Exploring The Taj Mahal: Bedroom Secrets Unveiled

The Taj Mahal is a 17th-century ivory-white marble mausoleum on the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India. It was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and also houses his own tomb. The building incorporates the design traditions of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture and is regarded as one of the best examples of Mughal architecture. It is a major tourist attraction, attracting more than five million visitors a year.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is considered the jewel of Islamic art in India. However, there have been various claims and myths about the monument, including that it was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. There are also said to be more than 20 permanently locked rooms in the Taj Mahal, which some believe could house a shrine to Shiva. However, these theories have been dismissed by historians, ASI officials, and courts, including the Supreme Court, which stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the monument ever housed a temple.

The number of rooms in the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex located on the bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and was completed in 1648. The complex includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens.

The Taj Mahal incorporates design traditions of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture, with symmetrical constructions and the use of various shapes and symbols. The mausoleum is constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, while red sandstone was used for the other buildings in the complex.

The mausoleum building is the central structure of the entire complex. It is a white marble structure standing on a 6-metre-high square plinth. The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners forming an eight-sided structure. The building has four identical sides with arch-shaped doorways, topped by a large dome and finial.

The predominant feature of the mausoleum is the 23-metre-high marble dome that surmounts the tomb. The dome is slightly asymmetrical and is topped by a 9.6-metre-high gilded finial. The main dome is surrounded by four smaller domes, which are supported by columns that help bring light into the building.

The complex is enclosed by crenellated red sandstone walls on three sides, with the side facing the river left open. The inner sides of the walls feature columned arcades typical of Hindu temples, adorned with domed cupolas and smaller structures. At the far end of the complex stand two similar buildings built of red sandstone, one of which is a mosque and the other a jawab, a structure providing architectural symmetry.

While the exact number of rooms in the Taj Mahal is unclear, there are several mentions of specific rooms and areas within the complex. Here is a breakdown of the different rooms and areas:

• The main inner chamber is an octagon with 7.3-metre sides, with entry allowed from each face. It houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, while the real ones are in the basement.
• The underground chambers, or "tahkhana," consist of a series of rooms used during the hot summer months. Ebba Koch, an expert on Mughal architecture, found 15 rooms arranged in a line along the riverfront, including seven larger rooms, six squarish rooms, and two octagonal rooms.
• The gateway arches are bordered by Arabic calligraphy with passages from the Quran.
• The main gateway, primarily built of marble, mirrors the tomb's architecture and features intricate decorations.
• The mosque is located at the far end of the complex and features typical design elements of mosques from that era.
• The jawab is a structure built to provide architectural symmetry and is located next to the mosque. It has floors with inlaid patterns and lacks a mihrab.
• The charbagh or Mughal garden is divided into four quadrants by two main walkways and features a raised marble water tank with fountains and a reflecting pool.

In addition to these specific rooms and areas, there are also mentions of "sealed" or "locked" rooms in the basement of the Taj Mahal. However, these are not typical rooms but rather a long arched corridor with doors fixed along it to utilise the space better. These rooms are kept locked for security reasons and to prevent unnecessary movement in the protected World Heritage Site.

The purpose of the rooms

The underground rooms were open to visitors until a flood in 1978. After the flood, the rooms were closed to the public due to silt and cracks. The rooms are occasionally opened to carry out restoration work.

The history of the rooms

The Taj Mahal, a 17th-century riverfront mausoleum in Agra, India, is one of the world's greatest monuments and India's biggest tourist attractions. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child. The complex includes a mosque, a guest house, and a garden, and is set in formal gardens bounded by a crenellated wall. The mausoleum is constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, while red sandstone was used for the other buildings in the complex.

The history of the "rooms" in the Taj Mahal dates back to the time of its construction in the 17th century. The "rooms" in question are actually a series of underground chambers or "tahkhana" that served as a cool place of recreation for the emperor, his women, and his entourage during the hot summer months. Ebba Koch, a leading authority on Mughal architecture, visited and photographed these rooms during her research. She found 15 rooms arranged in a line along the riverfront, including seven larger rooms with niches, six squarish rooms, and two octagonal rooms. The large rooms originally had handsome arches that looked out onto the river. The rooms also showed traces of painted decoration under the whitewash, with netted patterns arranged between concentric circles of stars and a medallion in the centre.

Over time, the underground chambers of the Taj Mahal have been a subject of interest and controversy. In 2022, a petition was filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking to open the sealed doors of approximately 22 rooms in the basement of the Taj Mahal to uncover its "real history". However, the court dismissed the petition, stating that such issues should be left to academicians, scholars, and historians to debate.

