Taj Mahal: Was it a Vedic Temple? The Photographic Evidence

Taj Mahal: Was it a Vedic Temple?
The Photographic Evidence

A Presentation Assembled by Stephen Knapp, Available at www.stephen-knapp.com
This presents photographs (listed below in two collections) and articles that show the Vedic influence found in such buildings as the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and other structures in India. It also presents photos of drawings and art that have been discovered from other parts of the world, such as Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Italy, that show a definite Vedic influence. No matter whether you accept all of this or not, it nonetheless makes for an extremely fascinating and interesting story. Take a look and decide for yourself what you think. Also, let other people know about these, or download them to print and use them for your own displays in your temple, office or home. The articles listed below are practically more important than the photographs that are supplied. So be sure to read them.


We have all heard how the Taj Mahal, which is considered one of the great wonders of the world, was built as the preeminent expression of a man's love for a wife. That it was built by emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his wife Mumtaz. However, in our continuous effort to get to the truth, we have acquired some very important documents and information. There is evidence that the Taj Mahal was never built by Shah Jahan. Some say the Taj Mahal pre-dates Shah Jahan by several centuries and was originally built as a Hindu or Vedic temple/palace complex. Shah Jahan merely acquired it from its previous owner, the Hindu King Jai Singh.

This controversy is something I have explained more thoroughly in my book, "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence." So, for those who want to know the details of this issue, you can find it there. And here is the photographic evidence that will provide greater insights into this. The point to consider is how much more of India's history has been distorted if the background of such a grand building is so inaccurate.

PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTION ONE

These photographs listed below are taken from an album that was found in India. On the back of each photo there is a stamp mark that says, "Copyright Archaeology Survey of India." This signifies that they may have been the property of that institution, or that they had researched the evidence that shows the Taj Mahal and many other buildings were not of Muslim origin. Thus, it would be good if they could open up further research into areas of the Taj Mahal that would reveal the true nature and originality of the buildings, and lead to understanding another part of the real history and glory of India.

These photos are black and white and were found in a simple photo album in India. Except for old age and some water damage on some of them (creating white spots in areas), most are still in relatively good condition. Each photograph was accompanied by a typed caption taped in the album under or near the photo, each of which gives a very interesting explanation of the subject and the Vedic influence recognized on the building and what it means. The captions accompany the photos on the following pages just as they were written in the album, so the style of English and the explanations are kept the same. I did not write them myself. They are obviously written from an Indian perspective. Whatever I may say about the photos are displayed in brackets [ ]. Otherwise I let the captions and photos speak for themselves. Some of these photos will show areas of the Taj where the public presently has no access, or what is rarely seen or noticed today.

It is because of the manipulation of history by invaders that the true greatness of India and Vedic culture has been stifled or hidden. And it is time that people everywhere realize how numerous lies and false propaganda have been passed around as if it were the truth in regard to India and its past, as well as its art, archeology, and the wonder of its culture. India and its Vedic society was one of the preeminent civilizations of the world, as I explained in "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence." Now, through the increasing amount of revealing evidence that is being uncovered, that greatness of India's past and its contributions to the world are gradually being recognized. It is because of this that it is now time to rewrite the history of India.

PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTION TWO

These photos (scroll down to find the list) provide a deeper view and a tour into the secrets of the Taj Mahal. Using color photos, along with blueprints of the Taj Mahal to look at further proofs of the real purpose and function of the Taj Mahal. I thank Mr. V. S. Godbole for allowing me to use these photos to present them in a way so that everyone can see them through the internet.


