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1
00:00:03,551 --> 00:00:06,448
Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL,
2
00:00:06,482 --> 00:00:10,758
A MONUMENT OF UNPARALLELED,
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTY.
3
00:00:15,793 --> 00:00:18,482
Narrator: TODAY,
INVESTIGATIONS ARE REVEALING
4
00:00:18,517 --> 00:00:23,482
AN ASTONISHING NEW STORY TO THIS
MAGNIFICENT MAUSOLEUM...
5
00:00:23,517 --> 00:00:24,758
Rajani: IT'S REALLY STRANGE.
6
00:00:24,793 --> 00:00:29,068
NOW THAT I KNOW IT,
I CAN NEVER NOT SEE IT.
7
00:00:29,103 --> 00:00:32,965
Narrator: A SET OF HIDDEN CLUES
LEFT BY AN EMPEROR
8
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,413
OBSESSED WITH INCREASING
HIS OWN POWER.
9
00:00:37,482 --> 00:00:41,172
CAN CRACKING THE TAJ MAHAL'S
HIDDEN SYMBOLIC CODE
10
00:00:41,206 --> 00:00:45,862
REVEAL THE TRUTH
BEHIND THIS MARVEL?
11
00:00:45,896 --> 00:00:49,310
TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES,
12
00:00:49,344 --> 00:00:53,068
WE WILL BLOW
THE TAJ MAHAL APART.
13
00:00:53,103 --> 00:00:57,482
WE'LL LOOK WITHIN
ITS FLAWLESS MARBLE WALLS
14
00:00:57,517 --> 00:01:01,793
AND BENEATH ITS
GRAVITY-DEFYING DOME
15
00:01:01,827 --> 00:01:06,448
TO REVEAL THE INCREDIBLE SECRETS
OF THIS ICONIC WONDER.
16
00:01:06,482 --> 00:01:09,517
--Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com
17
00:01:09,551 --> 00:01:12,655
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
18
00:01:12,689 --> 00:01:14,448
♪
19
00:01:14,482 --> 00:01:19,310
MILLIONS VISIT INDIA'S
TAJ MAHAL EVERY YEAR,
20
00:01:19,344 --> 00:01:21,827
DRAWN TO ITS STRIKING BEAUTY
21
00:01:21,862 --> 00:01:25,965
AND TOUCHED BY THE TRAGIC TALE
AT ITS HEART.
22
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:31,482
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN BEGAN
BUILDING THE TAJ IN 1631,
23
00:01:31,517 --> 00:01:34,965
A TOMB FOR HIS WIFE,
MUMTAZ MAHAL,
24
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,379
LOST GIVING BIRTH
TO THEIR 14th CHILD,
25
00:01:39,413 --> 00:01:43,551
AND IT HAS BEEN
A SYMBOL OF LOVE EVER SINCE.
26
00:01:43,586 --> 00:01:47,931
BUT HIDDEN WITHIN THESE WALLS
LIES ANOTHER STORY,
27
00:01:47,965 --> 00:01:53,379
AN ASTONISHING TALE OF POWER,
OBSESSION, AND BETRAYAL.
28
00:02:08,206 --> 00:02:12,310
♪
29
00:02:12,344 --> 00:02:16,517
Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL
IS A MASTERPIECE.
30
00:02:16,551 --> 00:02:19,241
THE GIGANTIC MAUSOLEUM SITS ON
31
00:02:19,275 --> 00:02:24,793
A 100,000-SQUARE-FOOT
MARBLE PLATFORM
32
00:02:24,827 --> 00:02:30,206
SURROUNDED BY FOUR
IDENTICAL 140-FOOT TOWERS.
33
00:02:31,862 --> 00:02:34,000
THE BUILDING'S DOMES AND ARCHES
34
00:02:34,034 --> 00:02:37,172
ARE A SYMPHONY
OF SYMMETRICAL DESIGN.
35
00:02:37,206 --> 00:02:40,655
AND BEHIND
12-FOOT-THICK WALLS,
36
00:02:40,689 --> 00:02:45,793
AN EIGHT-WALLED TOMB
BUILT FOR A TRAGIC EMPRESS.
37
00:02:45,827 --> 00:02:48,965
SAID TO BE PERFECT
FROM EVERY ANGLE,
38
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,551
THIS MAJESTIC STRUCTURE
IS BOTH A BUILDING
39
00:02:51,586 --> 00:02:53,482
AND A WORK OF ART.
40
00:02:53,517 --> 00:02:57,724
♪
41
00:02:57,758 --> 00:03:03,103
THE TAJ MAHAL HAS BECOME
AN ICON OF ITS HOME COUNTRY.
42
00:03:03,137 --> 00:03:06,310
ITS STUNNING OUTLINE IS FAMILIAR
FROM COUNTLESS FILMS
43
00:03:06,344 --> 00:03:08,241
AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF INDIA.
44
00:03:17,034 --> 00:03:19,724
Narrator: BUT HOW INDIAN IS IT,
REALLY?
45
00:03:19,758 --> 00:03:23,000
♪
46
00:03:24,275 --> 00:03:27,034
ADHITYA DHANAPAL
BELIEVES THE TAJ'S SHAPE
47
00:03:27,068 --> 00:03:30,172
AND STRUCTURE HELP REVEAL
A VERY DIFFERENT ORIGIN.
48
00:03:30,206 --> 00:03:33,379
[ VEHICLE HORN HONKING ]
49
00:03:33,413 --> 00:03:36,689
THE BEST PLACE TO UNCOVER
THE TAJ'S TRUE STORY
50
00:03:36,724 --> 00:03:39,103
IS JUST OUTSIDE THE BUILDING,
51
00:03:39,137 --> 00:03:42,000
IN THE BUSTLING STREETS
OF AGRA.
52
00:03:55,344 --> 00:03:58,068
Narrator: THE TAJ BUILDING
SEEMS TO STAND OUT
53
00:03:58,103 --> 00:04:00,137
FROM THOSE THAT SURROUND IT.
54
00:04:00,172 --> 00:04:02,172
[ HORNS HONKING ]
55
00:04:02,206 --> 00:04:04,482
AS IN SHAH JAHAN'S TIME,
56
00:04:04,517 --> 00:04:06,620
THE MAJORITY OF
INDIA'S POPULATION
57
00:04:06,655 --> 00:04:09,896
FOLLOW THE HINDU RELIGION,
58
00:04:09,931 --> 00:04:13,172
A BELIEF REFLECTED IN
THE STYLE OF BUILDINGS.
59
00:04:13,206 --> 00:04:17,344
HINDU SHRINES AND TEMPLES
ARE BRIGHT AND COLORFUL,
60
00:04:17,379 --> 00:04:19,689
VERY DIFFERENT
TO THE SOBER MAUSOLEUM
61
00:04:19,724 --> 00:04:21,931
JUST A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY.
62
00:04:25,275 --> 00:04:28,758
HINDUS WORSHIP
A DIVERSE ARRAY OF GODS.
63
00:04:48,620 --> 00:04:51,931
Narrator: AS A TOMB
BUILT IN HONOR OF AN EMPRESS,
64
00:04:51,965 --> 00:04:56,068
THE TAJ REPRESENTS
A DEEPLY SACRED STRUCTURE,
65
00:04:56,103 --> 00:05:00,827
BUT IT HAS NONE OF THE IMAGERY
OF THE HINDU RELIGION.
66
00:05:00,862 --> 00:05:02,655
WHY?
67
00:05:02,689 --> 00:05:05,586
♪
68
00:05:05,620 --> 00:05:08,793
THE WALLS OF THE TAJ REFLECT
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S
69
00:05:08,827 --> 00:05:11,758
VERY DIFFERENT RELIGION.
70
00:05:11,793 --> 00:05:15,103
THE FOUR TALL TOWERS
ARE MINARETS,
71
00:05:15,137 --> 00:05:18,551
MORE COMMONLY SEEN ON MOSQUES
IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
72
00:05:18,586 --> 00:05:21,068
THE POINTED ARCHWAYS
ON TOP OF THE WINDOWS
73
00:05:21,103 --> 00:05:26,758
AND GATEWAYS ARE
AN ANCIENT IRAQI DESIGN.
74
00:05:26,793 --> 00:05:29,310
WHAT LOOKS LIKE INTRICATE
PATTERNS AROUND THE WALLS
75
00:05:29,344 --> 00:05:33,413
ARE ENTIRE PASSAGES
FROM THE QURAN.
76
00:05:33,448 --> 00:05:37,241
AND INSIDE THE MAUSOLEUM,
EACH OF THE EIGHT WALLS
77
00:05:37,275 --> 00:05:40,206
SYMBOLIZES ONE OF
THE EIGHT GATES TO PARADISE.
78
00:05:42,310 --> 00:05:45,586
THE TAJ IS RICHLY INFUSED
WITH THE IMAGERY
79
00:05:45,620 --> 00:05:48,034
AND SYMBOLISM OF ISLAM.
