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| Taj Mahal (Photo by Jbarta) |
Larger-than-life photos of Tom Cruise standing in front of the Taj Mahal have been hitting newsstands this past week. Alongside them are quotes by the film icon, who told this to the Associated Press: I wanted to come to India my whole life, so I am very excited.
Would Cruise have been just as excited if he knew what
iconoclasts have been saying about this famed UNESCO
World Heritage Site? Is he aware that various groups of
theorists have been claiming (1) that the Taj Mahal is not even its real name (2) that it is actually a Hindu temple, and (3) that it is much more of a testament to personal and political ego than it ever was to romantic and eternal love (which must be particularly tough for a lover like Cruise, who leapt upon Oprah’s couch while proclaiming his passion for Katie Holmes).
It’s hard to ignore all hundred-and-eight of P. N. Oak’s alleged facts about the “True Story” of the “Tajmahal.” Although Oak has been branded a “mythistorian” – and even a “crackpot” – there is something intriguing about his line of reasoning. Here are some of his 108 points: "...The term Taj Mahal is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit term TejoMahalay signifying a Shiva Temple… The people who dominate the Agra region are Jats. Their name for Shiva is Tejaji... A wooden piece from the riverside doorway of the Taj subjected to the carbon 14 test by an American laboratory has revealed the door to be 300 years older than Shahjahan…”
As for Shah Jahan’s motives? In 1993, authors Amina Okada and M. C. Joshi stated this opinion: “ … the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum far too imposing to commemorate the memory of one woman, even the favorite wife of an emperor… behind the monument’s beauty and majesty of form… is an autocratic ruler vaunting his grandeur and munificence to the world…”
If this sounds somewhat harsh, consider the very nature of icons. Whether they be kings, entertainers, or works of art – their grandeur is often more mirage than reality.
Resources
http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/taj_mahal.html
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/taj_oak.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/03/tom-cruise-visits-india_n_1126952.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Oprah-Shows-Most-Shocking-Moments_1/6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._N._Oak
Copyright December 5, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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