The Story of a Second Taj Mahal
According to popular legend, Shah Jahan decided to construct another Taj
Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river Yamuna and to connect
the two by a bridge. This structure was intended to be his own tomb. It has
been recorded almost contemporarily by a French merchant Tavernier : "Shah
Jehan began to build his own tomb on the other side of the river but the war
with his sons interrupted his plan and Aurangzeb who reigns at present is
not disposed to complete it".
Later gazetteers and guide books mention this story almost invariably. The
irregular position of the cenotaph of Shah Jahan as compared to that of
Mumtaz Mahal which occupies the exact centre of the hall is said to be proof
of this assumption. The Mehtab Burj and the wall adjoining it opposite the
Taj Mahal are generally said to be the foundations and remains of the
proposed plan.
Many scholars, however, believe that this idea belongs to fiction rather
than history. The traces which are identified as the foundations of the
second Taj Mahal are actually the enclosing wall of a garden founded by
Babar. The irregular position of Shah Jahan's cenotaph in comparison to
Mumtaz Mahal's, is similar to that at the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah, and thus
should not be of any striking significance. Besides, according to Islamic
law, bodies are buried with their faces towards Mecca and legs towards the
south, and the husband is placed on the right hand side of his wife. The
interpretation that the cenotaph of Shah Jahan was not meant to be placed
here appears to be superfluous.