80
00:05:51,655 --> 00:05:56,206
THIS MAUSOLEUM ISN'T JUST
A SYMBOL OF THE SHAH'S LOVE.
81
00:05:56,241 --> 00:06:01,551
IT'S ALSO A DISPLAY OF HIS
PERSONAL POWER AND BELIEFS.
82
00:06:01,586 --> 00:06:04,793
SHAH JAHAN WAS
AN ISLAMIC OUTSIDER
83
00:06:04,827 --> 00:06:09,724
OCCUPYING A LARGELY HINDU LAND.
84
00:06:09,758 --> 00:06:12,344
HIS ANCESTORS CONQUERED
FROM THE EAST,
85
00:06:12,379 --> 00:06:16,931
CREATING A VAST TERRITORY
KNOWN AS THE MUGHAL EMPIRE.
86
00:06:16,965 --> 00:06:22,448
HE HAD POWER OVER A QUARTER
OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION.
87
00:06:22,482 --> 00:06:27,206
HOW DID HE MANAGE TO WIN OVER
SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE?
88
00:06:30,413 --> 00:06:34,000
ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS,
ADHITYA SPOTS A CLUE.
89
00:06:49,172 --> 00:06:52,413
Narrator: AT THE VERY TOP
OF THE TAJ SITS A SHAPE
90
00:06:52,448 --> 00:06:55,758
SEEN IN HINDU
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.
91
00:07:09,103 --> 00:07:11,793
Narrator: THE SHAH REALIZED
THAT IMPOSING HIS CULTURE
92
00:07:11,827 --> 00:07:14,034
AND RELIGION
ON THE LOCAL POPULATION
93
00:07:14,068 --> 00:07:16,862
MIGHT WIN HIM MORE ENEMIES
THAN FRIENDS.
94
00:07:28,931 --> 00:07:31,137
Narrator: HE HAD TO BE
A SHREWD POLITICIAN
95
00:07:31,172 --> 00:07:33,379
TO KEEP CONTROL
OF A MASSIVE EMPIRE
96
00:07:33,413 --> 00:07:37,379
MADE UP OF MANY
DIFFERENT FAITHS.
97
00:07:37,413 --> 00:07:39,620
BUT THANKS TO THE LAWS
OF HIS RELIGION,
98
00:07:39,655 --> 00:07:42,620
HE WAS STILL ABLE TO DISPLAY
HIS TRUE CONVICTION
99
00:07:42,655 --> 00:07:44,379
IN A VERY DISCREET WAY.
100
00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,241
Narrator: UNLIKE THE COLORFUL
GODS SEEN IN HINDU BUILDINGS,
101
00:08:01,275 --> 00:08:07,379
HUMAN AND ANIMAL IMAGERY
IS LARGELY FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM.
102
00:08:07,413 --> 00:08:11,620
SO THE SHAH LAID A SET
OF HIDDEN CLUES IN THE TAJ,
103
00:08:11,655 --> 00:08:14,965
A SECRET SYMBOLIC CODE
THAT REVEALED HIS TRUE FAITH
104
00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,000
ONLY TO ISLAMIC OBSERVERS.
105
00:08:20,517 --> 00:08:23,758
THE MAUSOLEUM FLOOR
BEARS AN EIGHT-POINTED STAR
106
00:08:23,793 --> 00:08:27,103
REPEATED IN A POTENTIALLY
INFINITE GEOMETRIC PATTERN,
107
00:08:27,137 --> 00:08:32,103
A REMINDER OF THE INFINITE
NATURE OF ALLAH.
108
00:08:32,137 --> 00:08:35,206
THE PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED
CALLIGRAPHY ON THE GATEWAYS
109
00:08:35,241 --> 00:08:37,413
IS AN ART FORM IN ITSELF.
110
00:08:37,448 --> 00:08:39,620
TO AN ISLAMIC EYE,
111
00:08:39,655 --> 00:08:43,896
IT SYMBOLIZES
GOD'S LOVE OF BEAUTY.
112
00:08:43,931 --> 00:08:45,413
AND THE WALLS OF THE TOMB
113
00:08:45,448 --> 00:08:48,379
ARE COVERED IN
ORNATE FLORAL ENGRAVINGS,
114
00:08:48,413 --> 00:08:51,689
EVOKING THE RICH ABUNDANCE
OF PARADISE.
115
00:08:54,413 --> 00:08:59,000
THE TAJ WAS NOT BUILT
JUST AS A MONUMENT TO LOST LOVE.
116
00:08:59,034 --> 00:09:02,551
IT'S A BILLBOARD FOR THE SHAH
TO SPELL OUT HIS BELIEFS.
117
00:09:04,965 --> 00:09:07,068
AND NOW RESEARCHERS
ARE UNCOVERING
118
00:09:07,103 --> 00:09:09,241
A WHOLE HOST
OF DIFFERENT MESSAGES
119
00:09:09,275 --> 00:09:11,413
ENCODED IN THE TAJ'S WALLS.
120
00:09:14,206 --> 00:09:17,931
WHAT DOES THE OBSESSIVE HUNT
FOR ONE VERY PARTICULAR STONE
121
00:09:17,965 --> 00:09:21,896
REVEAL ABOUT THE SHAH'S LUST
FOR SUPREME POWER?
122
00:09:21,931 --> 00:09:24,965
♪
123
00:09:28,551 --> 00:09:31,689
♪
124
00:09:33,275 --> 00:09:35,896
Narrator: LEGEND STATES
INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL
125
00:09:35,931 --> 00:09:39,206
WAS BUILT OUT OF UNDYING LOVE,
126
00:09:39,241 --> 00:09:44,862
DRIVEN BY EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S
GRIEF AFTER HIS WIFE'S DEATH.
127
00:09:44,896 --> 00:09:48,413
BUT THE BUILDING ALSO HOLDS
CLUES TO DIFFERENT MOTIVES.
128
00:09:50,793 --> 00:09:55,379
THE SHAH'S UNUSUAL CHOICE OF
STONE REVEALS HIS MEGALOMANIA.
129
00:09:57,275 --> 00:10:00,793
HE NEVER MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY
TO PROMOTE HIS OWN POWER.
130
00:10:03,310 --> 00:10:06,827
PREVIOUS MUGHAL EMPERORS
HAD MONUMENTAL MAUSOLEUMS
131
00:10:06,862 --> 00:10:11,000
AND FORTS BUILT LARGELY
FROM THE LOCAL RED SANDSTONE.
132
00:10:11,034 --> 00:10:13,034
THE SHAH BROKE WITH TRADITION
133
00:10:13,068 --> 00:10:17,413
AND USED RARE AND EXPENSIVE
PURE WHITE MARBLE.
134
00:10:19,379 --> 00:10:22,000
SO WHY CHOOSE
THIS PARTICULAR STONE
135
00:10:22,034 --> 00:10:24,758
JUST FOR A TOMB
FOR HIS LATE WIFE?
136
00:10:32,137 --> 00:10:35,206
♪
137
00:10:35,241 --> 00:10:38,310
Narrator: THIS MASSIVE TOMB
CONTAINS SEVERAL THOUSAND
138
00:10:38,344 --> 00:10:41,034
HALF-TON BLOCKS
OF PURE WHITE MARBLE.
139
00:10:43,620 --> 00:10:46,413
AND TO SUPPORT THIS MASS
OF HEAVY ROCK,
140
00:10:46,448 --> 00:10:50,896
A 12-FOOT-THICK
SUPPORTING SKELETON,
141
00:10:50,931 --> 00:10:54,034
MILLIONS OF LOCALLY SOURCED
RED SANDSTONE BRICKS,
142
00:10:54,068 --> 00:10:55,758
FORM A HIDDEN BACKBONE.
143
00:10:58,482 --> 00:11:01,482
THERE IS AROUND
20 TIMES MORE SANDSTONE
144
00:11:01,517 --> 00:11:05,379
IN THE BUILDING THAN MARBLE.
145
00:11:05,413 --> 00:11:10,379
IRON DOWELS ANCHOR THE MARBLE
FIRMLY IN PLACE
146
00:11:10,413 --> 00:11:13,620
SO THE TAJ'S PRECIOUS
FACADE NEVER SLIPS.
147
00:11:13,655 --> 00:11:18,275
♪
148
00:11:18,310 --> 00:11:21,137
WHY DID THE SHAH
GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE
149
00:11:21,172 --> 00:11:23,793
JUST FOR A SKIN
OF WHITE MARBLE?
150
00:11:25,896 --> 00:11:29,103
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE HIDDEN
PROPAGANDA MESSAGE
151
00:11:29,137 --> 00:11:30,758
THIS STONE COULD CARRY.
152
00:11:33,413 --> 00:11:37,655
TODAY, THERE IS A RARE CHANCE
TO FIND OUT JUST HOW FAR HE WENT
153
00:11:37,689 --> 00:11:40,793
FOR THE PURE WHITE MARBLE
HE SO DESPERATELY DESIRED.
