Taj Mahal-R'than connect decoded: Shah Jahan ordered Jai Singh to send marble

Jaipur, May 12 (IANS) A day after Jaipur princess and BJP MP Diya Kumari's claim that the land on which Taj Mahal was built belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur triggered a debate, a new fact has emerged that marbles were sent from Makrana and Amer in Rajasthan for building the iconic Taj Mahal.

The archives in Bikaner have clear evidence of these facts.

In fact, during the construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra, there was a white marble quarry in Jaipur's Amer which has been written as Amber in the order. The stone from the Amer mine was also used in the construction of Taj Mahal.

Apart from Amer, white marble also reached Agra from the mines of Makrana and Rajnagar. This information was obtained from an order written by Shah Jahan to Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur, which has been maintained in the Rajasthan State Archives in Bikaner.

On September 9, 1632, in an order by Shah Jahan to Jai Singh, it was said to send Mulukshah to extract marble from the new mine at Amber (Amer).

It was also said in the decree that all the labourers and vehicles they ask for, should be made available. "The expenses incurred in this will be sent to you by the Badshah Treasury Officer," said the order by Shah Jahan instructing him not to disobey the decree.

The second decree makes it clear that Raja Jai Singh paid for the carts which were used to transport the marble to Agra. He later received this payment from the Treasury Office of Shah Jahan.

On January 21, 1632, in a decree given by Shah Jahan to Raja Jai Singh, it was said that carts are needed from other places including Amber to transport the marble to Agra.

In a 'farman' written on June 21, 1637, Shah Jahan told Jai Singh that "information had arrived that your men were collecting stone-cutters on one side at Amber and Rajnagar".

"Because of this, less number of stone-cutters are reaching Makrana. Therefore, there is very little work being done there, so we order that you (who are the best among your people) instruct your people not to stop stone-cutters in Amer and Rajnagar at all. All the Sangrahs (stone-cutters) who reach there, should be sent to the officials of Makrana. Do not disobey the orders in any case, understand your responsibility."

About the compensation process, there are no documents in the archive, but many historians agree with Diya Kumari's claim.

Historian Anand Sharma and RS Khangarot claimed that Shah Jahan gave 4 government-owned havelis in Agra to the Amer king in exchange for the land of the Taj Mahal.