TAJ MAHAL AND THE GREAT BRITISH CONSPIRACY 1/4
big_b...@my-dejanews.com
AND
THE GREAT BRITISH CONSPIRACY : Part I
By V.S. Godbole
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PREFACE
Prof.P.N.Oak of New Delhi, put forward a theory in 1965 that the Taj Mahal
was not a mausoleum built by Shahjahan but a Rajput Palace. In 1968 he found
a confession to that effect in Shahjahan's official chronicle Badshahnama and
in 1974 he came across Au rangzeb's letter of 1652 [the year when Taj Mahal
is supposed to have been just completed] complaining that Taj Mahal was
leaking all over. In 1978 I read his extended book The Taj Mahal is a Temple
Palace. Over the next two years I went through all th e references and was
convinced of his assertion. My paper Taj Mahal- Simple Analysis of a Great
Deception was appreciated by some prominent European scholars in 1980.
Dr V V Bedekar of Thane [India] started a historical quarterly named itihas
patrika in March 1982. He published my paper on Taj Mahal in the first issue
of the quarterly. He also published my extended paper as a booklet in March
1986.
In 1981 my research went deeper. I asked myself, " Were the British scholars
just a third neutral party who were misled by the prolonged misuse of Hindu
buildings as Mosques and Tombs and were not cunning enough to see through
chauvinistic Muslim claims ?
Or did they know the truth about Taj Mahal and other monuments all along but
had, for political reasons, vowed to hide the truth ? "
By the end of 1981 I prepared an eighty page dossier on the subject. When I
placed the information in a chronological order I was surprised at my
findings. There was a British conspiracy of suppression of truth about Taj
Mahal and other monuments over the last 200 years. The main personalities
involved either knew each other and/or referred to works of each other. As
the time passed by new information came to light which confirmed my findings.
Some important, contemporary events were added to give the rea ders a better
picture of the times. These may be ignored if reader is not familiar with
them.
The Chronology was serialised in the itihas patrika during September 1983 and
September 1985. It is now being made available as a thesis, with some
modifications and additions to the original series.
My Architect friends M/s Paithankar and Pradhan suggested improvements to
presentation and checked my typing meticulously. My wife Mrs Vinita and my
daughters Vaidehi and Varsha supported me throughout. Dr Bedekar has made this
publication possible. I am grateful to them all.
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V.S.Godbole
14 Turnberry Walk
Bedford, MK 41 8 AZ
U.K
10 January 1994
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CONTENTS
Part
Period And Main Event
Pages
I
1784 to 1853 : Rise of the British Power in India 1 to 27
II
1854 to 1875 : Aftermath of the Indian War of Independence 28 to 51
III
1876 to 1885 : Rise of Lokamanya Tilak 52 to 73
IV
1886 to 1906 : High noon of the British Raj 74 to 100
V
1907 to 1921 : Age of Revolutionaries and Civil Disobedience 101 to 127
VI
1922 to 1948 : India wins freedom 128 to 158
VII
1949 to 1984 : Post Indian Independence 159 to 202
VIII
1784 to 1984 : Two hundred years in retrospect 203 to 265
IX
The Great British Conspiracy 266 to 298
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PART I : 1784 to 1853 RISE OF THE BRITISH POWER IN INDIA
1784 On 15 January, Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded in Calcutta by 30
officers of the East India Company. Sir William Jones was the President for
first ten years.
1785
Charles Wilkins translates Bhagvad Geeta into English.
1786 Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell, two English painters
visited India at the request of the East India Company. They made several
paintings and sketches of various scenes of daily life in India and of
objects of interest such as temples. They visited Taj Mahal in January 1789.
After visiting many other places they returned to England in 1794.
1787
Charles Wilkins translates Hitopadesha from Sanskrit into English.
1788
Lt-Col William Henry Sleeman was born. He is well known for his book Rambles
and Recollections of an Indian Official published in 1844.
1789
The French Revolution.
1790 Sir William Jones translates Shakuntala the famous drama by Kalidas,
from Sanskrit into English. The Calcutta edition was followed by two London
editions within the space of three years.
1794 November/December : Thomas Twining, an eighteen year old employee of the
[English] East India Company visited Taj Mahal, Agra and Delhi. [Sir William
Jones, the second Englishman who learnt Sanskrit, Mahadaji Shinde and
Anandibai of Peshwa family die.]
1795 Thomas and William Daniell published Oriental Scenery - 24 views taken
in 1789- 90. Plate no. XVIII shows the principal gate leading to the Taje
Mah'l. The description reads, " The Taje Mah'l is a mausoleum of white marble
built by the Emperor Shahjehan in the year 1631, for his favourite Queen [but
no name is given].....The Emperor also lies interred here "
1801 The book Oriental Scenery contained only two minor views of Taj Mahal.
Daniells were probably criticised for not showing the mausoleum in greater
detail. They therefore published two good views and a plan of Taj Mahal in
the booklet Views of the Taje Mahe l at the city of Agra in Hindoostan taken
in 1789. The plan shows minute details of the Taj complex and the Tajganj
market on the south side of Taj. The main question is - who prepared it ?
Daniells were painters and had neither the time nor skills for pr eparing the
plan. It has been drawn to a scale which seems to be 5 1/2 inches to 1000
foot [R.F 1/2185]
On the plan Daniells name various structures. They also give the following
information :
River Jumna 500 Guz in width. A Guz is 2 ft 9 inches. The breadth of the river
is not in proportion to the Scale.