ADDITIONAL ONLINE ARTICLES

"The Question of the Taj Mahal" (Itihas Patrika, vol 5, pp. 98-111, 1985) by P. S. Bhat and A. L. Athavale is a profound and thoroughly researched and well balanced paper on the Taj Mahal controversy. This paper goes well with the photographs listed below. It uncovers the reasons for the rumors and assumptions of why it is said that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, and presents all the inconsistencies of why that theory doesn't hold up. It also covers such things as the descriptions found in the old Agra court papers on the Taj; descriptions and measurements of the building in the old records; Aurangzeb's letter of the much needed repairs even in 1632 which is unlikely for a new building; records that reveal Shah Jahan acquired marble but was it enough for really building the Taj or merely for inlay work and decorative coverings; the observations of European travelers at the time; the actual age of the Taj; how the architecture is definitely of Indian Hindu orientation and could very well have been designed as a Shiva temple; the issue of the arch and the dome; how the invader Timurlung (1398) took back thousands of prisoner craftsmen to build his capital at Samarkhand and where the dome could have been incorporated into Islamic architecture; how it was not Shah Jahan's religious tolerance that could have been a reason for Hindu elements in the design of the Taj; how the direction of the mosque does not point toward Mecca as most mosques do; the real purpose of the minarets at the Taj; the Hindu symbolism recognized in the Taj which would not have been allowed if it was truly Muslim built; and even as late as 1910 the Encyclopaedia Britannica included the statement by Fergusson that the building was previously a palace before becoming a tomb for Shah Jahan; and more. A most interesting paper.
"An Architect Looks at the Taj Mahal Legend" by Marvin Mills, is a great review of the information available on the Taj Mahal and raises some very interesting questions that make it obvious that the Taj could not have been built the way or during the time that history presents, which makes it more like a fable than accurate history. This suggests a construction date of 1359 AD, about 300 years before Shah Jahan.
The True Story of the Taj Mahal. This article by P. N. Oak (from Pune, India) provides an overview of his research and lists his 109 proofs of how the Taj Mahal was a pre-existing Hindu temple palace, built not by Shah Jahan but originally at least 500 years earlier in 1155 AD by Raja Paramardi Dev as a Vedic temple. Mr. P. N. Oak is another who has done much research into this topic, and such a study is hardly complete without considering his findings. The evidence he presents here is a most interesting read, whether you agree with it all or not, or care for some of the anger in his sentiment. Mr. Oak has presented his own conclusions in his books, most notably Taj Mahal--The True Story (ISBN: 0-9611614-4-2).
The Letter of Aurangzeb ordering repairs on the old Taj Mahal in the year just before it is said to have been completed.
The Badshahnama is the history written by the Emperor's own chronicler. This page shows how Aurangzeb had acquired the Taj from the previous owner, Jai Singh, grandson of Raja Mansingh, after selecting this site for the burial of Queen Mumtaz.
Taj Mahal -- Time to Tell the Truth, an analysis by Dr. V. S. Godbole that shows how the Taj Mahal was not built by ShahJahan but was the Palace of Raja Mansingh.
The Distorted History of the Taj Mahal, by Dr. Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari shows how pervasive the false history of the Taj Mahal is and how it developed, but how it should be corrected.



THE PHOTOGRAPHS
Collection One
The following photographs are divided according to content and accessed through the links. Click on the photo number for access:

Taj Mahal Photo #1 Aerial view of the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal Photo #2 The interior water well
Taj Mahal Photo #3 Frontal view of the Taj Mahal and dome
Taj Mahal Photo #4 Close up of the dome with pinnacle
Taj Mahal Photo #5 Close up of the pinnacle
Taj Mahal Photo #6 Inlaid pinnacle pattern in courtyard
Taj Mahal Photo #7 Red lotus at apex of the entrance
Taj Mahal Photo #8 Rear view of the Taj & 22 apartments
Taj Mahal Photo #9 View of sealed doors & windows in back
Taj Mahal Photo #10 Typical Vedic style corridors
Taj Mahal Photo #11 The Music House--a contradiction
Taj Mahal Photo #12 A locked room on upper floor
Taj Mahal Photo #13 A marble apartment on ground floor
Taj Mahal Photo #14 The OM in the flowers on the walls
Taj Mahal Photo #15 Staircase that leads to the lower levels
Taj Mahal Photo #16 300 foot long corridor inside apartments
Taj Mahal Photo #17 One of the 22 rooms in the secret lower level
Taj Mahal Photo #18 Interior of one of the 22 secret rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #19 Interior of another of the locked rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #20 Vedic design on ceiling of a locked room
Taj Mahal Photo #21 Huge ventilator sealed shut with bricks
Taj Mahal Photo #22 Secret walled door that leads to other rooms
Taj Mahal Photo #23 Secret bricked door that hides more evidence
Taj Mahal Photo #24 Palace in Barhanpur where Mumtaz died
Taj Mahal Photo #25 Pavilion where Mumtaz is said to be buried


