
Thursday 17 May,2012

Artist's impression of the Black Taj Mahal

GENERAL INFORMATION

Taj Mahal Information

Taj Mahal Timings

Taj Mahal by Night

Best time to visit Taj

Taj Mahotsav

Taj Mahal Maps

Directions to the Taj

Taj Mahal Photos

TAJ ARCHITECTURE

Layout of the Taj Mahal

1. Forecourt & Tajganj

2. Gateway to the Taj

3. The Taj Gardens

4. Taj Mahal Exterior

- Taj Mahal Minarets

- Taj Mahal Iwans

- Taj Mahal Drum

- Taj Mahal Dome

- Taj Mahal Finial

- Taj Mahal Chattris

- Taj Mahal Guldasta

5. Taj Mahal Interior

- The Cenotaphs

- The Marble Screen

- Curzon's Brass Lamp

6. The Mosque at the Taj

7. Resthouse at the Taj

Inlay Work at the Taj

Taj Mahal Carvings

Taj Mahal Calligraphy

TAJ MAHAL LEGENDS

Taj built by an Italian?

Was there a black Taj?

Taj Mahal Demolition

Taj Mahal - A Palace?

Taj Mahal - A Temple?

Theft in the Taj

Is the Taj Mahal sinking?

Is the Taj asymmetric?

Third set of grave?

Workers mutiliated?

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Taj Mahal Legends - A Black Taj?

According to legend, Shah Jahan wanted to make another Taj Mahal as his own mausoleum in black marble. Located on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna, he wanted to connect the two by a bridge. He was unable to live his dream because he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb, who later buried him in the Taj itself.

Impression of the Black Taj Mahal

There are evidence that show that plans to build the black Taj may indeed have been. Satellite images show the landscaping on the opposite side of the banks of the Yamuna as a mirror image of the Taj Mahal. This area is called Mehtab Bagh is equal in size to the Taj and is in a straight line too. It is also said that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, one of the first European visitor to the Taj Mahal mentions in his book that Shahjahan died before he could complete work on the black Taj. The other pointer is the placement of Shah Jahan's cenotaph in the Taj. It is completely off centre in the otherwise perfectly symmetrical Taj. This also gives weight to the theory that his burial was an afterthought.