A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time: The Story of the Taj Mahal (46 page)

Stronge, S.,
Painting for the Mughal Emperor – The Art of the Book, 1560–1660
, London, V & A Publications, 2002.

Tannahill, R.,
Sex in History
, London, Hamish Hamilton, 1980.

Tillotson, G. H. R.,
Mughal India
, London, Viking, 1990.

Victoria & Albert Museum,
The Indian Heritage
, London, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1982.

Weatherly, M.,
The Taj Mahal
, Farmington Hills, MI, Lucent Books, 2003.

Zind, Z.,
The Magnificent Moghuls
, Karachi, Oxford University Press, 2002.

Journals and Magazines

The Art Bulletin

The Indian Historical Quarterly

Islamic Culture

Islamic Quarterly

The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History

The Journal of Indian History

The Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society

The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes

Muqarnas

National Geographic Traveler

Oriental Art

South Asian Studies

Newspapers

Japan Times

Observer (London)

Sydney Morning Herald

The Times (London)

Others

India History Congress – Proceedings of the Forty-Sixth Session, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 1985.

Internet source – Built Heritage of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, IGNCA, 2002.

Notes and Sources

For ease of reading we have modernized spellings, punctuation and capitalization where necessary in all sixteenth-and seventeenth-century accounts of India in English.

Since the following invaluable sources of Moghul documents appear so frequently, we have abbreviated references to them as follows:

IT
   The Illumined Tomb
, an anthology of seventeenth-century Moghul and European sources directly related to the Taj Mahal, compiled and translated by W. E. Begley and Z. A. Desai.

ED
   
The History of India As Told By Its Own Historians
, compiled and edited by H. M. Elliot and J. Dowson. This seven-volume work contains translations of long extracts from most of the major chronicles and histories of the Moghul period.

Because translation between the Muslim and Western calendars and subsequent adjustment to the latter can cause confusion, we have included in these notes the key dates of Shah Jahan’s and Mumtaz’s birth, marriage and death according to the Muslim calendar.

Prologue

‘When … oyster’
: Qazwini,
IT
, p. 15.

‘his eyes … sadness’
: ibid., p. 13.

‘deserves … Egypt’
: F. Bernier,
Travels in the Mogul Empire
, p. 299.

‘The eye … earth’
: Kalim,
IT
, p. 84.

‘a teardrop … time’
: R. Tagore, quoted Internet source Built Heritage of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

‘the ivory … unhappy’
: R. Kipling,
From Sea to Sea 1887
, quoted D. Carroll,
The Taj Mahal
, p. 156.

‘Descriptions … as hasn’ t’
: E. Lear,
Indian Journal
, 16 February 1874, p. 78.

‘I cannot … over me’
: W. H. Sleeman,
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official
, vol. 1, p. 382.

‘The Taj … parts’
: T. Daniell, quoted P. Pal
et al
.,
Romance of the Taj Mahal
, p. 199.

‘the building … stone’
: P. Mundy,
Travels in Europe and Asia
, vol. 2, p. 213.

1: ‘A Place of Few Charms’

All quotes in this chapter where not otherwise attributed are from Babur’s memoirs,
The Baburnama
. We have used the translations of both Wheeler Thackston and Annette Beveridge. Both are excellent.

‘the scourge of God’
: C. Marlowe,
Tamburlaine the Great
, pt. II, line 4641.

‘were traversed … platforms’
: R. G. de Clavijo,
Embassy to the Court of Timur at Samarcand
, p. 131.

‘calligraphy … work’
: Haidar,
Tarikh-i-Rashidi
(translated by E. Dennison Ross as
A History of the Moguls of Central Asia
), pp. 3–4.

‘candles without brilliance’
: quoted E. Moynihan,
Paradise as a Garden in Persia and Mughal India
, p. 72.

‘a multitude … air’
: quoted B. Gascoigne,
The Great Moghuls
, p. 11.

‘nothing … months’
: ibid., p. 13.

‘such … multitude … was … outside’
: R. G. de Clavijo, op. cit., p. 171.

Although Babur … diminution of it in [Humayan]’
: all quotes in this paragraph are from Abul Fazl,
Akbarnama
, vol. 1, p. 276.

‘do nought … deserve it’
: ibid., p. 277.

The twenty-two … feet and hands’
: all quotes in this paragraph are from A. Eraly,
The Mughal Throne
, p. 42.

‘excessive’
: ibid.

Humayun fled … August 1541
: all quotes in these two paragraphs are from Gulbadan,
Humayan-Nama
, pp. 144, 146 & 151.

‘My very … cold … boiling … helmet’
: Gulbadan, op. cit., p. 167.

‘more … over’
: Abul Fazl,
Akbarnama
, vol. 1, p. 439.

‘Brotherly … foe’
: Gulbadan, op. cit., pp. 200–1.

‘Whatever …misconduct’
: Badauni, quoted A. Eraly, op. cit., p. 111.

‘his blessed … ear … I … call’
: Abul Fazl,
Akbarnama
, vol. 1, p. 657.

2: Allah Akbar

Where no source is given for a quote in this chapter, it comes from Abul Fazl’s
Akbarnama
for the relevant period of Akbar’s life, or from his
Ain-i-Akbari
, in which he set down the principles by which Akbar ruled his empire, together with a wealth of day-to-day detail about how he did so.

‘did not … oppressors’
: quoted A. Eraly, op. cit., p. 139.

‘in form … height’
: P. Mundy, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 73.