A marble platform 19 ft high on which is erected the Taje Mahel.
The so called Jawab is described as " A building corresponding in general form
with the Mosque." The word Jawab is not used. In the booklet accompanying the
plan we find :
p 3 " This majestic edifice stands on the Southern bank of the River Jumna,
and was erected by the Emperor Shah Jahan as a Mausoleum for his favourite
wife Mumtaza Zamani. ..... Stretched on an immense basement 40 feet high and
900 in length. ...."
p 4 " ... the dimensions of which ( i.e. whole complex ) are about 3000 feet
in length, and 900 in width, and its whole area is enclosed by a strong
wall."
p 5 " ... The building on the right with three marble domes is a Mosque; the
one on the left, though similar in its general form, differs in its internal
arrangement and decorations, having been appropriated to the accommodation of
visitors of distinction ..."
p 7 " This Mausoleum was begun to be built in the fifth year of the Emperor
Shah Jehan and the whole completed in sixteen years four months and twenty one
days, at the expense of 9,815,426 Rupees 13 Annas 3 paisa. The Emperor it is
said, intended also to have erected a Mausoleum of corresponding magnificence
for himself on the opposite side of the river, which is more than a quarter of
a mile wide, and to have connected them by a bridge of white marble. ..."
Moreover, in the plan, in place of the tomb of Satiunnisa Khanum we see the
tomb of Futtehporee and in place of the tomb of Sarhani Begum we see the tomb
of Akabarabadee. [This is also confirmed by Fanny Parks. See events of 1850]
This raises the question. " How did the historians decide that these tombs
belong to Satiunnisa Khanum [South-West corner] and Sarhani Begum ?
[South-East corner]
Historian Yadunath Sarkar tells us, "......Akbar made it a rule that the
concubines of the Mughal Emperors shall be named after the places of their
birth or the towns in which they were admitted to the harem. Hence, we have
ladies surnamed Akbarabadi, Fat epuri, Aurangabadi and Udaipuri....." [Ref :
Anecdotes of Aurangzeb and Other Historical Essays by Yadunath Sarkar,
published by M.C.Sarkar & Sons, 1912, page 46]
About 150 ft north of the above two tombs, we see apartments for female
attendants to Ladies of Rank and surrounding these apartments are several pawn
[i.e. paan] bazars. [What is their purpose in a tomb ?]
1803
A treaty was signed at Bassein between the East India Company and the Maratha
Peshwa Bajirao II.
The English capture Agra from Shinde [Scindia].
1808
James Fergusson, son of an Ayrshire doctor, and Sir Henry Miers Elliot were
born. Fergusson became a pioneer of History of Architecture. Elliot became
famous for his works History of India as told by its own historians.
1809
Sleeman arrives at Calcutta to join the Army of the East India Company.
1810 Captain Taylor of the East India Company carries out some repairs to Taj
Mahal.
1811
The ninth edition of the English translation of Tavernier's Travels in India
was published. [22nd edition of the original book in French was published in
1810].
The title of the first edition, published in 1677 is - The Six Voyages
Through Turkey etc. In the first edition, in part II - Travels in India,
Tavernier says on page 50, "....of all the Monuments that are to be seen at
Agra, that of the Wife of Cha-jehan is the most magnificent; [Note :
Tavernier does not give her name.] He caus'd it to be set up on purpose near
the Tasimacan, to which all Strangers must come, [so] that they should admire
it. [Shahjahan, a grief- stricken emperor, wanted to make an exhibition of
his sorrow !] The Tasimacan is a great Bazar, or Market-place, compos'd of
six great Courts, all encompassed with Portico's; under which there are
Warehouses for Merchants; and where there is a prodigious quantity of
Calicuts vended. The Monument of this Begum, [ Who?] or Sultaness, stands on
the East-side of the City upon the River- side, in a great place enclosed
with Walls. .....You enter into this place through a large Portal: and
presently upon the left hand you espy a fair Gallery, that looks towards
Mecca ; wherein there are three or four Niches, wherein the Mufti comes at
certain hours to pray....On the top there is a Cupola, little less
magnificent than that of Val de Grace in Paris; it is cover'd within and
without with black Marble, the middle being of Brick." [Note : Tavernier's
information is quite correct. The dome is made up of 13 ft 6 inches or 4.12
metre thick brickwork, the marble is 6 inches or 150 mm thick and is used as
a lining only.
Ref
1. Archaeological Survey of India Report for the year 1936-37, p 3
2. Report on Repairs to Taj Mahal, Agra by the Indian Water-proofing Company
1943, p 6]
" Under this Cupola is an empty Tomb, for the Begum is interr'd under the Arch
of the lowest Platform. The same change of Ceremonies which is observed under
ground, is observed above. For they change the Tapestries, Candles and other
Ornaments at several times and there are always Mollahs attending to pray. I
saw the beginning and compleating of this great work, that cost two and twenty
years labour, and twenty thousand men always at work; so that you cannot
conceive but that the Expence must be excessive . Cha-jehan had begun to raise
his own Monument on the other side of the River; but the Wars with his Son,
broke off that design, nor did Aurangzeb, now reigning, ever take any care to
finish it. There is a Eunuch who commands two thousand men, that is en trusted
to guard not only the Sepulcher of the Begum, but also the Tasimacan." [Note :
Tavernier is obviously writing before 1666. Shahjahan died on 22 January 1666
in internment in the Red Fort of Agra and was buried in Taj]
" When you come to Agra from the Dehly, you meet a great Bazar; near to which
there is a Garden, where the King Jehanguire, Father of Cha-jehan lies
interr'd." [Note : This is utterly wrong. Jehangir died in October 1627 and is
interred near Lahore, some 400 miles away. Tavernier was a French jewel
merchant. He made seven voyages to India in the 17th century.]
