Shahjahan’s “Moorti” and Other Absurdities in Agra

Are you Pakistani?

"When I asked if he wouldn’t mind if we call the Adhan from a Mandir he gave an unintelligible cry and ran outside to to be joined by his associates who seeing the skull capped crowd gathering took off."

So, you are implying that the bhigi billi Hinuds still fear the sight of beef eating stud of men momins. Right?

Anarchy is normal in India. This even goes with the presentation of Nano at Dehli recently (Finanicl Times reported).

My trip was no different. More than the main marble dome, the entrance is very enthralling...unforgettable.

Hope the 'resplendent teardrop on the cheek of time' would be there even for our great grandchildren.

Typical over-reaction to the way things work in India. And I've heard even more creative descriptions of other historical monuments than Shahjahan's "Moorti" being at the center (or off-center) of the Taj Mahal. Just chill.

And if you feel you have one less pukka mosque to pray at because of all the infidels who have over-run the one at the Taj, I invite you to the half dozen or so new mosques that have sprung up around my neighborhood alone in the last decade or so. Just resist the urge to run off and kill a few Sunnis (if you're Shia) or a few Shia (if you're Sunni) right after Friday prayers.

There is a marked emphasis on caste and community. Some areas are clearly marked as no-go and the taxi drivers simply refuse to go there.


tvarad, if this is this how it works in India...then you are being an ostrich hiding head in sand....oh just dont urge to runn off and put a burning tire in an Indian Muslim's neck and please stay away from priest beating rituals while celebrating Dewali. thank you

It is a pity that when the British slaughtered the last worthless scions of the Timurid line in the aftermath of the 1857 uprising, they did not do the future Indian nation a favour by obliterating the Taj and other Munghol-era eyesores at the same time.

Had they done so Mr Ayub Khan and those of his ilk would not have to experience the unbearable takleef of having unsympathetic kafirs swarming all over the grounds paying scant respect to his precious religious beliefs, interrupting his recitation of Fatiha with incongruous heathenish behaviour, defiling this sacred space with pagan chants, etc. etc.

This sort of narrative is standard for chanda collecting, peepul. Samjha karo. The ground work is being laid for 'liberation' such as is going on in Afghanistan.

I am surprised at the reaction of my fellow Indians. Why shouldn't muslims have the right to pray in the mosque at the Taj without being accosted by an om-chanting 'sadhu' and assorted ruffians out to make trouble.

Ayub is right; if we are not vigilant, it won't be long before the followers of Oak will want to "reclaim" the Taj.

Mr. Khan, I feel you could've edited what appears to be a first draft!

The comments the Indians always make on CHOWK are regrettable. Admitting what's wrong is the first step towards Nirvana. If a nation is seven times our number, that does not entitle it to be seven times more abusive or rude? Similarly, Pakistanis need not be seven times more submissive.

Stay with the topic, comment politely, disagree with dignity and respect, and write a whole article if you think you're one hot writer!

Peace (shanti, for the other side!)

Dear Ayub,

Very well written piece, enjoyed your style of writing. Had Shah Jehan ben a Wahabi or of Wahabi descent then Saudi funding could have been procured for upkeep of the mosque. And, its not only the saffron brigade that threaten Shah Jehan, we also have the Taliban going around blowing up historical artifects that violate their neandethral sensibilities.

What I find even more disturbing is the Indian reaction on this post. Its a pity even after all this development in IT and film industry they have yet to evolve as human beings appreciative of their history.

All this economic development for what? Rise in racial, religious tensions? Sad, very sad.

dost-mittar
I think the Taj and its environs are not under the state Wakf board but under a govt of India department. In other words, it is a heritage site not a religious one, and as such equally open to every religious community. If you want a change in that status and the Taj to be handed over to Muslims to administer, why don't you say so clearly instead of badmouthing Indian posters?

And dear Pakistanis, after killing Indians for 20 years claiming that Muslims couldn't worship in their mosques in J&K(a claim which was totally false), please have some shame before starting your whining again.