According to sources from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the so-called "22 rooms" are not really rooms but a long arched corridor with doors fixed to better utilise the space. ASI staff clean these rooms regularly, and there is nothing of significant interest on the walls. The area is kept locked and out of bounds for visitors for security reasons and to prevent unnecessary movement in the protected World Heritage Site.

Despite the explanations provided by ASI officials and historians, claims have persisted that the Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, and that idols of gods and goddesses may be hidden in its basement. These claims have been repeatedly rejected by historians, ASI officials, and courts, including the Supreme Court of India. K K Muhammed, a noted archaeologist, affirmed that he had seen no religious motifs inside the basement rooms and that such rooms are not uncommon in other Mughal-era structures. He also stated that the architectural features of the Taj Mahal could not have been created even 50 years before its historically assigned time of construction.

The design of the rooms

The building has four identical sides, each with arch-shaped doorways called iwans, topped by a large dome and finial. The iwans are framed by vaulted archways called pishtaqs, with two similarly shaped arched balconies on either side. This archway motif is replicated on a smaller scale on the chamfered corner areas, creating a completely symmetrical design. The predominant feature of the mausoleum is the 23-metre-high marble dome that surmounts the tomb, with an onion shape and a gilded finial at the top.

The main dome is surrounded by four smaller domes called chattris, which are supported by columns and help bring light into the building. Tall decorative elements called guldastas extend from the edges of the walls. The main and smaller domes are decorated with a lotus flower design and topped by finials that incorporate Persian and Indian design elements.

The external surfaces of the building are adorned with delicate relief art and various precious and semi-precious stones. The decorative elements include calligraphy, abstract forms, and vegetative motifs, in keeping with the Islamic prohibition against anthropomorphic forms. The white marble walls feature intricate bas-relief depictions of nature and plant-based elements, with polished marble emphasising the exquisite detailing of the carvings. The archway spandrels and frames are decorated with pietra dura inlays of stylised geometric patterns of vines, flowers, and fruits.

The building has many lattice windows or jalis with interlocking hexagonal patterns. The gateway arches are bordered by Arabic calligraphy with passages from the Quran, composed in florid thuluth script made of jasper or black marble inlaid in white marble panels. The calligraphy is larger on higher panels to reduce the skewing effect when viewed from below.

The main inner chamber is an octagon with 7.3-metre sides, allowing entry from each face, with the main door facing the garden to the south. Two tiers of eight pishtaq arches are located along the walls, similar to the exterior. The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas, with intricate jalis on the exterior windows. The inner wall is open along the axes, with jali screens transmitting light from the exterior to the interior of the main chamber.

The interior walls are about 25 metres high and are topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. The walls are highly decorated with dado bas-relief, intricate lapidary inlay, and refined calligraphy panels, similar to the exterior design elements. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, with the real ones located in the basement. The cenotaphs are bordered by perforated marble jalis made from eight marble panels with intricate pierce work and semi-precious stone inlays.

The complex also includes a mosque and a guest house, set in formal gardens bounded by a crenellated wall. The mosque's design is typical of the era, while the jawab, a structure providing architectural symmetry, has floors with inlaid patterns and lacks a mihrab.

The myths and legends of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is regarded as one of the best examples of Mughal architecture and a symbol of Indian history.

Over the years, the Taj Mahal has been the subject of various myths and legends. Here are some of them:

• Shah Jahan planned to build a mausoleum in black marble, known as the "Black Taj Mahal", across the Yamuna River. However, excavations in the 1990s revealed that the ruins of blackened marble were actually discoloured white stones.
• Shah Jahan killed the architect and workers after the building was completed. There is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
• The Taj Mahal was designed by an Italian, Geronimo Vereneo, or a Frenchman named Austin of Bordeaux. These theories have been dismissed by historians and scholars.
• The Taj Mahal was originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. This claim has been rejected by historians, ASI officials, and courts, including the Supreme Court.
• The Taj Mahal was built by a European architect. This claim ignores the presence of other tombs for women in the Islamic world.
• The underground rooms of the Taj Mahal housed a shrine to Shiva. This claim was made by Rajneesh Singh, a member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but was dismissed by judges.

While these theories and legends persist, it is important to note that they have been largely discredited by experts and authorities. The Taj Mahal remains a revered monument and a significant part of India's cultural and historical heritage.

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