Original subtitles

Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL,

A MONUMENT OF UNPARALLELED, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTY.

Narrator: TODAY, INVESTIGATIONS ARE REVEALING

AN ASTONISHING NEW STORY TO THIS MAGNIFICENT MAUSOLEUM...

Rajani: IT'S REALLY STRANGE.

NOW THAT I KNOW IT, I CAN NEVER NOT SEE IT.

Narrator: A SET OF HIDDEN CLUES LEFT BY AN EMPEROR

OBSESSED WITH INCREASING HIS OWN POWER.

CAN CRACKING THE TAJ MAHAL'S HIDDEN SYMBOLIC CODE

REVEAL THE TRUTH BEHIND THIS MARVEL?

TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES,

WE WILL BLOW THE TAJ MAHAL APART.

WE'LL LOOK WITHIN ITS FLAWLESS MARBLE WALLS

AND BENEATH ITS GRAVITY-DEFYING DOME

TO REVEAL THE INCREDIBLE SECRETS OF THIS ICONIC WONDER.

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪

MILLIONS VISIT INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL EVERY YEAR,

DRAWN TO ITS STRIKING BEAUTY

AND TOUCHED BY THE TRAGIC TALE AT ITS HEART.

EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN BEGAN BUILDING THE TAJ IN 1631,

A TOMB FOR HIS WIFE, MUMTAZ MAHAL,

LOST GIVING BIRTH TO THEIR 14th CHILD,

AND IT HAS BEEN A SYMBOL OF LOVE EVER SINCE.

BUT HIDDEN WITHIN THESE WALLS LIES ANOTHER STORY,

AN ASTONISHING TALE OF POWER, OBSESSION, AND BETRAYAL.

♪

Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS A MASTERPIECE.

THE GIGANTIC MAUSOLEUM SITS ON

A 100,000-SQUARE-FOOT MARBLE PLATFORM

SURROUNDED BY FOUR IDENTICAL 140-FOOT TOWERS.

THE BUILDING'S DOMES AND ARCHES

ARE A SYMPHONY OF SYMMETRICAL DESIGN.

AND BEHIND 12-FOOT-THICK WALLS,

AN EIGHT-WALLED TOMB BUILT FOR A TRAGIC EMPRESS.

SAID TO BE PERFECT FROM EVERY ANGLE,

THIS MAJESTIC STRUCTURE IS BOTH A BUILDING

AND A WORK OF ART.

♪

THE TAJ MAHAL HAS BECOME AN ICON OF ITS HOME COUNTRY.

ITS STUNNING OUTLINE IS FAMILIAR FROM COUNTLESS FILMS

AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF INDIA.

Narrator: BUT HOW INDIAN IS IT, REALLY?

♪

ADHITYA DHANAPAL BELIEVES THE TAJ'S SHAPE

AND STRUCTURE HELP REVEAL A VERY DIFFERENT ORIGIN.

[ VEHICLE HORN HONKING ]

THE BEST PLACE TO UNCOVER THE TAJ'S TRUE STORY

IS JUST OUTSIDE THE BUILDING,

IN THE BUSTLING STREETS OF AGRA.

Narrator: THE TAJ BUILDING SEEMS TO STAND OUT

FROM THOSE THAT SURROUND IT.

[ HORNS HONKING ]

AS IN SHAH JAHAN'S TIME,

THE MAJORITY OF INDIA'S POPULATION

FOLLOW THE HINDU RELIGION,

A BELIEF REFLECTED IN THE STYLE OF BUILDINGS.

HINDU SHRINES AND TEMPLES ARE BRIGHT AND COLORFUL,

VERY DIFFERENT TO THE SOBER MAUSOLEUM

JUST A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY.

HINDUS WORSHIP A DIVERSE ARRAY OF GODS.

Narrator: AS A TOMB BUILT IN HONOR OF AN EMPRESS,

THE TAJ REPRESENTS A DEEPLY SACRED STRUCTURE,

BUT IT HAS NONE OF THE IMAGERY OF THE HINDU RELIGION.

WHY?

♪

THE WALLS OF THE TAJ REFLECT EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S

VERY DIFFERENT RELIGION.