1813 Memoir of the War in India by Major Thorn was published. He describes
the Tauje Mahal on pages 197 to 203. He says, p 198 "......The ascent to the
Tauje from the garden is by a noble flight of marble steps leading to an
extensive terrace about 60 ft high and 400 ft square in the centre of which
stands the mausoleum."
p 200 "....The tomb of the emperor has an inscription in Persian but that of
his partner, has one in the Hindoostanee language."
p 202 ".....The door at the grand entrance was originally of jasper, but this
valuable relic has been taken away by the barbarous Jauts, who also plundered
the place of as many precious stones as they could easily pick out.
.......This celebrated work whi ch was begun within a few months after the
death of the sultana, took 11 years in building and as many more were
occupied in adding to its ornaments." [i.e. it took 11+11 = 22 years as told
by Tavernier.]
p 203 ".....the whole of which ( costly stones ) were placed under the
direction of the most able artists and occupied the labour of 20000 persons.
The mere expense of the workmanship amounted to no less than a sum of 96 lacs
of rupee, about =A31 million. F or the protection of the place and to keep it
in order, a company of artillery and a battalion of infantry were constantly
kept on the spot. [All this for the protection of a mausoleum ? and that too
of a beloved wife of a benevolent king ?]. .....It was the intention of Shah
Jahan to have erected a similar structure for himself on the other side of
the river opposite to the Tauje Mahal; and which was to have been joined to
it by a magnificent bridge of marble; but though the ground was enclos ed,
and some progress was made in the foundation of the building, the design was
frustrated by the clouds of rebellion ......The name of the amiable woman was
Arjummed Banoo which according to oriental usage was altered on her elevation
[elevation to wha t ?] to that of Moorutaz Zumanee, signifying the paragon of
the age, but afterwards this also was changed to Nourjehan or the light of
the world." [Note : Nourjehan was the step mother of Shahjahan, not his
wife.]
[Our comments : Major Thorn visited Taj Mahal in 1803-04 when the English
captured Agra. He repeats all the information given in Tavernier's book, but
does not say so. Almost all the visitors from this time onwards have done the
same. The word Taj Mahal is mentioned for the first time in Major Thorn's
book.]
British missionaries were allowed to spread Christianity in India under the
rule of East India Company.
1814
Sleeman becomes a Lieutenant in Bengal Army.
Alexander Cunningham was born. He reached the rank of Major-General in the
Army of the East India Company. He was in charge of the Archaeological Survey
of India during 1860-65 and 1870-85.
1814-16
East India Company at war with Nepal.
1817
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Muslim separatist was born.
History of India by James Mill was published.
1818
The English defeat Maratha Peshwa Bajirao II
1823
Max Muller was born in Dessau, Germany. He became a famous professor of
Sanskrit at All Souls College, Oxford.
1824-26
First Anglo-Burmese War. Arakan and Tenasserim provinces were annexed by the
East India Company.
1825
H.G.Keene, younger and Dadabhai Naoroji were born. Keene joined the Indian
Civil Service in 1847. Naoroji was affectionately called The Grand Old Man of
Indian Politics, by Indians.
December - Col. Hodgson of the Bengal Army arrives at Agra for measuring
various dimensions of the Taj Mahal and other buildings and determine the
relationship between the Guz and the Inch.
1826
Bernier's travels in the mogul empire was translated by Irving Brock. [
editions 1891 and 1914]. Bernier was a French Physician who travelled in India
during 1659-67.
On page 272 we find A LETTER TO MONSIEUR DE LA MOTHE VAYER; AND DETAILS
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE GREAT MOGUL'S COURT AND OF THE MANNERS AND GENIUS OF THE
PEOPLE OF INDIA. ( The letter extends to page 340 ) Written at Delhi the 1 st
of July 1663.
Bernier says, pp 333/4 ".. The Dutch have a malt factory in Agra, in which
they generally keep four or five persons.... I do not believe the Dutch will
follow the example of the English and abandon their factory at Agra"
p 334 " I shall finish this letter with a description of the two wonderful
mausoleums, which constitute the chief superiority of Agra over Delhi. One
was erected by Jehan-Guire in honour of his father Acbar; and Shah-Jehan
raised the other to the memory o f his wife Taje-Mahil, that extra-ordinary
and celebrated beauty......"
p 336 " The last time I visited Taje Mahil's mausoleum I was in the company of
a French merchant. ...."
p 337 " This walk or terrace is wide enough to admit six coaches abreast; it
is paved with large and hard square stones, raised about eight French feet
above the garden; and divided the whole length by a canal faced with hewn
stone and ornamented with fou ntains placed at certain intervals."
" After advancing twenty-five or thirty paces on this terrace, it is worth
while to turn round and view the back ..."