154
00:11:44,137 --> 00:11:47,344
MUNAZZAR ALI OVERSEES
AN URGENT PROJECT
155
00:11:47,379 --> 00:11:50,275
TO RESTORE THE TAJ'S
MAIN GATEWAY.
156
00:11:56,448 --> 00:11:59,827
Narrator: HERE,
300 YARDS FROM THE MAIN TOMB,
157
00:11:59,862 --> 00:12:05,103
THE SHAH USED WHITE MARBLE
MOSTLY AS A DECORATIVE INLAY.
158
00:12:05,137 --> 00:12:08,068
AS RAIN AND SUN
WEARS SANDSTONE AWAY,
159
00:12:08,103 --> 00:12:10,000
THE DECORATION DISAPPEARS.
160
00:12:16,034 --> 00:12:18,137
Narrator: REPLICATING
THE SHAH'S BUILDING PLAN
161
00:12:18,172 --> 00:12:20,448
IS NO SIMPLE TASK FOR MUNAZZAR.
162
00:12:36,862 --> 00:12:39,344
Narrator: WHITE MARBLE
WAS KEY TO A MESSAGE
163
00:12:39,379 --> 00:12:43,310
THE SHAH WANTED TO PROCLAIM
WITH HIS MAUSOLEUM,
164
00:12:43,344 --> 00:12:46,034
BUT TO BEGIN TO DECIPHER
THIS MESSAGE
165
00:12:46,068 --> 00:12:48,724
MEANS FIRST FINDING
THE SHAH'S STONE.
166
00:12:51,482 --> 00:12:55,620
THE NEAREST SOURCE
LIES OVER 200 MILES AWAY --
167
00:12:55,655 --> 00:12:58,551
THE MAKRANA MARBLE MINES.
168
00:12:58,586 --> 00:13:02,655
ABHINANDAN BANSAL RUNS
ONE OF THE QUARRIES HERE.
169
00:13:13,448 --> 00:13:15,310
Narrator: EXTRACTING
THE RIGHT COLOR OF MARBLE
170
00:13:15,344 --> 00:13:18,344
IS A REAL CHALLENGE.
171
00:13:20,482 --> 00:13:24,517
FIRST, MINERS PRY OFF
A THREE-TON CHUNK OF STONE.
172
00:13:27,068 --> 00:13:31,793
THEN CRANES CAREFULLY RAISE
THE BLOCK TO THE SURFACE.
173
00:13:31,827 --> 00:13:34,517
EVEN USING TODAY'S
HEAVY LIFTING EQUIPMENT,
174
00:13:34,551 --> 00:13:37,482
THE PROCESS IS DIFFICULT
AND DANGEROUS.
175
00:13:39,482 --> 00:13:42,241
IN THE SHAH'S TIME,
IT WAS EVEN TOUGHER.
176
00:13:45,103 --> 00:13:49,448
FIRST, QUARRY WORKERS DESCENDED
INTO 200-FOOT-DEEP TRENCHES
177
00:13:49,482 --> 00:13:52,586
TO REACH THE PURE MARBLE SEAM.
178
00:13:52,620 --> 00:13:54,724
USING SIMPLE HAMMERS
AND CHISELS,
179
00:13:54,758 --> 00:13:58,379
THEY BROKE AWAY
SIX-TON BLOCKS.
180
00:13:58,413 --> 00:14:01,586
ROPE-AND-PULLEY CRANES
OPERATED BY ELEPHANTS
181
00:14:01,620 --> 00:14:05,413
RAISED THE MARBLE
FROM THE TRENCH.
182
00:14:05,448 --> 00:14:10,482
EACH BLOCK HAD TO BE HAULED
200 MILES TO THE TAJ.
183
00:14:10,517 --> 00:14:14,344
ON SITE, SPECIALIST STONE MASONS
SPLIT THE BLOCKS
184
00:14:14,379 --> 00:14:18,965
AND WORKED THEM
INTO PERFECT TILES.
185
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,103
ROPES AND PULLEYS ALLOWED
THE BUILDERS TO ONCE AGAIN
186
00:14:22,137 --> 00:14:24,137
HARNESS THE POWER
OF THE ELEPHANT
187
00:14:24,172 --> 00:14:28,379
TO RAISE THE TILES
INTO PLACE.
188
00:14:28,413 --> 00:14:31,344
♪
189
00:14:33,206 --> 00:14:38,896
CREATING PURE WHITE MARBLE TILES
IS A DAUNTING TASK EVEN TODAY.
190
00:14:38,931 --> 00:14:42,655
EVEN WITHIN A FEW INCHES,
COLORS CAN CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.
191
00:15:00,068 --> 00:15:02,310
Narrator: WORKERS CAREFULLY
ALIGN EACH BLOCK
192
00:15:02,344 --> 00:15:04,896
SO THE WHITE MARBLE VEIN
RUNS THE RIGHT WAY.
193
00:15:06,862 --> 00:15:10,655
THEN THEY USE FIVE-FOOT-LONG
SAWS TO SLICE UP THE BLOCK,
194
00:15:10,689 --> 00:15:15,000
DIVIDING IT INTO SECTIONS
BY COLOR.
195
00:15:17,724 --> 00:15:19,689
AFTER A DAY OF HARD WORK,
196
00:15:19,724 --> 00:15:23,448
ABHINANDAN HAS MARBLE TILES
TO MATCH THE TAJ.
197
00:15:40,068 --> 00:15:43,482
Narrator: THE EFFORT REQUIRED
TO OBTAIN PURE WHITE MARBLE
198
00:15:43,517 --> 00:15:48,206
IS IMMENSE,
SO WHY DID THE SHAH CHOOSE IT?
199
00:15:48,241 --> 00:15:50,724
THE ANSWER LIES IN
THE TYPES OF BUILDINGS
200
00:15:50,758 --> 00:15:54,862
THAT USUALLY ORDER MARBLE
FROM MAKRANA.
201
00:15:54,896 --> 00:15:58,689
WHITE STONE BUILDINGS ARE OFTEN
THE HOUSES OF HINDU PRIESTS,
202
00:15:58,724 --> 00:16:03,241
THE HIGHEST SOCIAL CLASS,
203
00:16:03,275 --> 00:16:05,586
SO PERHAPS THE SHAH'S
WHITE WALLS
204
00:16:05,620 --> 00:16:07,068
WERE A PIECE OF PROPAGANDA
205
00:16:07,103 --> 00:16:10,344
AIMED DIRECTLY AT
THE LOCAL POPULATION,
206
00:16:10,379 --> 00:16:15,379
A WAY TO DECLARE ALMOST
GOD-LIKE POWER OVER HIS PEOPLE.
207
00:16:18,206 --> 00:16:23,034
ONCE COMPLETE, THIS FACADE
WILL DAZZLE TODAY'S TOURISTS,
208
00:16:23,068 --> 00:16:24,965
BUT IT ONCE WOULD HAVE
MADE LOCALS
209
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,689
THINK OF THE SHAH'S
SUPREME AUTHORITY.
210
00:16:31,482 --> 00:16:34,655
AND THERE'S EVEN MORE TO
THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.
211
00:16:36,689 --> 00:16:39,344
THE TAJ'S GRAVITY-DEFYING DOME
212
00:16:39,379 --> 00:16:43,862
IS KEY TO THE SACRED STATUS
OF THE BUILDING,
213
00:16:43,896 --> 00:16:47,862
BUT HOW IT WAS BUILT
IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY.
214
00:16:47,896 --> 00:16:52,586
WILL MODERN-DAY ENGINEERS
CRACK ITS SECRET?
215
00:16:52,620 --> 00:16:56,310
AND DOES THE BUILDING'S
EXTREME SYMMETRY
216
00:16:56,344 --> 00:16:59,655
CONCEAL AN EVEN DEEPER CODE,
217
00:16:59,689 --> 00:17:02,379
A SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN?
218
00:17:02,413 --> 00:17:03,724
Rajani: IT'S REALLY STRANGE.
219
00:17:03,758 --> 00:17:07,137
NOW THAT I KNOW IT,
I CAN NEVER NOT SEE IT.
220
00:17:07,172 --> 00:17:11,310
♪
221
00:17:13,137 --> 00:17:16,586
♪
222
00:17:16,620 --> 00:17:19,551
Narrator: INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL
IS MORE THAN A MAUSOLEUM
223
00:17:19,586 --> 00:17:21,482
BUILT FOR A LOST LOVE.
224
00:17:23,551 --> 00:17:24,862
THE BUILDING'S STRUCTURE
225
00:17:24,896 --> 00:17:27,241
CONTAINS A SET
OF HIDDEN MESSAGES
226
00:17:27,275 --> 00:17:30,034
THAT REVEAL
THE VERY DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONS
227
00:17:30,068 --> 00:17:34,413
BEHIND EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S
MASTERPIECE.