THE FOUR TALL TOWERS ARE MINARETS,

MORE COMMONLY SEEN ON MOSQUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

THE POINTED ARCHWAYS ON TOP OF THE WINDOWS

AND GATEWAYS ARE AN ANCIENT IRAQI DESIGN.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE INTRICATE PATTERNS AROUND THE WALLS

ARE ENTIRE PASSAGES FROM THE QURAN.

AND INSIDE THE MAUSOLEUM, EACH OF THE EIGHT WALLS

SYMBOLIZES ONE OF THE EIGHT GATES TO PARADISE.

THE TAJ IS RICHLY INFUSED WITH THE IMAGERY

AND SYMBOLISM OF ISLAM.

THIS MAUSOLEUM ISN'T JUST A SYMBOL OF THE SHAH'S LOVE.

IT'S ALSO A DISPLAY OF HIS PERSONAL POWER AND BELIEFS.

SHAH JAHAN WAS AN ISLAMIC OUTSIDER

OCCUPYING A LARGELY HINDU LAND.

HIS ANCESTORS CONQUERED FROM THE EAST,

CREATING A VAST TERRITORY KNOWN AS THE MUGHAL EMPIRE.

HE HAD POWER OVER A QUARTER OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION.

HOW DID HE MANAGE TO WIN OVER SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE?

ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS, ADHITYA SPOTS A CLUE.

Narrator: AT THE VERY TOP OF THE TAJ SITS A SHAPE

SEEN IN HINDU RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.

Narrator: THE SHAH REALIZED THAT IMPOSING HIS CULTURE

AND RELIGION ON THE LOCAL POPULATION

MIGHT WIN HIM MORE ENEMIES THAN FRIENDS.

Narrator: HE HAD TO BE A SHREWD POLITICIAN

TO KEEP CONTROL OF A MASSIVE EMPIRE

MADE UP OF MANY DIFFERENT FAITHS.

BUT THANKS TO THE LAWS OF HIS RELIGION,

HE WAS STILL ABLE TO DISPLAY HIS TRUE CONVICTION

IN A VERY DISCREET WAY.

Narrator: UNLIKE THE COLORFUL GODS SEEN IN HINDU BUILDINGS,

HUMAN AND ANIMAL IMAGERY IS LARGELY FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM.

SO THE SHAH LAID A SET OF HIDDEN CLUES IN THE TAJ,

A SECRET SYMBOLIC CODE THAT REVEALED HIS TRUE FAITH

ONLY TO ISLAMIC OBSERVERS.

THE MAUSOLEUM FLOOR BEARS AN EIGHT-POINTED STAR

REPEATED IN A POTENTIALLY INFINITE GEOMETRIC PATTERN,

A REMINDER OF THE INFINITE NATURE OF ALLAH.

THE PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED CALLIGRAPHY ON THE GATEWAYS

IS AN ART FORM IN ITSELF.

TO AN ISLAMIC EYE,

IT SYMBOLIZES GOD'S LOVE OF BEAUTY.

AND THE WALLS OF THE TOMB

ARE COVERED IN ORNATE FLORAL ENGRAVINGS,

EVOKING THE RICH ABUNDANCE OF PARADISE.

THE TAJ WAS NOT BUILT JUST AS A MONUMENT TO LOST LOVE.

IT'S A BILLBOARD FOR THE SHAH TO SPELL OUT HIS BELIEFS.

AND NOW RESEARCHERS ARE UNCOVERING

A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT MESSAGES

ENCODED IN THE TAJ'S WALLS.

WHAT DOES THE OBSESSIVE HUNT FOR ONE VERY PARTICULAR STONE

REVEAL ABOUT THE SHAH'S LUST FOR SUPREME POWER?

♪

♪

Narrator: LEGEND STATES INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL

WAS BUILT OUT OF UNDYING LOVE,

DRIVEN BY EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S GRIEF AFTER HIS WIFE'S DEATH.

BUT THE BUILDING ALSO HOLDS CLUES TO DIFFERENT MOTIVES.

THE SHAH'S UNUSUAL CHOICE OF STONE REVEALS HIS MEGALOMANIA.

HE NEVER MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE HIS OWN POWER.

PREVIOUS MUGHAL EMPERORS HAD MONUMENTAL MAUSOLEUMS

AND FORTS BUILT LARGELY FROM THE LOCAL RED SANDSTONE.