Collection Two

This is an additional collection that provides a closer look at the secrets of the Taj Mahal as supplied by V. S. Godbole from England. You can look at the ones that interest you the most as described below, or go through them like a slide show by using the "Next" links on each page.
Taj Photo # 1 Typical view of the beautiful Taj Mahal
Taj Photo # 2 View of Taj Mahal from West looking East
Taj Photo # 3 Entrance Gate on the West side
Taj Photo # 4 Road between Western Gate to Eastern Gate is around 1000 ft with several rooms on either side.
Taj Photo # 5 Note the veranda. The architecture is typical Rajput design.
Taj Photo # 6 View of the entrance through the South Gate
Taj Photo # 7 South gate entrance as painted by Thomas Daniell in 1789
Taj Photo # 8 In a detail on the gate, we can see what would be called Ganesh
Taj Photo # 9 Details of the South Gate with Vedic design.
Taj Photo # 10 Wall decorations as seen here are typical Rajput design on South Gate
Taj Photo # 11 The graffiti, i.e. Koranic inscriptions later added by Shahjahan
Taj Photo # 12 The Trident designed within the lotus, both typically Vedic designs.
Taj Photo # 13 Veranda on the West side of Entrance Gate, probably for public assemblies.
Taj Photo # 14 Examples of the Dhotra flowers in the marble work
Taj Photo # 15 Now you can see the "3" figure of the OM design within the carved marble flower
Taj Photo # 16 Here is an example of the conch shell design in the central petals in the flowers
Taj Photo # 17 More conch shell decorations in marble carving
Taj Photo # 18 Carved marble doors and decorations on the exterior of the Taj Mahal
Taj Photo # 19 You can see blocked doorways and windows where there are several rooms in the 19 foot high plinth.
Taj Photo # 20 Decoration on the side of blocked up doorway
Taj Photo # 21 A view of the outside of the central Cenotaph Chamber
Taj Photo # 22 The interior of one of the rooms around the cenotaph chamber.
Taj Photo # 23 The Cenotaph chamber with marble screen
Taj Photo # 24 The Cenotaphs, or the supposed graves of Shahjahan and Mumtaz
Taj Photo # 25 Top of octagonal marble screen with beautiful inlay jewelled work that surrounds the cenotaphs
Taj Photo # 26 Basic blueprint of the Taj Mahal that shows stairways to upper and lower floors.
Taj Photo # 27 Here you can see the upper floor above the cenotaph. Each room has a balcony.
Taj Photo # 28 The Vedic style design on the under-side of the dome over the central cenotaph chamber.
Taj Photo # 29 Cobras in pairs at top of wall, another typical Vedic design.
Taj Photo # 30 Typical Minaret on the Taj Mahal.
Taj Photo # 31 The design on the underside of a staging on the Minaret.
Taj Photo # 32 The Baoli Burj water well, going down seven stories to water level.
Taj Photo # 33 The so-called Mosque at one end from the Taj
Taj Photo # 34 The so-called Mosque at one end from the Taj with evidence it was converted later into a mausoleum
Taj Photo # 35 Replica of pinnacle design of the top of the main dome in the garden
Taj Photo # 36 Survey plan of Taj Mahal by Col Hodgson, 1825.
Taj Photo # 37 An early photo of Taj from the riverside clearly showing 2 hidden basements
Taj Photo # 38 Photo of Taj Mahal from Yamuna riverside showing rooms with grills in the marble plinth
Taj Photo # 39 Blue print of the Taj Mahal showing cross-section of Central Edifice in a book by J Fergusson in 1855
Taj Photo # 40 The blue print plan of the Taj Mahal showing stairways that go down to the 22 basement rooms.
Taj Photo # 41 Typical view of the 2 basement floors along the Yamuna River.
Taj Photo # 42 Here you can see, not far from the plinth of the Taj, the steps to go down to the 22 rooms
Taj Photo # 43
Decorations on outside of upper basement floor with a ventilation grill built in for the apartment.

Taj Photo # 44 Ventilation grill in the design of the outside of the apartments
Taj Photo # 45 Entrance to lower basement floor that is now bricked up.
Taj Photo # 46 The timber door where Prof. Marvin Mills took the sample that proved the Taj predates Shajahan
Taj Photo # 47 Close up of the the steps that go down to the 22 apartments
Taj Photo # 48 Another of the secret stairways in the Taj Mahal.
Taj Photo # 49 After we climb down the steps we see a doorway to the passage on right of the hidden rooms.
Taj Photo # 50 Typical roof painted design in the 22 rooms.
Taj Photo # 51 Here is a typical tower (Burj) that is in familiar Rajput style, not Islamic in any way.
Taj Photo # 52 Stone rings for anchoring boats for river transportation amongst the residents in the Taj.

Collection Three:

The Photographic Evidence of the Vedic Influence Found in the Red Fort and Other Buildings in Delhi and India, as well as in Drawings and Art from Elsewhere in the World.

Click Here

[This is available at: http://www.stephen-knapp.com where you can find much information about Vedic culture, Hinduism and Sanatana-dharma.]