‘to venerate … dung’
: Badauni,
Muntakhab al-Tawarikh
, ED, vol. 5 p. 529.

‘with great … on his … respect’
: P. du Jarric,
Akbar and the Jesuits
, p. 19.

E. Koch’s article ‘The Taj Mahal: Architecture, Symbolism and Urban Significance’, vol. 22,
Muqarnas
, 2005, pp. 128–49, discusses the use of red and white coloured sandstone and the Hindu tradition.

‘in order … together … Akbar … artisan’
: A. Monserrate,
Commentary
, pp. 200–1.

‘[they] … populous’
: R. Fitch from his account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, pp. 17–18.

‘of a stature … foresight’
: A. Monserrate, op. cit., pp. 196–7.

‘illiterate … uneducated’
: Memoirs of Jahangir, ED, vol. 6, p. 290.

‘well … foreigners’
: P. du Jarric, op. cit., p. 9.

‘in music … uncontrolled … the ladies … veils … could … upon him … sternly … injustice’
: Ferishta,
History of Hindustan
, vol. 3, p. 21.

Shah Jahan (Khurram) was born on 30 Rabi II 1000 in the Muslim calendar.

Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu) was born on 19 Rajab 1001 in the Muslim calendar.

‘true son’
:
Jahangirnama
, translated by W. M. Thackston, p. 30.

‘I drank … I got … twenty … spirits’
: ibid., pp. 184–5.

‘no friend … mine’
: Memoirs of Jahangir, ED, vol. 6, p. 3.

‘if he would … kill him’
:
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri
(Memoirs of Jahangir), translated by A. Rogers and edited by H. Beveridge, vol. 1, p. 25.

‘So long … leave him’
: quoted M. Weatherly,
The Taj Mahal
, p. 25.

‘seizer … world … the business … the world’
:
Tuzuk-i- Jahangiri
(Memoirs of Jahangir), translated by A. Rogers and edited by H. Beveridge, vol. 1, p. 3.

3: ‘Peerless Pearls and Heart-pleasing Stuffs’

Where no source is given, quotes come from the Memoirs of Jahangir (the translations in
IT
, ED (vol. 6), A. Rogers and W. Thackston).

‘too much … blood’
: Sir Thomas Roe,
Embassy to India
, p. 104.

‘who … him’
: William Finch’s account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, p. 186.

‘all … Mahal’
: F. Bernier, op. cit., p. 293.

Khurram … can find’
: the quotes in this paragraph come from William Hawkins’ account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, p. 118.

‘whimsical … fair’
: F. Bernier, op. cit., p. 272.

‘that bright … chastity … angelic character … pure lineage’
: Qazwini, one of Shah Jahan’s official court historians,
IT
, p. 2.

‘in the taking … fearless’
: Muhammad Hadi,
Tatimma-i Wakiat-i Jahangiri
, ED, vol. 6, p. 397.

‘for a long … employment’
: ibid., p. 398.

‘her appearance … harem’
: Mutamid Khan,
Ikbalnama-i Jahangiri
, ED, vol. 6, p. 406.

‘the stars … arise’
: Muhammad Hadi,
Tatimma-i Wakiat-i Jahangiri
, ED, vol. 6, p. 398.

‘and other … amazed at’
: Sir T. Roe, op. cit., pp. 378–9.

Shah Jahan (Khurram) and Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu) married on 9 Rabi I 1021 in the Muslim calendar.

The following year … lasted a month
: all quotes in these four paragraphs are from Shah Jahan’s official court historians Qazwini and Lahori,
IT
, except for ‘I went to … the amirs’, which is from the Memoirs of Jahangir translated by W. M. Thackston.

‘the people … coitus’
: R. Tannahill,
Sex in History
, p. 245.

‘mine … royalty’
: Inayat Khan,
Shah Jahan Nama
, edited W. E. Begley and Z. A. Desai, p. 71.

Khurram’s … fortune’
: quotes in this paragraph are from Qazwini,
IT
, pp. 5–6.

‘populous beyond measure’
: William Finch’s account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, p. 182.

The Moghul … ran
: the quotes in this paragraph come from P. Mundy,
Travels in Europe and Asia
, vol. 2, p. 216.

‘win … world … a chain of justice … remove … people’
: Asad Beg’s account given in ED, vol. 6, p. 173.

‘This rope … accordingly’
: W. Hawkins’ account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, p. 113.

‘Right … commands’
: ibid., p. 115.

‘makes … consideration’
: P. della Valle,
Travels in India
, vol. 1, p. 30.

‘his … invention’
: Sir T. Roe, op. cit., p. 270.

‘rejected … vomit’
: quoted B. Gascoigne, op. cit., p. 115.

‘much … broad’
: J. de Laet,
The Empire of the Great Mogol
, p. 37.

‘his whole … for her’
: Inayat Khan, op. cit., p. 71.

‘lascivious … festivity’
: F. Pelsaert,
Jahangir’s India, Remonstrantie
, p. 64.

‘whatsoever … shape … cut … abuse’
: Thomas Coryat’s account reproduced in
Early Travels in India
, ed. W. Foster, pp. 278–9.

‘chaste women … clever … writer’
: Abul Fazl,
Ain-i-Akbari
, vol 1, pp. 44–5.

‘condemned … elephant’
: Sir T. Roe, op. cit., p. 191.

Richard Burton’s observation is quoted R. Tannahill, op. cit., p. 249.