It has been mentioned earlier that the so called pseudo secular and Marxist historians of India are projecting the Taj Mahal as a pure example of Islamic architecture and in support of their claim, they highlight four features, e.g (1) the dome, (2) the octagonal base, (3) the angular arch and (4) the four minarets at the four corners of the plinth of the edifice now known as Taj Mahal. They claim that these four features of Taj Mahal are absolutely Islamic. We should recall that Mollah Abdul Hamid Lahori has mentioned in his Badshahnama that the original Rajput palace of Jai Singh, which was later on converted into a mausoleum by Shahjahan, had a spectacular dome at the top of the building (imarat-e-alishan wa gumbaje). Regarding this aspect, P N Oak writes, "The presumption that the dome is a Moslem invention is baseless. To call the dome a Moslem creation amounts to linking it somehow with Prophet Mohammed's birth. What possible connection could there be  between the dome as an architectural design and the origin of Islam." [1] It should be mentioned here that the great English architect E B Havell was convinced that the dome is a Hindu constructional form [2].  

Regarding the octagonal structure, it should be said that it is a pure Hindu style of architecture and eight sides reprent eight Hindu directions such as Purva (East), Pashchim (West), Uttar (North), Dakshin (South) Ishan (Northeast), Agni (Southeast), Vayu (Northwest), Nairit (Southwest). In fact, Hindu scriptures mention ten directions - the eight directions as given above and the other two are Urdhvah (Zenith) and Adhah (Nadir). According to the historian Arthur Upham Pope, the pointed and trefoil arches, the transverse vault, the octagonal form of building, the dome etc. were originated in India.

It is needless to say that the said pseudo secular and Marxist historians of India derive inspiration from book Monuments of Muslim India by John Marshall, where the author, regarding the Qutb Minar in Delhi , wrote, "The whole conception of the minar and almost every detail of its construction and ornamentations is essentially  Islamic. Towers of this kind were unknown to the Indians, but to the Muhammadans they had long been familiar, whether as mazinas attached to mosques or as free standing towers like those at Ghazni." [3] As a matter of Fact, the said comment of John Marshall is now being profusely used by the so called secular historians of India to attribute the authorship of the Qutb Minar to Qutb-ud-din. But the reader should recall that in my earlier articles I have shown that minar now known as Qutb Minar, was built by the renowned astronomer Varaha Mihira several centuries before the coming of the Muslim invaders in India , and hence it is excellent piece of pure Hindu architecture.

In this context, it would be relevant to mention the opinion of another historian, A K Saraswati, who wrote, "Arthur Upham Pope has ably demonstrated how Indian (or Hindu) ideas in art and architecture migrated to Western Asia and reached concrete forms under the technical ingenuity of the Persian builders. Indeed, many of the fundamental forms of Persian architecture, such as the pointed and trefoil arches, the transverse vault, the octagonal form of building, the dome etc. were originated in India .  ... It is through such cultural contacts that art in the West acquired substance and individuality which the establishment of Islam could hardly change or alter." [4] So, it becomes evident from the above comment of Arthur Upham Pope that the form and style of architecture, which are now being projected as Islamic or Saracen, are basically Indian or Hindu architecture.

Last update : 22-11-2009 21:26

Keywords : Distortion of Indian History for Muslim Appeasement: Part 6E, Radhasyam Brahmachari

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