228
00:17:34,448 --> 00:17:37,827
THE TAJ'S DOME IS
ITS MOST SPECTACULAR FEATURE,
229
00:17:37,862 --> 00:17:41,103
ALMOST HALF THE HEIGHT
OF THE ENTIRE MAUSOLEUM
230
00:17:41,137 --> 00:17:42,827
AND SPANNING 60 FEET.
231
00:17:45,034 --> 00:17:48,689
IT FORMS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT
OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.
232
00:17:52,689 --> 00:17:55,103
BUT IT'S ALSO THE SOURCE
OF THIS BUILDING'S
233
00:17:55,137 --> 00:17:57,586
MOST ENDURING
CONSTRUCTION MYSTERY.
234
00:17:59,482 --> 00:18:01,931
BECAUSE NO ACCURATE ACCOUNTS
WERE MADE
235
00:18:01,965 --> 00:18:03,482
AT THE TIME IT WAS BUILT,
236
00:18:03,517 --> 00:18:08,206
NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW
THE DOME WAS PUT TOGETHER.
237
00:18:08,241 --> 00:18:12,000
HOW THEY DID BUILDING
AT THAT TIME
238
00:18:12,034 --> 00:18:15,275
AND EXACTLY WHAT
THE STRUCTURE CONSISTS OF,
239
00:18:15,310 --> 00:18:17,517
WE'RE NOT REALLY SURE.
240
00:18:19,620 --> 00:18:21,965
Narrator: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
STEVE McKECHNIE
241
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,206
HEADS A TEAM WHO SPECIALIZE
IN DESIGNING
242
00:18:24,241 --> 00:18:27,689
LARGE AND UNCONVENTIONAL
BUILDINGS,
243
00:18:27,724 --> 00:18:30,206
INCLUDING
THE SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB,
244
00:18:30,241 --> 00:18:34,137
THE BIGGEST DOME
IN THE WORLD TODAY.
245
00:18:34,172 --> 00:18:37,724
NOW THIS TEAM IS GOING TO USE
THEIR MODERN-DAY EXPERTISE
246
00:18:37,758 --> 00:18:40,586
TO INVESTIGATE A NEARLY
400-YEAR-OLD LEGEND
247
00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:42,448
SURROUNDING THE TAJ'S DOME.
248
00:18:46,344 --> 00:18:49,241
THE CHALLENGE WITH
BUILDING A DOME IS THAT
249
00:18:49,275 --> 00:18:54,172
AS IT ARCHES INWARDS,
THE ROOF CAN BECOME UNSTABLE.
250
00:18:56,862 --> 00:18:59,724
WORRIED ABOUT A COLLAPSE,
LEGEND HAS IT
251
00:18:59,758 --> 00:19:02,758
THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS
BUILT A HUGE TOWER OF BRICKS
252
00:19:02,793 --> 00:19:06,137
FOR HIS UNFINISHED DOME
TO REST ON,
253
00:19:06,172 --> 00:19:09,103
AND ONCE THE DOME
WAS FINISHED AND STABLE,
254
00:19:09,137 --> 00:19:12,586
THE SHAH SIMPLY OPENED
THE GATES TO THE TAJ,
255
00:19:12,620 --> 00:19:14,689
AND LOCALS,
DESPERATE FOR BRICKS,
256
00:19:14,724 --> 00:19:16,448
STRIPPED THE TOWER OVERNIGHT.
257
00:19:19,827 --> 00:19:23,137
IT'S A GREAT STORY,
BUT STEVE'S NOT SURE
258
00:19:23,172 --> 00:19:26,551
THE COLORFUL LEGEND OF THE
SHAH'S BRICK TOWER STANDS UP.
259
00:19:26,586 --> 00:19:29,310
McKechnie: BUILDING A SOLID
SUPPORT AND THEN TAKING IT AWAY,
260
00:19:29,344 --> 00:19:31,206
IT WOULD BE A HUGE
NUMBER OF BRICKS
261
00:19:31,241 --> 00:19:32,724
THAT YOU WOULD NEED
TO FILL THAT SPACE,
262
00:19:32,758 --> 00:19:37,620
AND IT WOULD BE JUST
A LITTLE BIT DAFT, I THINK.
263
00:19:37,655 --> 00:19:40,172
WE'VE HAD A BIT OF A DISCUSSION
HERE IN THE OFFICE
264
00:19:40,206 --> 00:19:44,000
ABOUT HOW THE BUILDERS
WOULD HAVE MADE THIS DOME,
265
00:19:44,034 --> 00:19:47,206
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GO
AT BUILDING OUR MINI-TAJ
266
00:19:47,241 --> 00:19:49,482
AT 1 TO 160 SCALE.
267
00:19:51,379 --> 00:19:52,862
Narrator: THE DOME IS BUILT
268
00:19:52,896 --> 00:19:56,310
BY STACKING BRICKS
ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER.
269
00:19:56,344 --> 00:19:58,931
McKechnie: THE PURISTS
WOULD TELL YOU
270
00:19:58,965 --> 00:20:03,724
THAT A DOME NEEDS TO HAVE
ITS BRICKS ARRANGED
271
00:20:03,758 --> 00:20:06,655
WITH THEIR BED JOINTS
PERPENDICULAR
272
00:20:06,689 --> 00:20:08,931
TO THE THRUST IN THE ARCH,
273
00:20:08,965 --> 00:20:11,344
SO THE BRICKS GO LIKE THIS
AND LIKE THIS
274
00:20:11,379 --> 00:20:14,413
AND THE NEXT ONE
GOES LIKE THAT.
275
00:20:14,448 --> 00:20:16,758
Narrator: TILTING THE STONE
TO FORM A CURVE
276
00:20:16,793 --> 00:20:20,172
IS THE CONVENTIONAL WAY
TO BUILD A BRICK DOME.
277
00:20:20,206 --> 00:20:21,586
WHEN COMPLETE,
278
00:20:21,620 --> 00:20:25,551
IT CREATES AN INCREDIBLY STRONG
INNER SHELL.
279
00:20:25,586 --> 00:20:29,000
BUT BUILDING A DOME THIS WAY,
THE BRICKS WOULD PROBABLY NEED
280
00:20:29,034 --> 00:20:31,517
SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT
DURING CONSTRUCTION,
281
00:20:31,551 --> 00:20:36,586
MAKING THE SOLID BRICK TOWER
A MORE LIKELY POSSIBILITY.
282
00:20:36,620 --> 00:20:39,965
STEVE HAS A DIFFERENT THEORY.
283
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,586
McKechnie: MY THEORY IS
THEY CORBELLED BRICKS.
284
00:20:42,620 --> 00:20:46,482
THAT MEANS THAT YOU LAY
ONE BRICK STICKING OUT
285
00:20:46,517 --> 00:20:48,620
A LITTLE BIT BEYOND
THE BRICK BELOW,
286
00:20:48,655 --> 00:20:51,310
AND YOU MAKE A SPACE
UNDERNEATH BY DOING THAT.
287
00:20:51,344 --> 00:20:55,689
SO I CAN BUILD UP TO HERE
SO LONG AS I'M CAREFUL,
288
00:20:55,724 --> 00:20:57,551
AND I'M LEAVING
SPACE UNDERNEATH,
289
00:20:57,586 --> 00:21:01,482
AND THEN YOU BUILD UP BRICK
BEHIND TO KEEP IT STABLE.
290
00:21:01,517 --> 00:21:03,931
Narrator: THIS STEPPED CURVE
NEEDS THICK WALLS
291
00:21:03,965 --> 00:21:06,862
TO STOP THE OVERHANGING BRICKS
FROM FALLING IN,
292
00:21:06,896 --> 00:21:11,103
BUT THE ADVANTAGE IS THIS DOME
COULD POTENTIALLY BE BUILT UP
293
00:21:11,137 --> 00:21:14,448
WITH NO SOLID SUPPORT
UNDERNEATH.
294
00:21:14,482 --> 00:21:18,655
AND ONCE THE TEAM ADDS MORTAR TO
LOCK THE BRICKS FIRMLY IN PLACE,
295
00:21:18,689 --> 00:21:23,931
THE STRUCTURE HOLDS FIRM
ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.
296
00:21:23,965 --> 00:21:25,862
McKechnie: WE'VE BUILT
THIS MODEL HERE,
297
00:21:25,896 --> 00:21:28,379
AND I THINK THAT MY THEORY
HAS BEEN PROVEN.
298
00:21:28,413 --> 00:21:32,172
MY FEELING IS THAT
THAT'S A MORE PRACTICAL
299
00:21:32,206 --> 00:21:35,241
AND BUILDABLE WAY
OF HAVING BUILT THIS DOME,
300
00:21:35,275 --> 00:21:38,827
SO I THINK THAT'S THE MOST
PROBABLE METHOD THAT WAS USED.