THE SHAH BROKE WITH TRADITION

AND USED RARE AND EXPENSIVE PURE WHITE MARBLE.

SO WHY CHOOSE THIS PARTICULAR STONE

JUST FOR A TOMB FOR HIS LATE WIFE?

♪

Narrator: THIS MASSIVE TOMB CONTAINS SEVERAL THOUSAND

HALF-TON BLOCKS OF PURE WHITE MARBLE.

AND TO SUPPORT THIS MASS OF HEAVY ROCK,

A 12-FOOT-THICK SUPPORTING SKELETON,

MILLIONS OF LOCALLY SOURCED RED SANDSTONE BRICKS,

FORM A HIDDEN BACKBONE.

THERE IS AROUND 20 TIMES MORE SANDSTONE

IN THE BUILDING THAN MARBLE.

IRON DOWELS ANCHOR THE MARBLE FIRMLY IN PLACE

SO THE TAJ'S PRECIOUS FACADE NEVER SLIPS.

♪

WHY DID THE SHAH GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE

JUST FOR A SKIN OF WHITE MARBLE?

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE HIDDEN PROPAGANDA MESSAGE

THIS STONE COULD CARRY.

TODAY, THERE IS A RARE CHANCE TO FIND OUT JUST HOW FAR HE WENT

FOR THE PURE WHITE MARBLE HE SO DESPERATELY DESIRED.

MUNAZZAR ALI OVERSEES AN URGENT PROJECT

TO RESTORE THE TAJ'S MAIN GATEWAY.

Narrator: HERE, 300 YARDS FROM THE MAIN TOMB,

THE SHAH USED WHITE MARBLE MOSTLY AS A DECORATIVE INLAY.

AS RAIN AND SUN WEARS SANDSTONE AWAY,

THE DECORATION DISAPPEARS.

Narrator: REPLICATING THE SHAH'S BUILDING PLAN

IS NO SIMPLE TASK FOR MUNAZZAR.

Narrator: WHITE MARBLE WAS KEY TO A MESSAGE

THE SHAH WANTED TO PROCLAIM WITH HIS MAUSOLEUM,

BUT TO BEGIN TO DECIPHER THIS MESSAGE

MEANS FIRST FINDING THE SHAH'S STONE.

THE NEAREST SOURCE LIES OVER 200 MILES AWAY --

THE MAKRANA MARBLE MINES.

ABHINANDAN BANSAL RUNS ONE OF THE QUARRIES HERE.

Narrator: EXTRACTING THE RIGHT COLOR OF MARBLE

IS A REAL CHALLENGE.

FIRST, MINERS PRY OFF A THREE-TON CHUNK OF STONE.

THEN CRANES CAREFULLY RAISE THE BLOCK TO THE SURFACE.

EVEN USING TODAY'S HEAVY LIFTING EQUIPMENT,

THE PROCESS IS DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS.

IN THE SHAH'S TIME, IT WAS EVEN TOUGHER.

FIRST, QUARRY WORKERS DESCENDED INTO 200-FOOT-DEEP TRENCHES

TO REACH THE PURE MARBLE SEAM.

USING SIMPLE HAMMERS AND CHISELS,

THEY BROKE AWAY SIX-TON BLOCKS.

ROPE-AND-PULLEY CRANES OPERATED BY ELEPHANTS

RAISED THE MARBLE FROM THE TRENCH.

EACH BLOCK HAD TO BE HAULED 200 MILES TO THE TAJ.

ON SITE, SPECIALIST STONE MASONS SPLIT THE BLOCKS

AND WORKED THEM INTO PERFECT TILES.

ROPES AND PULLEYS ALLOWED THE BUILDERS TO ONCE AGAIN

HARNESS THE POWER OF THE ELEPHANT

TO RAISE THE TILES INTO PLACE.

♪

CREATING PURE WHITE MARBLE TILES IS A DAUNTING TASK EVEN TODAY.

EVEN WITHIN A FEW INCHES, COLORS CAN CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.

Narrator: WORKERS CAREFULLY ALIGN EACH BLOCK

SO THE WHITE MARBLE VEIN RUNS THE RIGHT WAY.

THEN THEY USE FIVE-FOOT-LONG SAWS TO SLICE UP THE BLOCK,

DIVIDING IT INTO SECTIONS BY COLOR.