" Resuming the walk along the main terrace you see before you at a distance a
large dome, in which is sepulchre and to the right and left of that dome on a
lower surface you observe several garden walks covered with trees and many
parterres full of flower s."
pp 337/8 " When at the end of the principal walk or terrace besides the dome
that faces you, are discovered two large pavilions, one to the right, another
to the left; both built with the same kind of stone, consequently of the same
red colour as the firs t pavilion .... I shall not stop to speak of the
interior ornaments of the two pavilions, because they scarcely differ in
regard to the walls, ceiling, or pavement from the dome which I am going to
describe. ... From the middle of this space you have a good view of the
building which contain the tomb, and which we are now to examine."
p 338 " This building is a vast dome of white marble nearly of the same
height as the Val De Grace of Paris and encircled by a number of turrets,
also of white marble, descending the one below the other in regular
succession. The whole fabric is supported by four great arches, three of
which are quite open and the other closed up by the wall of apartment with a
gallery attached to it. There the Koran is continually read with apparent
devotion in respectful memory of Taje Mahil by certain moolahs kept in t he
mausoleum for that purpose. The centre of every arch is adorned with white
marble slabs whereon are inscribed large Arabian characters in black marble.
... Every where are seen the jasper and hyacinth and or jade, as well as
other stones similar to those that enrich the walls of the Grand Duke's
chapel at Florence, and several more of great value and rarity, set in an
endless variety of modes. .... Even the squares of white and black marble
which compose the pavement are inlaid with these precious stones in the most
beautiful and delicate manner imaginable."
p 339 " Under the dome is a small chamber, wherein is enclosed the tomb of
Taje- Mahil. It is opened with much ceremony once in a year and once only,
and as no Christian is admitted within lest its sanctity should be profaned,
I have not seen the interior, but I understand that nothing can be conceived
more rich and magnificent."
p 340 " It only remains to draw your attention to a walk or terrace, nearly
five and twenty paces in breadth and rather more in height, which runs from
the dome to the extremity of the gardens. From this terrace are seen the
Jumna flowing below a large ex panse of luxuriant gardens - a part of the
city of Agra - the fortress - and all the fine residences of the omrahs
erected on the banks of the river."
[Note: The book was first published in French in 1670, second edition in 1671.
Four editions were published in Amsterdam between 1672 and 1710, five in Lay
Haye between 1671 and 1725, one in Frankfurt in 1672-3, one in Milan in 1675.
English translations were published in London in 1671, 1672, 1676 and 1684]
Sleeman was promoted to Captain.
1828 Narrative of a Journey Through the Upper Province of India by
Rt.Rev.Reginald Heber; Lord Bishop of Calcutta, was published. In volume I
pages 589-90 he tells us: " January 13, 1824....I went to see the celebrated
Tage Mahal.....The surrounding garden, which as well as the Tage itself is
kept in excellent order by Government ... The Tage contains, as usual a
central hall in which enclosed within a screen of elaborate tracery are the
tombs of Begum Noor-Jehan Shahjahan's beloved wife, to whom it was erected
and by her side of the unfortunate Emperor himself.......The Jumna washes one
side of the garden and there are some remains of a bridge, which was designed
by Shahjahan with the intention, as the story goes, to build a second Tage of
equal beauty for his own separate place of internment on the opposite side of
the river.
Lord Bentinck was appointed Governor General of India (till 1835).
1829
Indians were allowed to join the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
1830 Taj Mahal was mentioned for the first time under AGRA in the 7th edition
of Encyclopaedia Britannica [E.B.] The information on Taj Mahal as given in
Bishop Heber's book of 1828 is repeated. [First edition of E.B. was published
in 1768.]
1831
Taj Mahal was put on sale as a scrap by the Governor General Lord Bentinck.
[News item in the newspaper John Bull of Calcutta of 26th July 1831]. The
highest bid received was for 1.5 lakhs of rupees or about =A315,000 at 1831
prices.
1832 Journal of a Tour in India by Captain G.C.Mundy was published. He made
some tours in India as an A.D.C. to Lord Combermere, Commander-in-Chief of
the Indian Army. He describes Taj Mahal on pages 54 to 57. He says :- " 8
January 1828.....In the evening we visited the far famed Taj, a mausoleum
erected by the Great Emperor Shah Jahan over the remains of his favourite and
beautiful wife Arjemund Banu or as she was surnamed Mumtaza Zemani" "......In
many places the more valuable pebbles have been fraudently extracted, an act
of sacrilegious brigandage imputed to the Jats who had possession of Agra for
some time, and carried off to their capital Bhurtpore many of the extravagant
bequest which Shah Jahan left to his favour ite city. Amongst other plunder
they bore away, Sampson like, the brazen gates of the citadel of immense
value which are supposed to be still buried in Bhurtpore, as we failed to
discover them on our warlike visit to that fortress in 1826." [In other
words, the English would have liked to take away those valuables themselves
to England.]
" The dome of the Taj is about 250 ft high and is as well as the 4 minarets
at the angles of terrace, entirely built of the most snowy marble. It was a
work of 20 years and 14 days [Mundy invents these figures] and cost Shah
Jahan the sum of 750,000 liv res and although it is said the king compelled
his conquered foes [Who ?] to send marble and stone to the spot unpaid for.
Had Shah Jahan lived long enough, he intended to erect a similar sepulchre
for himself on the opposite bank of the river, and to c onnect the two
buildings by a bridge " [Note : Livre was a French unit of money.]
On page 71 Mundy says, "...It is the custom among the Mohammedans to bury the
body below and have two tombs in the story above."