301
00:21:38,862 --> 00:21:41,379
Narrator: PERHAPS USING
THIS CLEVER TECHNIQUE,
302
00:21:41,413 --> 00:21:43,793
THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS
COULD HAVE RAISED
303
00:21:43,827 --> 00:21:47,689
THE TAJ'S MASSIVE DOME WITHOUT
A SOLID BRICK SUPPORT.
304
00:21:50,758 --> 00:21:53,172
AND THE DOME'S
GRAVITY-DEFYING SHAPE
305
00:21:53,206 --> 00:21:56,068
WAS A KEY PART
OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.
306
00:21:58,689 --> 00:22:03,724
THE TAJ'S BASE IS A SQUARE,
REPRESENTING EARTH.
307
00:22:03,758 --> 00:22:06,586
THE DOME HAS AN ALMOST
CIRCULAR OUTLINE,
308
00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:08,620
THE PERFECT SHAPE
TO REMIND THE VIEWER
309
00:22:08,655 --> 00:22:13,862
OF THE PERFECTION
AND ETERNITY OF HEAVEN.
310
00:22:13,896 --> 00:22:17,137
SO THE BUILDING IS A MODEL
OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE,
311
00:22:17,172 --> 00:22:22,586
WITH THE TOMB IN BETWEEN
A PORTAL TO PARADISE,
312
00:22:22,620 --> 00:22:25,241
AND AS WITH EVERYTHING ELSE
WITH THE TAJ,
313
00:22:25,275 --> 00:22:28,517
THE SHAH PUSHED THIS SYMBOLISM
TO THE LIMIT.
314
00:22:32,068 --> 00:22:34,965
THE TAJ'S MASSIVE,
ALMOST CIRCULAR DOME
315
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,724
SENT OUT A STRONG
SYMBOLIC MESSAGE,
316
00:22:39,758 --> 00:22:43,137
REMINDING ONLOOKERS
OF THE PERFECTION OF HEAVEN.
317
00:22:45,172 --> 00:22:48,241
BUT FROM THE INSIDE,
BECAUSE IT'S SO TALL,
318
00:22:48,275 --> 00:22:51,206
IT COULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE
A CAVERNOUS BLACK HOLE,
319
00:22:51,241 --> 00:22:54,068
MAKING OBSERVERS
FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE,
320
00:22:54,103 --> 00:22:57,793
SO THE SHAH'S
ENGINEERS CHEATED.
321
00:22:57,827 --> 00:23:00,000
THEY BUILT A FALSE MARBLE
CEILING
322
00:23:00,034 --> 00:23:03,000
NEARLY A HUNDRED FEET
BELOW THE APEX.
323
00:23:03,034 --> 00:23:07,448
THIS DOME WITHIN A DOME
BRINGS HEAVEN CLOSER TO EARTH,
324
00:23:07,482 --> 00:23:10,206
ALLOWING THE SHAH TO MAKE
A SYMBOLIC STATEMENT
325
00:23:10,241 --> 00:23:12,448
BOTH OUTSIDE AND IN.
326
00:23:16,862 --> 00:23:18,655
AND RIGHT AT THE HEART
OF THE BUILDING
327
00:23:18,689 --> 00:23:21,103
LIES ONE OF ITS
GREATEST MYSTERIES.
328
00:23:23,793 --> 00:23:27,586
IN THIS TOMB BUILT FOR
AN EMPRESS LIE TWO BODIES,
329
00:23:27,620 --> 00:23:29,241
NOT ONE.
330
00:23:29,275 --> 00:23:32,586
THE SECOND IS
THE EMPEROR HIMSELF.
331
00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:37,068
WAS THIS PART OF HIS GRAND PLAN
OR SOMETHING DARKER?
332
00:23:37,103 --> 00:23:40,448
♪
333
00:23:42,448 --> 00:23:45,896
♪
334
00:23:45,931 --> 00:23:48,275
Narrator: THERE'S MORE
TO INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL
335
00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:51,793
THAN ITS FAMOUS LEGEND
OF LOST LOVE.
336
00:23:51,827 --> 00:23:56,137
AT ITS VERY HEART
LURKS A MASSIVE MYSTERY.
337
00:23:56,172 --> 00:23:58,689
WHEREAS EVERY PREVIOUS
MUGHAL RULER
338
00:23:58,724 --> 00:24:01,793
HAS AN ENTIRE MAUSOLEUM
BUILT FOR THEMSELVES,
339
00:24:01,827 --> 00:24:05,000
THERE'S SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT
ABOUT THE SHAH.
340
00:24:18,655 --> 00:24:20,793
Narrator: BUT LOOKING INSIDE
THE TAJ MAHAL
341
00:24:20,827 --> 00:24:23,206
REVEALS THINGS
DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY.
342
00:24:26,344 --> 00:24:28,310
RIGHT AT THE HEART
OF THE TAJ,
343
00:24:28,344 --> 00:24:32,344
DEAD CENTER BELOW
THE APEX OF THE DOME,
344
00:24:32,379 --> 00:24:37,482
IS THE SARCOPHAGUS
OF EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL.
345
00:24:37,517 --> 00:24:41,931
BUT SQUASHED IN AWKWARDLY BESIDE
HER IS THAT OF HER HUSBAND,
346
00:24:41,965 --> 00:24:43,724
SHAH JAHAN.
347
00:24:43,758 --> 00:24:46,000
BOTH CASKETS ARE EMPTY.
348
00:24:46,034 --> 00:24:47,827
THEY'RE ONLY DECOYS.
349
00:24:47,862 --> 00:24:51,172
THE REAL BODIES ARE HIDDEN
IN A CRYPT JUST BELOW,
350
00:24:51,206 --> 00:24:55,551
IN IDENTICAL POSITIONS
TO THE ONES ABOVE.
351
00:24:55,586 --> 00:24:58,310
AND THEY RAISE A QUESTION --
352
00:24:58,344 --> 00:25:02,068
IF THE TAJ MAHAL IS MEANT
TO BE A TOMB FOR AN EMPRESS,
353
00:25:02,103 --> 00:25:06,620
WHAT IS THE ALL-POWERFUL SHAH
DOING SQUEEZED RIGHT BESIDE HER?
354
00:25:06,655 --> 00:25:09,862
♪
355
00:25:12,413 --> 00:25:15,724
ARCHAEOLOGIST PRATAP SENGAR
HAS SPENT DECADES
356
00:25:15,758 --> 00:25:17,241
UNEARTHING MUGHAL RUINS
357
00:25:17,275 --> 00:25:19,689
ALONG THE SAME RIVER BANKS
AS THE TAJ.
358
00:25:21,758 --> 00:25:24,379
LIKE MANY,
HE'S EAGER TO UNDERSTAND
359
00:25:24,413 --> 00:25:29,379
WHY THE SHAH'S SARCOPHAGUS
ENDED UP IN ITS AWKWARD SPOT.
360
00:25:29,413 --> 00:25:31,862
ONE POPULAR THEORY
IS THE EMPEROR'S BODY
361
00:25:31,896 --> 00:25:35,034
WAS FORCED INTO THE TAJ
AGAINST HIS WISHES.
362
00:25:51,896 --> 00:25:53,931
Narrator: THE SHAH SPENT
THE LAST EIGHT YEARS
363
00:25:53,965 --> 00:25:56,310
OF HIS LIFE
IN NEARBY AGRA FORT,
364
00:25:56,344 --> 00:25:59,896
IMPRISONED BY HIS
POWER-HUNGRY SON, AURANGZEB.
365
00:26:17,413 --> 00:26:20,379
Narrator: AURANGZEB,
ACCORDING TO THE POPULAR THEORY,
366
00:26:20,413 --> 00:26:25,310
PLACED HIS FATHER
IN THE TAJ OUT OF SPITE,
367
00:26:25,344 --> 00:26:28,137
DELIBERATELY DESTROYING
THE SYMMETRICAL LAYOUT
368
00:26:28,172 --> 00:26:30,896
OF THE MAUSOLEUM
AS A SNUB TO THE SHAH.
369
00:26:34,586 --> 00:26:38,137
BUT TWO MILES UPRIVER,
A BUILDING PROVIDES CLUES
370
00:26:38,172 --> 00:26:41,655
TO A VERY DIFFERENT EXPLANATION.
371
00:26:41,689 --> 00:26:44,620
THIS IS THE BABY TAJ.
372
00:26:44,655 --> 00:26:47,793
COMPLETED JUST THREE YEARS
BEFORE THE TAJ BEGAN,
373
00:26:47,827 --> 00:26:51,517
IT'S A TOMB FOR
A DISTANT RELATIVE OF THE SHAH.
