Muslim ruler or courtier.
It is hoped that people the world over who study Indian history will
awaken to this new finding and revise their erstwhile beliefs.
Those interested in an indepth study of the above and many other revolutionary
rebuttals may read Shri P.N. Oak's other research books.
A similar article from PN Oak 110 points: http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/tajmahal.html