English Parties and Honeymoon Palace: - The English enamored by the luster of the Taj Mahal used the monument as they wished in the last century. The gardens were remodeled; the original gardens of the Taj Mahal were filled with mud and given a makeover the flower beds were shaped on the European designs. The top officials used to host grand parties in the Taj Mahal. The lawns of the Taj Mahal were lit in the night, furniture was laid in the gardens and the who’s who of the English Raj enjoyed the grand parties in the lawns of the Taj Mahal. The central marble platform used to have a live band performing to entertain the guests. The guest house was also used to entertain the royal guests infact the young English officers are known to enjoy their honeymoon in Taj Mahal in make shift grand kiosks and organize Gala dinner at Taj Mahal. In your Taj Mahal Tour you can still witness the Royal Guest House. There are pictures of English officers enjoying a dance in the Taj Mahal along with their beau.
The Original Taj Mahal Jewels: -The Taj Mahal or the Rauza E Munawara didn’t looked as it looks today it was a grand monument bejeweled with precious jewels, there were magnificent carpets, there were chandeliers, there were the jeweled wall carpets enhancing the beauty of the Taj Mahal. All this accoutrement sure was looted, but it’s a big question who took the loot while the English removed the Gold finial the inner masterpieces were sure looted much before the English took over Agra under Mir Lake in 1803. There were Jats, there were Marathas, who were in control of Agra before the English. Just imagine if Taj Mahal could be made to look as it used to be in the reign of Shahjahan. The gates of the monument were guarded with precious metals sure they have been removed and replaced with simple ones which can be seen today. We are infact fortunate that we can be seen today. We are infact fortunate that we can infact see and experience the enthralling beauty of the Taj Mahal if Mr William Bentick had succeeded in auctioning Taj Mahal and its marble in 1830 the Taj Mahal world has been lost in the memory lanes. The advertisement for auctioning Taj mahal were put in news papers but fortunately no one came over to buy the Taj Mahal and its marble. Isn’t it amazing well the only plausible reason for the failure of the auction is that people of India respected the dead and Taj Mahal is a tomb in the psyche of the commoners? Destroying a tomb could wreak havoc by the dead and no one wanted the same so the auction failed.
Shroud of the Taj Mahal: -The Taj Mahal was covered and camouflaged during the 1965 and 1971 war of India with Pakistan. It was easy to spot the glittering Taj Mahal in night time so to prevent the spotting the Taj Mahal was cursed in a black showed right up to the minarets, The Pakistan air force were brought down by the Indian air force in 1971 war, they could not target the Taj Mahal as the Taj was under a shroud a viel. This shroud of the Taj Mahal was put up and could be seen by the tourist until in 1995 when it was destroyed by the rats.
Begum Mumtaj Mahal was the favorite consort of the emperor she escorted the king even on the battlefield in 1631 the king was on a long journey to Dakhan the royal caval cade had camped at Burhanpur the town on the fringe of Dakhan this is where Mumtaj Mahal wnet in to labour and delivered the 14th child who was later named “Gauhar Ara” the queen unfortunately suffers from septic and despite all the efforts she leaves for her eternal abode at the Burhanpur leaving the dejected and bereaving emperor. This is where she was given a burial the emperor comes back to Agra. Later as the construction of Taj Mahal started the coffin of Mumtaj Mahal was dug and the mortal remains were brought to Agra she was buried in a make shift burial space in the gardens of the Taj. The place is still there surrounded by Jaalis. As the Taj Mahal construction was completed finally the mortal remains of the Begum were finally put to rest in the grand tomb her beloved had built for her an eternal abode a beautiful palace for the beautiful queen where she will rest till the day of Qayamat when she will rise from her place of rest.