374
00:26:51,551 --> 00:26:53,103
AFTER YEARS OF NEGLECT,
375
00:26:53,137 --> 00:26:56,689
PRATAP'S TEAM IS RETURNING
THIS ONCE-MAGNIFICENT TOMB
376
00:26:56,724 --> 00:26:58,448
TO ITS ORIGINAL SPLENDOR.
377
00:27:12,862 --> 00:27:15,827
Narrator: THIS REBUILDING WORK
REVEALS THAT THE MAUSOLEUM
378
00:27:15,862 --> 00:27:19,068
WAS A KEY INFLUENCE
ON THE SHAH'S PLANS FOR THE TAJ.
379
00:27:39,172 --> 00:27:42,689
Narrator: THE SIMILARITIES
TO THE TAJ MAHAL ARE STRIKING.
380
00:27:42,724 --> 00:27:44,551
LIKE THE TAJ,
381
00:27:44,586 --> 00:27:48,689
THE BUILDING'S FOUR SIDES
ARE IDENTICAL.
382
00:27:48,724 --> 00:27:51,275
FOUR WATERWAYS ONCE FLOWED
THROUGH A GARDEN
383
00:27:51,310 --> 00:27:53,275
DIVIDED INTO FOUR SQUARES.
384
00:27:55,413 --> 00:28:00,275
AND THERE'S ONE FINAL SIMILARITY
AT THE HEART OF THE BUILDING --
385
00:28:00,310 --> 00:28:05,724
THE BABY TAJ HAS AN UNUSUAL
ARRANGEMENT OF COFFINS.
386
00:28:05,758 --> 00:28:09,379
THE TOMB'S MAIN SARCOPHAGUS
SITS DEAD CENTER IN THE BUILDING
387
00:28:09,413 --> 00:28:13,275
RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE SITE,
388
00:28:13,310 --> 00:28:16,379
BUT SITTING BESIDE IT
LIES ANOTHER COFFIN.
389
00:28:24,896 --> 00:28:27,172
Narrator: LIKE THE TAJ,
THIS SECOND COFFIN
390
00:28:27,206 --> 00:28:29,379
IS THE ONLY ASYMMETRICAL ASPECT
391
00:28:29,413 --> 00:28:33,172
OF THE MAUSOLEUM'S
ENTIRE FLOOR PLAN,
392
00:28:33,206 --> 00:28:35,448
AND IT SUGGESTS THAT
THIS IS PERHAPS
393
00:28:35,482 --> 00:28:37,862
WHERE SHAH JAHAN
FOUND INSPIRATION
394
00:28:37,896 --> 00:28:42,724
FOR HIS OWN UNCONVENTIONAL
RESTING PLACE INSIDE THE TAJ.
395
00:28:42,758 --> 00:28:47,137
NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE,
BUT PERHAPS AFTER THE EFFORT
396
00:28:47,172 --> 00:28:49,517
OF CREATING
THE MAGNIFICENT TAJ MAHAL
397
00:28:49,551 --> 00:28:54,034
AND CRAMMING IT WITH SYMBOLS
OF HIS OWN POWER AND STATUS,
398
00:28:54,068 --> 00:28:57,206
THE SHAH COULDN'T RESIST
LYING FOR ETERNITY
399
00:28:57,241 --> 00:28:59,275
BESIDE HIS BELOVED WIFE.
400
00:29:03,068 --> 00:29:06,034
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SHAH'S
SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN
401
00:29:06,068 --> 00:29:08,896
STRETCHES EVEN FURTHER.
402
00:29:08,931 --> 00:29:12,482
IT DICTATED THE LOCATION
OF THE ENTIRE TAJ COMPLEX.
403
00:29:14,931 --> 00:29:18,206
PUTTING THIS MASSIVE BUILDING
RIGHT NEXT TO A RAGING RIVER
404
00:29:18,241 --> 00:29:20,448
WAS A VERY RISKY DECISION,
405
00:29:20,482 --> 00:29:24,965
BUT COULD THIS PRECARIOUS
POSITION PAY OFF
406
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,206
AS ANOTHER PART OF
THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE?
407
00:29:28,241 --> 00:29:32,586
♪
408
00:29:34,448 --> 00:29:38,724
♪
409
00:29:38,758 --> 00:29:43,793
Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS MORE
THAN JUST A SYMBOL OF LOST LOVE.
410
00:29:43,827 --> 00:29:46,137
ITS FOUNDER,
EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN,
411
00:29:46,172 --> 00:29:48,586
WANTED THE BUILDING
TO STATE HIS OWN RELIGIOUS
412
00:29:48,620 --> 00:29:51,689
AND POLITICAL BELIEFS.
413
00:29:51,724 --> 00:29:54,551
THE TAJ'S WATERWAYS
HAD TO SPELL OUT
414
00:29:54,586 --> 00:29:57,758
A VERY SPECIFIC
RELIGIOUS MESSAGE.
415
00:29:57,793 --> 00:29:59,275
TO ISLAMIC EYES,
416
00:29:59,310 --> 00:30:01,655
THEY NEEDED TO LOOK
LIKE RIVERS OF PARADISE
417
00:30:01,689 --> 00:30:03,551
THAT FLOW THROUGH
THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
418
00:30:16,172 --> 00:30:18,551
Narrator: BUT TO REALIZE
THIS VISION OF EDEN,
419
00:30:18,586 --> 00:30:22,206
THE TAJ'S BUILDERS HAD TO SITE
THE MAUSOLEUM PERILOUSLY CLOSE
420
00:30:22,241 --> 00:30:27,793
TO THE CITY'S MAIN WATER SOURCE,
THE MIGHTY RIVER YAMUNA.
421
00:30:27,827 --> 00:30:30,655
HOW DID THEY STOP THE TAJ
FROM WASHING AWAY?
422
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,482
THE TAJ MIGHT LOOK ORNATE
AND DELICATE,
423
00:30:36,517 --> 00:30:41,965
BUT ALL THE STONE ADDS UP
TO NEARLY 40,000 TONS.
424
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,000
TO BEAR THIS COLOSSAL WEIGHT,
425
00:30:44,034 --> 00:30:47,724
THE BUILDERS NEEDED
STABLE SUPPORT.
426
00:30:47,758 --> 00:30:50,793
THEY BUILT HUGE
FOUNDATION PILLARS
427
00:30:50,827 --> 00:30:54,034
THAT EXTEND 40 FEET
BENEATH THE FLOOR,
428
00:30:54,068 --> 00:30:59,103
REACHING THROUGH SOFT SAND
TO SOLID GROUND BELOW.
429
00:30:59,137 --> 00:31:01,586
THERE ARE OVER TWO DOZEN
OF THESE GIANTS
430
00:31:01,620 --> 00:31:04,931
SITTING RIGHT UNDER
THE TAJ MAHAL.
431
00:31:04,965 --> 00:31:08,275
THEY ANCHOR THE MARBLE MONUMENT
TO THE GROUND
432
00:31:08,310 --> 00:31:12,172
AND STOP THE TAJ SINKING INTO
THE MUDDY RIVERBANK.
433
00:31:12,206 --> 00:31:15,413
♪
434
00:31:17,172 --> 00:31:19,689
SO WHAT PART OF THE SHAH'S
SECRET CODE
435
00:31:19,724 --> 00:31:22,034
MADE THIS EXTREME EFFORT
WORTHWHILE?
436
00:31:24,103 --> 00:31:29,034
LINING THE TAJ'S CANALS
ARE NEARLY 100 FOUNTAINS.
437
00:31:29,068 --> 00:31:31,827
THEY CREATE AN IMPRESSION
OF SACRED SPRINGS
438
00:31:31,862 --> 00:31:35,793
ERUPTING WITH
THE WATERS OF LIFE.
439
00:31:35,827 --> 00:31:40,000
TODAY, ELECTRIC PUMPS POWER
THESE ELEGANT WATERWORKS,
440
00:31:40,034 --> 00:31:43,517
BUT IN THE 17th CENTURY,
VISITORS TO THE TAJ
441
00:31:43,551 --> 00:31:45,586
WOULD'VE BEEN ASTONISHED
AT THE SPECTACLE
442
00:31:45,620 --> 00:31:49,034
OF SO MANY JETS
SPURTING INTO THE AIR.
443
00:31:49,068 --> 00:31:51,758
SO HOW DID THE SHAH'S
ENGINEERS DO IT?
444
00:31:53,620 --> 00:31:57,724
RAJENDRA PANDEY STUDIES
ANCIENT WATER SYSTEMS.
445
00:31:57,758 --> 00:32:00,103
HE'S DETERMINED TO FOUND OUT
WHAT COULD HAVE DRIVEN
446
00:32:00,137 --> 00:32:02,793
THE TAJ'S 96 FOUNTAINS.
447
00:32:18,655 --> 00:32:22,620
Narrator: RAJENDRA SEARCHES FOR
SIGNS OF 17th CENTURY PLUMBING,
448
00:32:22,655 --> 00:32:26,413
ANY CLUES AS TO HOW ENGINEERS
COULD GENERATE
449
00:32:26,448 --> 00:32:28,655
THE MASSIVE WATER PRESSURE
NEEDED TO CREATE
450
00:32:28,689 --> 00:32:31,965
THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC
GARDEN OF EDEN.