1833
Tours in Upper India by Major Archer, late A.D.C. to Lord Combermere was
published. In volume I he says :
p 56 " .....January 7, 1828. Marched to Etimadpoor...... Agra is seen from
this place.....The Taje looks well at this distance."
p 57 " January 8 ....Before crossing the river, visited a garden called the
Rambaug, built by Noor Jehan the favourite wife of Shah Jehan."
p 59 "......Crossed the river Jumna by a bridge of boats ...On each side were
fragments of fallen masonry, showing the ruins of a once vast and flourishing
city."
p 60 "... Shah Jehan was the great patron of architecture of his time; the new
town of Delhi and the Taje were also built by him."
p 69 "....Visited the Taje, the cemetery of Shah Jehan and his favourite wife
Noor-Jehan (the light of the world)
- Alexander Cunningham arrives at Calcutta as a lieutenant in the Royal
Engineers. His brother Joseph was also joined the army of the East India
Company. Their father the Scots poet Allan Cunningham, had enlisted the help
of his old friend Walter Scott in procuring commissions for both his boys..
- Christian missionaries from all over the world were allowed to spread
Christianity in India under the rule of the East India Company.
1834
Macaulay arrives in India as the Law Member of the Governor General's Council
(till 1838)
- Coorg was annexed by the East India Company.
1835 English becomes the official language in India under the rule of the
East India Company.
- James Fergusson the pioneer of History of Architecture arrives at Calcutta
for his business activities.
- Fanny Parks visits Taj Mahal ( January ). She was wife of a British customs
officer stationed at Prayag.
1836
Macaulay wrote to his mother on 12th October "... Our English Schools are
flourishing wonderfully. In a single town of Hoogly, 1400 boys are learning
English. The effect of this education is prodigious.....It is my firm belief
that if our plan of educatio n is followed up, there would not be a single
idolater in Bengal in 30 years hence......" [Ref : The Indian War of
Independence 1857 by Veer Savarkar.]
Lt. Col. W.H. Sleeman visits Taj Mahal.
Alexander Cunningham works as an A.D.C. to Governor General Lord Aukland (till
1840 ).
1837
Queen Victoria comes to throne in Britain.
Cunningham carries out archaeological excavations at Sanchi.
During the famine relief work, the British authorities demolished the remains
of old palaces upstream of Taj Mahal and even blasted out the foundation to
construct Strand Road.
1838-39
James Fergusson visits various caves in India and makes sketches of the rock
cut temples.
1839
Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab dies. English were busy for next 10 years
trying to capture his kingdom.
Photography was invented.
1840
James Fergusson was elected Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great
Britain and Ireland.
1841 History of India by Mountstuart Elphinstone was published [Elphinstone
was the Resident in Poona : 1811-1818, then Deccan Commissioner and later on
Governor of Bombay : 1819-1827.] Taj Mahal is described on page 602. This
book was later prescribed as a s tandard textbook for the examination of the
ICS and in the universities in India.
- Justice M.G. Ranade, a moderate leader was born.
1842
Alexander Cunningham, Lieutenant in the Bengal Engineers, writes to Col Sykes,
one of the Directors of the East India Company, "..... ( such explorations )
would be an undertaking of vast importance to the Indian Government
politically, and to the British public religiously. To the first body it would
show that India had generally been divided into numerous petty chiefships,
which had invariably been the case upon every successful invasion; while,
whenever she had been under one ruler, she had always repe lled foreign
conquest with determined resolution. To the other body it would show that
Brahmanism, instead of being an unchanged and unchangeable religion which had
subsisted for ages, was of comparatively modern origin and had been constantly
receiving a dditions and alterations; facts which prove that the establishment
of the Christian religion in India must ultimately succeed..." [Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume VII of 1843. The
letter was written from Aligarh on 15th September 1842 and read at the society
on 3rd December 1842.
William Henry Sykes (1790-1872 ) served in India with the East India Company.
He was elected to the Board of Directors of the company in 1840, became deputy
chairman in 1855, chairman in 1856. Member of Parliament, President of Royal
Asiatic Society, 1858].
Abu Imam, a Pakistani Muslim historian comments, "... Buddhism and its
archaeology was therefore to be studied for the cause of promoting
Christianity. For a systematic study of Buddhism, however, the first requisite
was a survey at Government cost." [Alexander Cunningham and Indian Archaeology
by Abu Imam, 1966. pp 40-41]
Archaeology is not therefore, the innocent looking diggings and preservation
of old buildings. It does have political implications and as it remained in
the hands of the British for too long, that created a havoc in India.
1843
Memoir on the length of the Illahee Guz or Imperial Land Measure of Hindostan,
a paper by Col.J.A.Hodgson of Bengal Native Infantry, late Surveyor-General of
India was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great
Britain and Ireland. ( V olume VII of 1843 )
On page 50 he says, ".....In Taj Mahal I also procured from the Darogha [
attendant], a Persian manuscript, compiled by him, purporting to give the
dimensions of several parts of the Taj in the guz measure; I measured many
parts mentioned, but they gave discordant results; and in my report to the
government, I observed that these operations were of no value. The manuscript
was evidently the fabrication of an impostor."
p 51 " .... Being, then, in possession of this valuable description of the
imperial buildings at Agra, I went there in December 1825, ..... for the
purpose of making measurements of the three buildings, and a plan of the Taj
( scale 40 ft to an inch ), wh ich was effected under my superintendence
..... My object, of course, was knowing from the Shah Jehan Nama the lengths
of different parts of the buildings therein described, in the Illahee guz to
find their length in English measure; and from the average of the whole to
attempt to determine the length of the guz in inches and decimal parts."
pp 52/3 " ... This part is in the marble kursi or platform, in the centre of
which the mausoleum stands, as will be seen in the plan. .... The height of
the walls which supports the platform is 18 feet: they are cased with white
marble, as is the entire m ausoleum, both inside and out."
p 54 Here, Hodgson gives measurements of various parts of Taj Mahal, including
" square rooms at the four cardinal points " in the cenotaph.
p 56 c. Description of the Taj and Masjids referred to in page 51. " ...the
mosque and its counterparts, the mihman-khana [i.e. guest house], as well as
the six octagonal pavilions of four stories high, ... compose a most
harmonious whole. Models of the mausoleum and its platform, and the four
minarets, have been exhibited in England. .... It is known that it is
entirely cas ed with white marble, within and without. ...."