AFTER A DAY OF HARD WORK,

ABHINANDAN HAS MARBLE TILES TO MATCH THE TAJ.

Narrator: THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO OBTAIN PURE WHITE MARBLE

IS IMMENSE, SO WHY DID THE SHAH CHOOSE IT?

THE ANSWER LIES IN THE TYPES OF BUILDINGS

THAT USUALLY ORDER MARBLE FROM MAKRANA.

WHITE STONE BUILDINGS ARE OFTEN THE HOUSES OF HINDU PRIESTS,

THE HIGHEST SOCIAL CLASS,

SO PERHAPS THE SHAH'S WHITE WALLS

WERE A PIECE OF PROPAGANDA

AIMED DIRECTLY AT THE LOCAL POPULATION,

A WAY TO DECLARE ALMOST GOD-LIKE POWER OVER HIS PEOPLE.

ONCE COMPLETE, THIS FACADE WILL DAZZLE TODAY'S TOURISTS,

BUT IT ONCE WOULD HAVE MADE LOCALS

THINK OF THE SHAH'S SUPREME AUTHORITY.

AND THERE'S EVEN MORE TO THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.

THE TAJ'S GRAVITY-DEFYING DOME

IS KEY TO THE SACRED STATUS OF THE BUILDING,

BUT HOW IT WAS BUILT IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY.

WILL MODERN-DAY ENGINEERS CRACK ITS SECRET?

AND DOES THE BUILDING'S EXTREME SYMMETRY

CONCEAL AN EVEN DEEPER CODE,

A SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN?

Rajani: IT'S REALLY STRANGE.

NOW THAT I KNOW IT, I CAN NEVER NOT SEE IT.

♪

♪

Narrator: INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL IS MORE THAN A MAUSOLEUM

BUILT FOR A LOST LOVE.

THE BUILDING'S STRUCTURE

CONTAINS A SET OF HIDDEN MESSAGES

THAT REVEAL THE VERY DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONS

BEHIND EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN'S MASTERPIECE.

THE TAJ'S DOME IS ITS MOST SPECTACULAR FEATURE,

ALMOST HALF THE HEIGHT OF THE ENTIRE MAUSOLEUM

AND SPANNING 60 FEET.

IT FORMS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.

BUT IT'S ALSO THE SOURCE OF THIS BUILDING'S

MOST ENDURING CONSTRUCTION MYSTERY.

BECAUSE NO ACCURATE ACCOUNTS WERE MADE

AT THE TIME IT WAS BUILT,

NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW THE DOME WAS PUT TOGETHER.

HOW THEY DID BUILDING AT THAT TIME

AND EXACTLY WHAT THE STRUCTURE CONSISTS OF,

WE'RE NOT REALLY SURE.

Narrator: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER STEVE McKECHNIE

HEADS A TEAM WHO SPECIALIZE IN DESIGNING

LARGE AND UNCONVENTIONAL BUILDINGS,

INCLUDING THE SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB,

THE BIGGEST DOME IN THE WORLD TODAY.

NOW THIS TEAM IS GOING TO USE THEIR MODERN-DAY EXPERTISE

TO INVESTIGATE A NEARLY 400-YEAR-OLD LEGEND

SURROUNDING THE TAJ'S DOME.

THE CHALLENGE WITH BUILDING A DOME IS THAT

AS IT ARCHES INWARDS, THE ROOF CAN BECOME UNSTABLE.

WORRIED ABOUT A COLLAPSE, LEGEND HAS IT

THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS BUILT A HUGE TOWER OF BRICKS

FOR HIS UNFINISHED DOME TO REST ON,

AND ONCE THE DOME WAS FINISHED AND STABLE,

THE SHAH SIMPLY OPENED THE GATES TO THE TAJ,

AND LOCALS, DESPERATE FOR BRICKS,

STRIPPED THE TOWER OVERNIGHT.

IT'S A GREAT STORY, BUT STEVE'S NOT SURE

THE COLORFUL LEGEND OF THE SHAH'S BRICK TOWER STANDS UP.

