Do the closed rooms in the Taj Mahal contain Hindu idols? Is the land on which the monument stands owned by the former ruling family of Jaipur? These questions got media attention recently, once again raising doubts about the mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal in the 17th century.
In this podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia, author and blogger Rana Safvi answers these questions explaining why it could not have idols and what is the history of the land. Safvi has written extensively on the Taj Mahal, quoting academic and historical sources.
Many important documents are available for anyone to read, including Shah Jahan’s firman exchanging the land for four havelis with Jai Singh, then Maharaja of Jaipur, which is in the Jaipur museum.