".....It must be remembered that this is not a temple but a tomb....."
On pp 57-63 Hodgson gives some Extracts from the Shahjehan Nama, by Muhmmad
Salah Kumbo.
pp 58/60 Remarks on the Mausoleum at Taj Ganj. (This means that Taj Ganj
existed before the mausoleum)
" His Majesty, in the fifth year of his reign, thought upon causing to be
erected the Rauzah, .....had it planned near the Jumna, which river runs to
the north of it. Its foundation was laid from whence water springs, and
architects built of stone and mor tar, making it strong and level with the
bank; ..." [False. the red sandstone is used for lining only, the
construction is of brick.]
" .... a pinnacle in height 15 guz, made of pure gold, which glitters like
sun, has been fixed on its very summit. ..." [At the end of his paper Hodgson
concludes that 1 guz = 31.456 inches. Therefore 15 Guz =39.32 ft]
" On the four cardinal points there are four square rooms of two floors, each
is 6 dirra square, consisting of 4 seats, each of which 4 1/2 dirra long, a
tanhasa before every square room, and a pesh-tak, 16 dirra long, and 25 in
height. In the four corner s there are four octagonal rooms of three stories,
the diameter of each 10 dirra, containing 8 nishemans, the uppermost story of
these places being octagonal dalans or halls, with arched roofs; on the three
sides of these houses are pesh-taks on the outsi de, each 7 dirra long, 4
ditto broad, and 10 ditto high."
" To the eastward of the mausoleum, opposite to the Masjid, a mihman khana has
been constructed, in all respects similar to the Mosque, except that the
peculiarity of the arch, and the darsan of the place of prayer is left out."
In a footnote, Hodgson says that the mihman khana was for the accommodation of
visitors who pay their devotion at the opposite mosque.
p 61 " In the side of this market-place pleasant serais were constructed,
each in length and breadth 160 guz, containing an inclosure of 160 cells.
Further on another chauk 150 long by 100 broad occurs, in the midst of which
a bazar, and two other serais near it are built, where a great variety of
piece goods and different sorts of property from foreign countries are bought
and sold; besides these buildings, a great number of merchants have erected
numerous houses and habitations of pakka work, so much so that the place has
become a large city, by name Moomtazabad. All these royal buildings had taken
twelve years to finish under superintendence of Mukrumut Khan and Mir Abdul
Karim, and their cost amounted to fifty lacs of rupees....."
The paper is accompanied by a survey map of the Taj Mahal, scale 80 ft to 1
inch. Why Hodgson waited for 15 years to submit the paper, after having made
the survey, is a mystery.
- Sind was annexed by the East India Company.
1844
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by Lt.Col W.H.Sleeman was
published. In Volume II page 27 he tells us that he visited Taj Mahal on 1
January 1836. Opposite page 28 are some pictures. They are :
The Taj Mahul or Tomb of Noor Mahal wife of Shah Jahan.
1. Photo of an engrave - normal view of Taj but without the water channel.
2. The Taj Mahul. This shows the two basement stories under the main terrace.
3. The Taj Mahul. Similar to 2 above but the two basement stories are not
clearly visible. It is taken from a different angle and shows part of upstream
palace wall.
4. The Taj from the river - It shows the two basement stories and two doors in
the lowest story, for entry.
5. Marble screen of the tomb in the Taj.
6. Gateway of the Taj.
Sleeman tells us, p 31 " .....Mumtaz died in giving birth to a
daughter.......Before she died, she made two requests - first that Shahjahan
should not marry again after her death, second, that he should build for her
the tomb which he promised to perpetua te her name .....Both her dying
requests were granted." [Note : This is utter nonsense. Mumtaz was in pain
for 30 hours. Moreover, her surviving daughters Jahan-Ara and Roshan-Ara were
18 and 16 years old respectively. Would she ask Shahajahan to promise to find
them suitable husbands or would she ask for a beautiful tomb to be built for
her ?] " Her tomb was commenced upon immediately."
p 32 "........Tavernier saw this building commenced and finished; and tells
that it occupied twenty thousand men for twenty-two years. The mausoleum
itself and all the buildings that appertain to it cost 3,17,48,026, three
crore, seventeen lakks, forty-ei ght thousand and twenty-six rupees, or
3,174,802 pounds sterling; - three million one hundred and seventy-four
thousand eight hundred and two!" [Note : Tavernier does not give any figures
of cost. Sleeman does not say where the figure comes from.]
pp 32/33 "... That on the left or west side, is the only one that can be used
as a mosque or church; because the faces of the audience, and those of all
men at their prayers, must be turned towards the tomb of their prophet to the
west. The pulpit is alwa ys against the dead wall at the back, and the
audience face towards it, standing with their backs to the open front of the
building. The church on the east side is used for the accommodation of
visitors, or for any secular purpose; and was built merely as a " Jowab " (
answer ) to the real one."
p 34 "....This magnificent building and the palaces at Agra and Delhi were, I
believe, designed by Austin de Bordeux, a Frenchman of great talent and
merit....He was called by the natives Oostan Eesau, Nadir-ol-Asur. ....
p 35 " He had finished the palace at Delhi, and the mausoleum and palace of
Agra; when he was sent by the Emperor to settle some affairs of great
importance at Goa. He died at Cochin on his way back; and is supposed to have
been poisoned by the Portuguese ......."
