Taj Mahal : Firmans of Shajahan explained

Background

In 1985, four firmans issued by Shajahan to Raja Jaisingh (grandson of Raja Mansingh) were discovered in Bikaner (Rajasthan Govt Archives). Out of these two are related to supply of marble. Other two are irrelevant.

Unfortunately at that time I was working in far away Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. And on my return to England in 1986 I had to find another job in recession hit Britain. Later on I was busy with my research. My publications were -

In 2008, I started preparing a CD with PowerPoint presentations on Taj Mahal. During my public performances certain details came to light. From garden level we climb up 4 ft to come to a large terrace 1000 x 365 ft. In the centre is a marble plinth 300 x 300 x19 ft high. Over this are two floors with several rooms which are accessible and then a drum and dome.

The question is - what is inside the huge marble plinth? Nothing? Gravel fill?
This question was never asked. If we look at the photos carefully we realise that there were several apartments inside and entrances to these have been blocked up.
Shahjahan grabbed Raja Mansingh's palace under pretext of burying Mumtaz. He had no use of the apartments in marble plinth. So, he blocked the entrances to these. For this he needed marble. That easily explains the firmans of Shahjahan.

Explanation
We need to refer to only three books -
Travel accounts of Peter Mundy of East India Company who was in Agra.
Badshahnama, the official chronicle of Shahjahan
Travel accounts of French jewel merchant Tavernier who made six voyages to India

Here is the simple explanation -

Mumtaz died at Burhanpur on 17th Zi-il-Kada 1040 A.H. and was buried there. Her body was exhumed and brought to Agra on 17 Jamda-ul-sania / (8 January 1632) under escort of Prince Shah Shuja. The coffin was kept in Raja Mansingh's Palace. The prince barely 18 years of age simply placed it in what is today known as the Cenotaph Chamber. Hence Peter Mundy's remark - "there is already about her tomb a handrail of gold."
Badshahnama says - her body was finally laid to rest next year (i.e. by 28 December 1632 - Muslim calendar is 11 days short of Christian one.)

Shahjahan returns to Agra on 1st Zi-il-Hijja 1041 A.H. i.e. 13 days after the death anniversary of Mumtaz. And yet he observed the death anniversary day after his arrival at Agra (June 1632)

Maulavi Moin-uddin Ahmad tells us, "This ceremony was performed by Shahjahan in honour of Mumtaz for the first time in 1041 A.H. According to Badshahnama the Urs was held with uncommon enthusiasm." (History of Taj, 1905, p74)

Another author says - "on the first anniversary of Mumtaz Mahal's death, the courtyard of the mausoleum in progress had been adorned with superb tents, with the entire court assembled to pay homage - princes of the royal blood. Grandees, and an assemblage of religious scholars including sheikhs, ulemmas, and hafizes who knew the whole Koran by heart. Shahjahan had graced the event with his presence; and as the empress's father, Asaf Khan was present by imperial request. A great banquet was spread before the then -nascent tomb, and guests partook of a variety of foods, sweetmeats, and fruits. / (The Peacock Throne, 1973, pp181/2)

Death anniversary is a day of solemn reflections and prayers for the departed and NOT a day of celebration. But Shahjahan was extremely pleased that he obtained Raja Mansingh's palace full of gold and silver which he looted over the next six years. All the European travellers who visited Agra after 1640 DO NOT mention any gold or silver in Taj Mahal. It is clear that Shahjahan looted it all. Hence the celebration of first anniversary of death of Mumtaz with un-common enthusiasm!

This celebration was obviously an afterthought. On the day of actual anniversary Shahjahan was travelling to Agra from Burhanpur. If he wanted to, he would have arrived early in Agra.

After his arrival at Agra (June 1632) Shahjahan would have realised that it was ridiculous to keep the coffin in what is now the Cenotaph chamber as there would have been a series of large apartments in the marble plinth below this chamber. So, he decided to create a real grave chamber and close the apartments in the Marble plinth (300 x 300 x 19ft). Hence his firmans for supply of marble. The first one was dated 20 September 1632. The urgency of supply of marble is easy to follow. Body of Mumtaz was finally laid to rest by 28 December 1632.

We have to remember that according to the French Doctor Bernier, who was at court of Aurangzeb, July / August / September / October are months of heavy rains. The second firman of Shajahan is dated 3 February 1633.

Peter Mundy of East India Company left Agra for Surat (and then to England) on 8 March 1633. In a margin in his manuscript he notes - "Taje Mohall's tombe is now a building."

Tavernier has also noted (some 7 years later) that scaffolding alone cost more than the entire works.
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Simple arithmetic
And what was the result? Shahjahan would have to climb up 27 ft, then come down 16 ft to go to his wife's tomb. How ridiculous!!.
The problem is that once we are inside the marble plinth we do not count. Here is the arithmetic -

Garden level to Main terrace - 4 ft
We climb steps in Marble plinth - 19 ft
4 steps outside the cenotaph - 3 ft
2 more steps in the door way - 1 ft
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Thus we climb up - 27 ft

But to go down to so called Real Grave chamber we step down 7 + 7+7 = 21 steps. Assuming they are 9 inches high that comes to 15.75 ft

So, the so called Real Grave chamber is 27 - 15.75 = 11.25 ft ABOVE garden level. Or that it is 7.25 ft ABOVE the main terrace which extends over the entire width of Taj Mahal (1,000 ft). So, there is some kind of filling between the base of Real Grave chamber and the Main terrace.

Our historians have never noticed this absurdity, but we should.

It is interesting that James Fergusson's book of 1855 on Architecture clearly shows this filling. He also shows that all the area surrounding the Real Grave chamber is also filled in. There were editions of this book in 1867, 1876, 1910 and 1967.

References