Mr Khan, I'm sorry the Taj disappointed you so much. In my travels, it stands out as one of the few sights that lived up and even exceeded the expectations I had. When I went to Agra, I did not find an emphasis on caste.
Hindus do things like going and praying anywhere, all the time. If he was talking to himself and not yelling out om, which I agree would have been inappropriate, where is the problem? He was being respectful in his own way. He tried to tell you where he was coming from, and in return you were aggressive, in a country not even yours. He has more right to the Taj than you do. It belongs to all Indians. You see people sitting around in Westminister Abbey; they're tourists, not praying and if I wanted to pray there by reciting a Hindu prayer to myself, I could. I doubt I'd be accosted by someone, not even local demanding to know what I was doing. You are perfectly welcome to sit in a temple and talk to yourself, you will probably not even be noticed.
Do you not find it odd that you go to a country you are an outsider in, and demand that people follow your rules?
Shahjahan ki moorti may just a way of explaining to people he is buried there; you did not hear the entire conversation.
Dostmittar, I have not heard anything from Oak for many years. He should be the least of your worries. I think the Taj Mahal certainly does have Hindu influences; the Mughals after Humayan and Babur were all Indians, good or bad, and the Hindu influences do not mean it is a Shiv Temple.

Dear Ayub,

The bit about the Sufi doesn't look credible and looks like your effort to appear a reasoning hero. You have just carried on the mentality of 'I am ok, you're not'.

You have reported even the security frisking in a negative tone. It should have made you happy to see that the place is valued and protected.

Beware, the youth who had been lazing and had their legs suspended in water could have been Muslims too. The act, which I don't see as blasphemous, shows the youths' lack of civility and respect for the monument, be it Hindu or Muslim. If you ask me 'Does this happen in Hindu temples?’ the answer is 'Yes'.

“Does it matter if I recite the name of God in Arabic or Sanskrit?”

Being an atheist, this is the nearest thing I can accept from irrational religious zealots. I do not, for a second believe that a fanatic right wing Hindu would have considered Muslim's place of worship as his. This I say with confidence because I have been one among the numerous Hindu Indians who have been saying, without much success, that Muslims using a Hindu god's place of birth (Babri) as their place of worship does not amount to sacrilege but confirming the sacredness of the place, to the right wing Hindus.

Coming back to the topic, I have no other way but to believe in the less credible narration of your Taj visit. If whatever happened hurt your sentiments it is regrettable. Keeping in mind the kind of importance accorded to the structure by the people of world, I believe it is every one's duty to help maintain the monument.

FYI Taj doesn't evoke the same kind of emotion that it manages to evoke in other people. Agreed, Agra looks ugly and it needs some serious face-lift. I had been to Taj once and I never visited it again. Probably this could be because my part of India has quite a lot of architectural marvels, built by Hindus.

You have written this article with a pen which was fully filled up with your prejudices.

Regards,

Vengat Ramanan.R

I want the chowkies to consider the history of Taj Mahal.

Shah jahan constructed the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife , who died due to some complication as she was delivering her 16th (!!!!!) kid !. Look at the condition of this hindostan ki mallika ! Guess what ? shah jahan was making his beloved wife pregnant every year/1.5 year ! you call this "royal mughal lifestyle?"

secondly the story goes that he got the limbs of the 20,000 craftmen who constructed the Taj, amputated so that no similar structure is constructed else where ever again

The money that was spend constructing it was equivalent of some 4 years of land reveneues of uttar pradesh+bihar+bengal taken together in thsoe days.
taken together.

keep these things in mind when u visit taj next time.

Uba,

(shah jahan was making his beloved wife pregnant every year/1.5 year ! you call this "royal mughal lifestyle?")

Obviously Shah Jehan was not only very much in luv with his wife but also very virile. What is wrong with that?

(secondly the story goes that he got the limbs of the 20,000 craftmen who constructed the Taj, amputated so that no similar structure is constructed else where ever again )

It is just a story, not an iota of truth about it.

(The money that was spend constructing it was equivalent of some 4 years of land reveneues of uttar pradesh+bihar+bengal taken together in thsoe days.)

If that money hadn't been used up for making Taj it wud have been frittered away in wining and womanising by the Kings or if saved looted away by the Brits. But at least this way, that money has been saved and earns revenues by way of tourism income.

Keeping all things in mind, Taj is a wonderful place to visit.

Regards

Re: # 14

uba jee,

Would you be so kind enough to share with us the source of your information. 16th delivery, 20,000 craftsmen amputated and then budgetary numbers, sounds a lot like Mughlai makhan.