"....Shah Jehan had commenced his own tomb on the opposite side of the Jumna;
and both were to have been united by a bridge. The death of Austin de Bordeux,
and the wars between his [Shahjahan's] sons that followed, prevented the
completion of these mag nificent works." [Note : Sleeman just repeats what
Tavernier says and adds his own fantasy about Austin de Bordeux.]
p 36 ".....We went all over the palace in the fort, a very magnificent
building constructed by Shah Jehan within fortifications raised by his
grandfather Akabar. ....The Marquis of Hastings, when Governor-General of
India, broke up one of the most beautif ul marble baths of this palace to
send home to George IV of England, then Prince Regent, and the rest of the
marble of the suite of apartments from which it had been taken, with all its
exquisite fret-work and mosaic, was afterwards sold by auction, on ac count
of our government, by order of the then Governor-General, Lord W Bentinck.
Had these things fetched the price expected, it is probable that the whole of
the palace, and even the Taj itself, would have been pulled down, and sold in
the same manner .... "
- Handbook of British India by J.H.Stocequeter was published. [Taj Mahal on
page 230]
- Archaeological History of the Ruins of Delhi by Syed Ahmed Khan was
published. For this work he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic
Society of London in 1864.
1845
Travels in India by a German Captain Leopold von Orlich was published. He
describes Taj Mahal in Volume II pages 44-49. He says :
p 44 "....My first excursion was to the Tauje Mahal or the Diamond of
Seraglios, the most beautiful edifice in India. It is situated a mile to the
south of the city, close to the Jumna and was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan,
in honour of his beloved cons ort Mumtaz Mahal."
p 45 ".....We rode along the bank of the river by a road made during the
famine in 1838 and passed the ruins in which the nobles resided during the
reign of Akbar the Great. Here are walls so colossal and solid that they are
preserved in spite of all the violence which they have suffered. We saw
pieces ten feet thick united by a cement which nothing but gunpowder can
break up."
p 47 "....We do not know who was the architect of this building of magic
beauty, but there is much reason to suppose that an Italian was placed by
Shahjahan at the head of the undertaking and was loaded by him with great
honours." [What honours ? and whi ch buildings did this mysterious Italian
Architect design and supervise before being entrusted with Taj Mahal ? Capt.
Orlich does not even hazard a guess. Every historian has ducked this simple
question ever since.]
"...Perhaps he was one of those who are buried in the Catholic Cemetery, and
who according to the date on the tombstone, lived there at that time ". [All
wishful thinking. No names on the tombstones ? No inscriptions saying that
this person was entrusted with the building of a mausoleum of Shah Jahan's
wife ?]
" 11 years were employed in building it and as many more were required for
finishing the ornamental parts." [i.e 11+11= 22 years as told by Tavernier.]
" The Emperor Shah Jahan intended to build a similar sepulchre called Mathob
Baug, for himself, on the opposite side of the Jumna and to connect both by a
splendid marble bridge. He had already commenced the building, ruins of which
are still to be seen, when a rebellion broke out and he was deposed at an
advanced age by his son, Aurangzeb. His remains are deposited near those of
his consort, in an equally costly and beautiful marble sarcophagus." [Note :
The original book in German was translated into English by H.E.Lloyd, who
refers to the kind and valuable assistance of Col. Sykes, a Director of the
East India Company and a personal friend. Captain Orlich was an officer in
the German Army. As t here was peace in Europe, he thought of fighting with
the British in the Afghan War. He approached the Kaiser, who wrote to Queen
Victoria. She made the necessary arrangements. Captain Orlich arrived at
Bombay on 8 August 1842, by that time the Afghan war was over. He then toured
India and was honoured by Governor General Lord Ellenborough. The word of
such a man would be taken as true by the later day readers. But he just
repeats what he read in Tavernier's book. See events of 1811.]
Travels in Kashmir and the Punjab by Baron Von Hugel was published.
1846
The first Anglo-Sikh War.
Sir H M Elliot printed the first volume of his "Supplement to the Glossary of
Indian Terms."
1847
H G Keene joins the Indian Civil Service.
Sir H.M.Elliot becomes Secretary to Government of India in the Foreign
Department.
Max Muller joins All Saints College, Oxford as a lecturer.
Picturesque Illustrations Ancient Architecture in Hindoostan by James
Fergusson was published.
Joseph Cunningham was appointed political agent in Bhopal
1848
Lord Dalhousie, was appointed Governor General of India. [till 1856]
Satara State was annexed by Dalhousie.
H.G.Keene becomes President of the Archaeological Society of Agra [till 1882]
S.N Banerjee, a moderate leader from Bengal was born.
1849
Second Anglo-Sikh War. Alexander Cunningham was involved in the fighting.
Punjab was annexed by Dalhousie.
