Taj Mahal by Giles Tillotson review

This is a splendid and very readable introduction to the Taj Mahal. Giles Tillotson’s research cuts away at the various myths that have surrounded this supreme structure, such as the idea that it was designed by a European, or that Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj, intended to construct another Taj across the river as his tomb, which would have been black in contrast to the Taj Mahal’s startling whiteness. Indeed, a lot of myths have built up about the Taj, usually born to serve the prejudices of each particular author, such as P. N. Oak, who claimed that the Taj had been built by a previous Hindu ruler rather than the Muslim Shah Jahan. Tillotson reveals how the Taj has been viewed in the past by quoting by historical accounts of the building, many of which aptly claim to be unable to convey its majesty. Tillotson shows how the treatment of the Taj by the British very much changed from the early nineteenth century, when colonials tended to graffiti and steal pieces from the monument, to later in the century, when Viceroy Lord Curzon empowered efforts to conserve Indian monuments through law (although even he was not adverse to embellishing the Taj with foreign objects, such as a lamp from Cairo). Furthermore, Tillotson relates how the Taj still influences modern architects today, since a replica has recently been built in Dubai. The question of who should care for the Taj on behalf of the Indian nation is still a hot political potato, as Tillotson reports, and there are worries that the building may one day be targeted by Al Qaeda. However, the many excellent illustrations within this book, combined with the views of numerous travellers throughout the centuries, should be enough to compel anyone to visit this fantastic monument, which has been very fittingly described as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.