h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In 'I have been in ALL rooms in the Taj', donelson says that he can categorically state that Oak is taking though his hat regarding what could possibly be in Taj's inaccessible rooms. If donelson had really seen all the rooms, he would surely have noticed that many doorways and passages have been bricked-up. So he has no way of knowing what is behind those bricked walls. The way to discovery is to keep an open mind. So people like Donelson should think before they make such cocksure statements to discredit others.


Those from India wanting a clearer view should petition their MPs and ask for an open inquiry. India's disclosure legislation empowers people to demand clarifications especially on matters of common interest. Knowing India, the chances are that it will take decades before the bureaucrats can decide how, when and what to do.

In my opinion there will be some truth in both versions of the Taj's story: It was probably a Hindu complex with a temple, which was extensively remodelled by the Mughals to serve as a memorial to Mumtaz. This should not come as a surprise as, all over the world where Islam came to power, there is substantial evidence of Muslims taking over or destroying what did not fit their Islamic mould. This is why there are hardly any historical temples left in North India that have the scale and grandeur of the ones in Central and South India, (where Muslims came relatively late and had shorter reigns than in the North). All this doesn't change the fact that the Taj is an Indian monument. So in the end, the official version of the story is irrelevant.

Here is the bottom line.

The Taj is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and we want to destroy it: Not because we have any definite information but because we are playing into the hands of a few selfish people.

We are not experts on the subject but we have not made any efforts to verify the credentials of this claim or the person who is making such outlandish claims. WHO IS THIS MAN? There is no dearth of historians in this world and not even one recognised historian, is biting this bait.

Interestingly, the only group of people who have taken-up this issue is a hard core Hindu organisation in India, who want to mobilise opinions. Thank you Mr. Samuel Johnson: Politics is indeed the last refuge of a scoundrel.

To some people it may be fun to fan the controversial fire, create problems for innocent people, sit back and watch the destruction of property and lives. I agree that cocksure statements are not acceptable but then so are irresponsible statements that create pain and suffering to innocent people.

NOthing is wrong in having a neutral investigation on this manner. More important point is truth should come out. Countering facts with logical arguments do not make any sense.

mr grenjith7,
im not too sure which nationality u are of...

say for example you were...
1.american-would you have your statue of liberty broken down 136294186 french bones????
2.british-would u have the big ben dug up if a mad man claimed it contained mogolian hair???
3.if u were roman catholic would u have the st.peters basalica dug up if a mad man claimed it had buddhist relics....


im sure you would say no....thats how the story of the soo called TEJ-O_MAHALAYA goes......

husayn,
that is the most retarded argument i have ever heard..
u dumb piece of shit you dont have to dismantle the monument.. he is just asking for an investigation. how stupid are you??

'Sealed Rooms' my aunt Fanny. The Taj is raised on a plinth like all other Mughal tombs, and this plinth has been left hollow and unused to guard against flooding from the Jumna. That's all the photographs on that crank Stephen Knapp's website show. You will see the same sort of base at Humayun's tomb. It's hard to see how you could start opening the base of the monument without severely damaging the Taj. Anyway, as soon as Oak and his supporters discovered that there was nothing in these 'rooms', they'd start claiming that the remains of the 'temple' were buried underneath the Taj, so that excavation would be necessary.....Babri Masjid here we come.

i dont think there was anything wrong with what happened at ram janm bhoomi. whats happening now and the fact that its disputed land is whats wrong.

Then you are clearly a dangerous bigot. I think we all knew that anyway though. I presume you'd be happy to see the Taj torn down by a mob as well? Start handing out the sledgehammers, here come the Kar Sevaks on their mission of destruction. And to think Hinduism is meant to be a peaceful religion.

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yeah right inang...whatever..

digging up is the word...lookup in mariam websters if u dont know what it means....its not only the basement rooms..but also Arjumand's tomb that we are talking about...
"the Taj mahal" thats the first thing a non indian or foreighner says when we talk about the TAJ....its a monument as symbolic as it sounds and terms and suggestions like digging it or investigating it...will not do.

Mr. Sikander,

Only Hindu temples are known to be built exactly nearby or right next to a river, and Yamuna is the one of the holiest of them all.

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Hi Folks ,

am New to this blog .... i have lived in Agra for 5 year & have taken countless Friends, Relatives & acquaintances on Site seeing Tour of Agra .... all those Doubts which as a Common visitor we usedto have about this Teejo Mahalaya have been jotted down by Mr. Oak ...

See i can offer one hard fact for this ... Agra has four Shiv temple ... Mankameshwar, Balkeshwar & 2 more whereas the folklore sings praises about the 5 Temples of Shiv ... >>> where is the Fifth one ... obviously it is the Teejo Mahalya....

What needs to be done probably is a correct mention in the History Books as well as on the edifice of the Site that this is Hindu Temple wrested by the Moughal Monarchs from the hindu rulers & converted into Masouleum by them.

This should not have any problem .... Realistically we can atleast give a correct picture of the Monument to the Future genrations ...

They have a rigth to know who we are ? what do we stand for ? & what is that we have contributed to the society & this could be one major turn of Indian Society

Way to go! Let bygones be bugones. If we always try to keep proving our past, we will never live in the present & we will ruin the future.
The Taj is an excellent monument in India - let it remain just that!
Not a Hindu or Moslem monument!

Surely Oak is a thick-head! Some of his "discoveries" & "theories" are absure & downright idotic. I have included some for all to read!
Among them:
1. He has claimed that both Islam and Christianity originated as distortions of Vedic beliefs.
2. the word Islam itself derives from the Sanskrit term "Ishalayam" meaning the Temple of God.
3. Kaaba in Mecca was originally a shrine to Shiva
4. Christianity began as a form of devotion to Krishna
5. "Christianity is a mal-pronunciation of the Sanskrit term Chrisn-nity also spelled as Krishna-neeti.
6. the Papacy was "a Vedic priesthood" until Constantine the Great killed the Vedic pope to replace him
7. the tombs of Humayun, Akbar and Itmiad-u-Dallah
8. the Vatican in Rome was a Hindu Temple or palace
9. Stonehenge was a Hindu Temple or palace
10. all historic buildings" in India are also Hindu temples or palaces.

WOW, now if thats not a croc full of crap, then I`m Robin Hood!