451
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,586
HIGH ON THE BANK,
HE SPOTS THE REMAINS
452
00:32:34,620 --> 00:32:37,000
OF THE ORIGINAL WATERWORKS.
453
00:32:46,724 --> 00:32:50,000
Narrator: RAJENDRA BELIEVES
THIS 17th CENTURY WALL
454
00:32:50,034 --> 00:32:52,620
COULD BE THE REMAINS
OF AN ANCIENT SYSTEM
455
00:32:52,655 --> 00:32:55,965
OF RAISING WATER KNOWN AS PURS.
456
00:32:59,103 --> 00:33:01,620
DESIGNED TO CREATE
WATER PRESSURE,
457
00:33:01,655 --> 00:33:05,931
A PURS STARTS WITH A LINE
OF PULLEYS ALONG A WALL.
458
00:33:05,965 --> 00:33:10,758
WORKERS RIG UP A LINE
OF ANIMAL-HIDE BUCKETS
459
00:33:10,793 --> 00:33:14,068
WHICH THEY LOWER INTO
THE RIVER BELOW.
460
00:33:14,103 --> 00:33:16,724
ONCE THE WATER REACHES
THE TOP OF THE WALL,
461
00:33:16,758 --> 00:33:19,896
IT POURS INTO
A STONE CHANNEL.
462
00:33:19,931 --> 00:33:22,724
THEN FURTHER SETS OF PURS
LIFT THE WATER
463
00:33:22,758 --> 00:33:24,586
HIGH ABOVE THE TAJ'S GARDEN.
464
00:33:26,448 --> 00:33:29,068
BUT IS THIS GRAVITY-FED
SYSTEM ALONE
465
00:33:29,103 --> 00:33:31,448
ENOUGH TO TRANSFORM THE GARDEN
466
00:33:31,482 --> 00:33:34,172
INTO THE SHAH'S
VISION OF PARADISE?
467
00:33:37,379 --> 00:33:41,000
RAJENDRA AND HIS ASSISTANT
ARE GOING TO TEST THE THEORY.
468
00:33:48,068 --> 00:33:51,206
Narrator: JUST LIKE AT THE TAJ,
THIS ROOFTOP WATER TANK
469
00:33:51,241 --> 00:33:53,413
GENERATES PRESSURE
THROUGH GRAVITY,
470
00:33:53,448 --> 00:33:57,241
POWERING TAPS AND SHOWERS
IN ROOMS BELOW.
471
00:33:57,275 --> 00:34:01,034
FIRST, THE TEAM ATTACH
A RUBBER HOSE TO THE TANK.
472
00:34:01,068 --> 00:34:03,931
THEN THEY CAREFULLY JOIN
THREE IDENTICAL NOZZLES
473
00:34:03,965 --> 00:34:06,137
TO ACT AS THE FOUNTAINS.
474
00:34:06,172 --> 00:34:09,068
BUT WHEN THE WATER
STARTS TO FLOW,
475
00:34:09,103 --> 00:34:10,310
THERE'S A PROBLEM.
476
00:34:17,275 --> 00:34:21,275
Narrator: THE JETS FROM
THE THREE NOZZLE DON'T MATCH.
477
00:34:21,310 --> 00:34:25,379
SO HOW DID THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS
MAKE NEARLY A HUNDRED FOUNTAINS
478
00:34:25,413 --> 00:34:28,724
ERUPT TO AN EQUAL HEIGHT?
479
00:34:28,758 --> 00:34:33,034
UNDERGROUND INVESTIGATIONS
MAY GIVE THE ANSWER.
480
00:34:33,068 --> 00:34:34,551
BENEATH EACH FOUNTAIN,
481
00:34:34,586 --> 00:34:38,275
THE WATER FLOWS INTO
MYSTERIOUS METAL SPHERES.
482
00:34:38,310 --> 00:34:41,655
COULD THESE BE A CLUE
TO CREATING EQUAL PRESSURE?
483
00:34:44,586 --> 00:34:46,965
RAJENDRA TRIES A NEW TACTIC.
484
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:51,000
HE ADDS A MATCHING SET
OF METAL CHAMBERS.
485
00:34:58,724 --> 00:34:59,793
Narrator: IN THEORY,
486
00:34:59,827 --> 00:35:01,896
ALL THE RESERVOIRS
SHOULD FILL FIRST,
487
00:35:01,931 --> 00:35:05,931
AND ONLY THEN WILL WATER
FLOW TO THE NOZZLES.
488
00:35:05,965 --> 00:35:09,344
THIS WAY, EACH JET SHOULD ERUPT
WITH EQUAL PRESSURE.
489
00:35:21,896 --> 00:35:24,724
Narrator: THANKS TO THIS
INGENIOUS ENGINEERING,
490
00:35:24,758 --> 00:35:27,034
THE THREE JETS RISE
TO THE SAME HEIGHT,
491
00:35:27,068 --> 00:35:31,206
FORMING EVER-ERUPTING
SPRINGS OF LIFE
492
00:35:31,241 --> 00:35:35,241
PERFECT FOR THE SHAH'S
SYMBOLIC GARDEN OF EDEN.
493
00:35:38,689 --> 00:35:41,517
AND BEYOND THIS
INGENIOUS ENGINEERING,
494
00:35:41,551 --> 00:35:45,655
THERE'S MORE TO THE SHAH'S
SYMBOLIC PUZZLE.
495
00:35:45,689 --> 00:35:48,551
THE LAYOUT OF THE ENTIRE
TAJ COMPLEX
496
00:35:48,586 --> 00:35:51,793
HAS A HIDDEN MEANING
ALL OF ITS OWN.
497
00:35:51,827 --> 00:35:55,827
♪
498
00:35:57,517 --> 00:36:01,931
♪
499
00:36:01,965 --> 00:36:04,827
Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL
IS RICHLY INFUSED
500
00:36:04,862 --> 00:36:07,379
WITH HIDDEN SYMBOLIC MESSAGES.
501
00:36:07,413 --> 00:36:10,793
THEY SUGGEST MORE THAN
A SIMPLE STORY OF LOST LOVE
502
00:36:10,827 --> 00:36:15,103
LIES BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THIS MAJESTIC MONUMENT.
503
00:36:15,137 --> 00:36:16,620
ONE ASPECT THAT STRIKES
504
00:36:16,655 --> 00:36:19,379
MANY OF THE MILLIONS
OF VISITORS EACH YEAR
505
00:36:19,413 --> 00:36:23,448
IS THE ALMOST EXCESSIVE AMOUNT
OF SYMMETRY BUILT INTO THE TAJ.
506
00:36:23,482 --> 00:36:25,793
COULD THIS SYMMETRY ITSELF
507
00:36:25,827 --> 00:36:28,758
BE A PART OF
THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE?
508
00:36:31,862 --> 00:36:35,827
LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGIST
M.B. RAJANI HAS FOUND A POSITION
509
00:36:35,862 --> 00:36:39,827
DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE MONUMENT
TO MEASURE THE TAJ'S SYMMETRY.
510
00:36:39,862 --> 00:36:41,862
Rajani: LOOK AT THE MONUMENT.
511
00:36:41,896 --> 00:36:45,551
YOU WILL SEE THE LEFT SIDE IS
ALMOST SAME AS THE RIGHT SIDE.
512
00:36:45,586 --> 00:36:47,620
THE DECORATIONS,
THE STRUCTURE,
513
00:36:47,655 --> 00:36:49,448
THE SIZE,
THE NUMBER OF DOMES,
514
00:36:49,482 --> 00:36:51,000
ALL ARE ABSOLUTELY SAME.
515
00:36:51,034 --> 00:36:53,344
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
TO REALLY MAKE OUT
516
00:36:53,379 --> 00:36:57,344
ANY DIFFERENCE
FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER.
517
00:36:57,379 --> 00:37:00,965
Narrator: SYMMETRY BEGINS
AT THE HEART OF THE TAJ.
518
00:37:03,241 --> 00:37:06,448
THE SHAH'S CENTRAL MAUSOLEUM
IS AN OCTAGON,
519
00:37:06,482 --> 00:37:11,000
SURROUNDED BY FOUR SQUARE
AND FOUR OCTAGONAL CHAMBERS,
520
00:37:11,034 --> 00:37:15,172
CREATING FOUR PLANES
OF SYMMETRY.
521
00:37:15,206 --> 00:37:19,379
ON EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS,
AN IDENTICAL MINARET.
522
00:37:19,413 --> 00:37:22,000
TO MATCH A MOSQUE TO THE WEST,
523
00:37:22,034 --> 00:37:26,172
THE SHAH BUILT
AN IDENTICAL GUEST HOUSE.