Sir H M Eliot published the first volume of his "Bibliographical Index to the
Historians of Mohammadan India "
1850
Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque by Fanny Parks was
published. ( Reprint by Oxford University Press 1975 ) Her husband was a
customs officer at Prayag ( Allahabad ). She travelled extensively in North
India during her stay of 24 years. She visited Taj Mahal in January / February
1835.
On page 220 of volume I she says,
".....From the Calcutta John Bull; July 26th 1831. The Governor-general has
sold the beautiful piece of architecture, called the Mootee Musjid, at Agra,
for 125,000 rupees ( about =A312,500 ) and it is now being pulled down! The
taj has also been offered for sale! but the price required has not obtained.
Tw o lacs, however, have been offered for it. Should the taj be pulled down,
it is rumoured that disturbances may take place amongst the natives."
Fanny Parks remarks, " If this be true, is it not shameful ? ..... By what
authority does the Governor-general offer the taj for sale.... It is
impossible the Court of Directors can sanction the sale of the tomb for the
sake of its marble and gems..."
In chapter XXX she describes the monument in detail. She says, " 1835,
January. I have seen the The Taj Mahul. ......The dome of the Taj, like all
domes erected by Muhammadans, is egg-shaped, a form greatly admired, the dome
in Hindu architecture is alway s semicircular ; and it is difficult to
determine to which style building should be awarded the palm of beauty."
" This magnificent monument was raised by Shahjahan to the memory of his
favourite Sultana Arzumund Banoo, on whom, when he ascended the throne, he
bestowed the title of Momtaza Zumani ( the most Exalted of the age ) "
" On the death of Shahjahan, his grandson Alumgeer placed his cenotaph in the
Taj, on the right hand, and close to that of Arzumund Banoo.......[ Note :
Alumgeer was the title assumed by Aurangzeb, who was the son of Shahjahan and
not his grandson.].....F ormerly a screen of silver and gold surrounded it;
but when Alumgeer erected the tomb of Shahjahan by the side of that of the
Sultana, he removed the screen of gold and silver, and replaced it by an
octagonal marble screen." [But why ? Fanny Parks does not say.]
"...The crypt is square ......The small door by which you enter was formerly
of solid silver; it is now formed of rough planks of mango wood."=
" It is customary with Musulmans to erect the cenotaph in an apartment over
the sarcophagus, as may be seen in all the tombs of their celebrated men."
[But why in India only ?]
" Sultana Arzumund Banoo died on 18th July 1631.....To express his respect for
her memory, the emperor raised this tomb, which cost in building the amazing
sum of =A3750,000 sterling." [Fanny Parks does not say how she obtained this
figure. In 1832 Capt. M undy quoted a figure of 750,000 livres.]
"....but we have no record of her beauty, nor have reason to suppose that she
was beautiful. She was the niece of one of the most celebrated women - Noor-
jahan. Many people seeing the beauty of the building confuse the two persons,
and bestow in their ima ginations the beauty of the aunt on the niece."
" [In the cenotaph chamber] There was also a chandelier of agate and another
of silver; these were carried off by the Jat Suruj Mal, who came from the
Deccan and despoiled Agra." [Note : The Jats did not come from the Deccan;
Agra is a part of Jat terr itory.]
" It was the intention of Shahjehan to have erected a mausoleum for himself,
exactly similar to the Taj on the opposite side of the river and the two
buildings were to have been united by a bridge of marble across the Jumna. The
idea was magnificent; but the death of Shahjahan took place in 1666, while he
was a prisoner..."
" The stones were prepared on the opposite side of the Jumna, and were carried
off by the Burtpoor Rajah and a building at Deeg has been formed of those
stones. A part of the foundation of the second Taj is still standing, just
opposite the Taj Mahul...."
[Note : Unfortunately, for all these visitors, one corner tower of the so
called second Taj stands even today, complete with the pinnacle; just compare
it with the Taj towers and the stupidity of the legend becomes obvious. There
is no comparison between the two towers. Moreover, why would one start the
second Taj by building a corner tower first and not the main building ?]
" The Kalun Darwaza or great gateway, is a fine building; the four large and
twenty-two similar domes over the top of the arched entrance are of white
marble; the gateway is of red granite, ornamented with white marble, inlaid
with precious stones."
" From the second story is a fine view of the Taj itself, to which it is
directly opposite.......There are four rooms in this gateway in which
strangers, who are visitors, sometimes live during the hot weather."
" Feb 1st ... All the buildings in the gardens on the right are fitted up for
the reception of visitors, if strangers; they are too cold at this time of
the year, or I would take up my abode in one of the beautiful burj ( turrets
) next to the river." [Note : Why are these rooms never shown to the visitors
?]
" The two jamma khanas are beautiful buildings, on each side of the tomb, of
red stone....One of them is a masjid ....one of the burj near the masjid
contains a fine ba'oli ( well )....The four burj at each corner of the
enclosure are of the most beautifu l architecture. ..... From the one [i.e.
one burj] generally, used as residence by visitors to the tomb, the view of
the Taj, the gardens, the river, and the Fort of Agra beyond, is very fine."
" Beyond the Great Gate, but still within the enclosure of the outer wall of
the Taj, are the tombs of two begams, erected by Shahjahan. The sarcophagus
over the remains of the Fathipooree Begam is of white marble .... On the other
side the enclosure, to correspond with this tomb, is that of the Akbarabadee
Begam......"
" Can you imagine anything so detestable ? European ladies and gentlemen have
the band to play on the marble terrace, and dance quadrilles in front of the
tomb!...."
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