524
00:37:26,206 --> 00:37:30,034
THE GARDEN CONSISTS
OF 16 SQUARES --
525
00:37:30,068 --> 00:37:34,275
FOUR SMALL SQUARES
INSIDE FOUR LARGER SQUARES.
526
00:37:34,310 --> 00:37:36,931
AND ACROSS THE RIVER,
527
00:37:36,965 --> 00:37:40,827
A MIRROR IMAGE OF
THE SHAH'S ENTIRE GARDEN,
528
00:37:40,862 --> 00:37:43,241
SO THE BUILDING SITS
AT THE CENTER
529
00:37:43,275 --> 00:37:46,206
OF A SYMMETRICAL FLOOR PLAN.
530
00:37:47,931 --> 00:37:50,724
AND ALL THIS SYMMETRY
FORMS A KEY PART
531
00:37:50,758 --> 00:37:54,310
OF THE SHAH'S
SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN.
532
00:37:54,344 --> 00:37:57,000
Rajani: WE DO SEE
A LOT OF SYMMETRY
533
00:37:57,034 --> 00:38:01,241
AND AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE
PERFECTION IN ISLAMIC ART
534
00:38:01,275 --> 00:38:02,586
AND ARCHITECTURE,
535
00:38:02,620 --> 00:38:07,620
TRYING TO GET CLOSE
TO THE ALMIGHTY.
536
00:38:07,655 --> 00:38:10,586
Narrator: THIS IS THE REASON
THE SHAH USED SYMMETRY
537
00:38:10,620 --> 00:38:13,034
ON SUCH A VAST SCALE.
538
00:38:13,068 --> 00:38:15,655
SYMMETRY WAS A WAY
TO SHOW THE PERFECTION
539
00:38:15,689 --> 00:38:18,793
AND INFINITE NATURE
OF HIS ISLAMIC GOD
540
00:38:18,827 --> 00:38:23,551
WITHOUT DIRECTLY REPRESENTING
ALLAH'S IMAGE.
541
00:38:23,586 --> 00:38:25,724
AND LIKE ELSEWHERE IN THE TAJ,
542
00:38:25,758 --> 00:38:29,137
THE SHAH TOOK THIS
SYMBOLIC IDEA TO ITS EXTREME.
543
00:38:31,137 --> 00:38:33,172
BUT RAJANI'S LATEST RESEARCH
544
00:38:33,206 --> 00:38:37,206
IS FINDING SOMETHING
VERY UNEXPECTED.
545
00:38:37,241 --> 00:38:41,034
Rajani: SO HERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH
WHICH SERVES MY PURPOSE,
546
00:38:41,068 --> 00:38:44,724
AND I DRAW A LINE
MAKING THE LEFT CURVE
547
00:38:44,758 --> 00:38:48,275
AND THEN I DRAW I LINE
MARKING THE RIGHT CURVE.
548
00:38:48,310 --> 00:38:51,517
AFTER I HAVE IDENTIFIED
THE CENTER OF THE DRUM
549
00:38:51,551 --> 00:38:55,000
AND USED THE SOFTWARE
TO MEASURE PIXELS
550
00:38:55,034 --> 00:38:56,448
FROM THE CENTER LINE
551
00:38:56,482 --> 00:38:59,344
TO THE RIGHT EDGE
AND TO THE LEFT EDGE.
552
00:39:01,310 --> 00:39:03,206
Narrator: THE COMPUTER
COUNTS PIXELS
553
00:39:03,241 --> 00:39:05,413
ON EITHER SIDE OF THE DOME,
554
00:39:05,448 --> 00:39:10,241
REVEALING AN ASYMMETRY
THE NAKED EYE STRUGGLES TO SPOT.
555
00:39:10,275 --> 00:39:12,793
Rajani: IT IS AMAZING
THAT THERE ARE ANGLES
556
00:39:12,827 --> 00:39:18,862
IN WHICH ONE SIDE IS LARGER THAN
THE OTHER BY ALMOST A METER.
557
00:39:18,896 --> 00:39:20,724
Narrator: THE THREE-FOOT BULGE
IN THE DOME
558
00:39:20,758 --> 00:39:24,000
MAY NOT BE VISIBLE
AT FIRST GLANCE,
559
00:39:24,034 --> 00:39:27,172
BUT IT REPRESENTS A MORE THAN
FIVE PERCENT DIFFERENCE
560
00:39:27,206 --> 00:39:29,551
BETWEEN THE SIDES.
561
00:39:29,586 --> 00:39:32,034
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
562
00:39:32,068 --> 00:39:33,448
RAJANI BELIEVES THAT
563
00:39:33,482 --> 00:39:36,310
DESPITE THE SHAH'S
OBSESSION WITH SYMMETRY,
564
00:39:36,344 --> 00:39:38,931
THERE WAS A LIMIT
TO HOW CLOSELY HIS BUILDERS
565
00:39:38,965 --> 00:39:43,103
COULD MATCH THE NEED
FOR PERFECTION.
566
00:39:43,137 --> 00:39:47,379
Rajani: IT'S EASIER
TO GET SYMMETRY IN 2D LAYOUTS,
567
00:39:47,413 --> 00:39:50,137
LIKE IN THE GARDENS
OF TAJ MAHAL.
568
00:39:50,172 --> 00:39:52,379
FOR US,
IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT
569
00:39:52,413 --> 00:39:58,758
TO GET THAT SYMMETRY IN A 3D,
COMPLEX SHAPE LIKE THE DOME.
570
00:39:58,793 --> 00:40:01,206
Narrator: ANY SMALL DISCREPANCY
IN THEIR MEASUREMENTS
571
00:40:01,241 --> 00:40:02,620
WOULD BE AMPLIFIED
572
00:40:02,655 --> 00:40:05,551
WHEN BUILDING SOMETHING
AS COMPLEX AS THE MASSIVE DOME.
573
00:40:07,862 --> 00:40:10,103
BUT EVEN THOUGH
THE MILLIONS OF VISITORS
574
00:40:10,137 --> 00:40:14,103
TO THE TAJ MAY NEVER NOTICE,
THIS MAN-MADE FLAW
575
00:40:14,137 --> 00:40:18,068
MAY BE AN UNCONSCIOUS SOURCE
OF THE TAJ'S TIMELESS BEAUTY.
576
00:40:18,103 --> 00:40:21,724
Rajani: THE GENERAL PERCEPTION
IS BEAUTY IS IN SYMMETRY,
577
00:40:21,758 --> 00:40:24,965
THAT BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
HAVE SYMMETRY IN THEIR FACES
578
00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,482
AND THAT'S WHY
THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.
579
00:40:26,517 --> 00:40:29,931
BUT ACTUALLY, IF YOU HAVE
A CLOSER LOOK AT ANY FACE,
580
00:40:29,965 --> 00:40:32,172
IT'S NOT SYMMETRICAL AT ALL.
581
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:37,620
Narrator: TRUE SYMMETRY
IS RARE IN THE REAL WORLD.
582
00:40:37,655 --> 00:40:40,206
A LITTLE ASYMMETRY
MAY BE MORE FAMILIAR
583
00:40:40,241 --> 00:40:43,344
TO MOST PEOPLE'S
EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.
584
00:40:43,379 --> 00:40:47,586
LIKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FACES,
THE DOME'S TINY ASYMMETRY
585
00:40:47,620 --> 00:40:49,206
COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT PART
586
00:40:49,241 --> 00:40:53,344
OF THE TAJ'S
ALMOST UNIVERSAL APPEAL.
587
00:40:53,379 --> 00:40:55,965
TAJ IS NOT SYMMETRIC,
588
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,344
BUT IT IS STILL VERY,
VERY BEAUTIFUL.
589
00:41:03,827 --> 00:41:08,068
Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS
A TRUE WONDER OF THE WORLD,
590
00:41:08,103 --> 00:41:12,206
PERHAPS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
BUILDING EVER CREATED.
591
00:41:12,241 --> 00:41:16,241
BUT ITS LEGEND OF LOST LOVE
IS FAR FROM THE ONLY TALE
592
00:41:16,275 --> 00:41:19,137
TOLD BY THESE MAJESTIC WALLS.
593
00:41:19,172 --> 00:41:22,379
THE BUILDING'S HIDDEN POLITICAL
AND RELIGIOUS MESSAGES
594
00:41:22,413 --> 00:41:25,068
ARE PERHAPS JUST AS POWERFUL
AND AS POTENT
595
00:41:25,103 --> 00:41:27,931
AS ITS FAMOUS LOVE STORY,
BUT IN THE END,
596
00:41:27,965 --> 00:41:30,931
THE STORY OF LOVE SHINES THROUGH
IN A COUPLE
597
00:41:30,965 --> 00:41:34,103
DESTINED TO SPEND
ETERNITY TOGETHER.
598
00:41:34,137 --> 00:41:37,137
♪
47788
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