McKechnie: BUILDING A SOLID SUPPORT AND THEN TAKING IT AWAY,

IT WOULD BE A HUGE NUMBER OF BRICKS

THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO FILL THAT SPACE,

AND IT WOULD BE JUST A LITTLE BIT DAFT, I THINK.

WE'VE HAD A BIT OF A DISCUSSION HERE IN THE OFFICE

ABOUT HOW THE BUILDERS WOULD HAVE MADE THIS DOME,

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GO AT BUILDING OUR MINI-TAJ

AT 1 TO 160 SCALE.

Narrator: THE DOME IS BUILT

BY STACKING BRICKS ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER.

McKechnie: THE PURISTS WOULD TELL YOU

THAT A DOME NEEDS TO HAVE ITS BRICKS ARRANGED

WITH THEIR BED JOINTS PERPENDICULAR

TO THE THRUST IN THE ARCH,

SO THE BRICKS GO LIKE THIS AND LIKE THIS

AND THE NEXT ONE GOES LIKE THAT.

Narrator: TILTING THE STONE TO FORM A CURVE

IS THE CONVENTIONAL WAY TO BUILD A BRICK DOME.

WHEN COMPLETE,

IT CREATES AN INCREDIBLY STRONG INNER SHELL.

BUT BUILDING A DOME THIS WAY, THE BRICKS WOULD PROBABLY NEED

SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT DURING CONSTRUCTION,

MAKING THE SOLID BRICK TOWER A MORE LIKELY POSSIBILITY.

STEVE HAS A DIFFERENT THEORY.

McKechnie: MY THEORY IS THEY CORBELLED BRICKS.

THAT MEANS THAT YOU LAY ONE BRICK STICKING OUT

A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THE BRICK BELOW,

AND YOU MAKE A SPACE UNDERNEATH BY DOING THAT.

SO I CAN BUILD UP TO HERE SO LONG AS I'M CAREFUL,

AND I'M LEAVING SPACE UNDERNEATH,

AND THEN YOU BUILD UP BRICK BEHIND TO KEEP IT STABLE.

Narrator: THIS STEPPED CURVE NEEDS THICK WALLS

TO STOP THE OVERHANGING BRICKS FROM FALLING IN,

BUT THE ADVANTAGE IS THIS DOME COULD POTENTIALLY BE BUILT UP

WITH NO SOLID SUPPORT UNDERNEATH.

AND ONCE THE TEAM ADDS MORTAR TO LOCK THE BRICKS FIRMLY IN PLACE,

THE STRUCTURE HOLDS FIRM ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.

McKechnie: WE'VE BUILT THIS MODEL HERE,

AND I THINK THAT MY THEORY HAS BEEN PROVEN.

MY FEELING IS THAT THAT'S A MORE PRACTICAL

AND BUILDABLE WAY OF HAVING BUILT THIS DOME,

SO I THINK THAT'S THE MOST PROBABLE METHOD THAT WAS USED.

Narrator: PERHAPS USING THIS CLEVER TECHNIQUE,

THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS COULD HAVE RAISED

THE TAJ'S MASSIVE DOME WITHOUT A SOLID BRICK SUPPORT.

AND THE DOME'S GRAVITY-DEFYING SHAPE

WAS A KEY PART OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE.

THE TAJ'S BASE IS A SQUARE, REPRESENTING EARTH.

THE DOME HAS AN ALMOST CIRCULAR OUTLINE,

THE PERFECT SHAPE TO REMIND THE VIEWER

OF THE PERFECTION AND ETERNITY OF HEAVEN.

SO THE BUILDING IS A MODEL OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE,

WITH THE TOMB IN BETWEEN A PORTAL TO PARADISE,

AND AS WITH EVERYTHING ELSE WITH THE TAJ,

THE SHAH PUSHED THIS SYMBOLISM TO THE LIMIT.

THE TAJ'S MASSIVE, ALMOST CIRCULAR DOME

SENT OUT A STRONG SYMBOLIC MESSAGE,

REMINDING ONLOOKERS OF THE PERFECTION OF HEAVEN.

BUT FROM THE INSIDE, BECAUSE IT'S SO TALL,

IT COULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE A CAVERNOUS BLACK HOLE,

MAKING OBSERVERS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE,

SO THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS CHEATED.

THEY BUILT A FALSE MARBLE CEILING

NEARLY A HUNDRED FEET BELOW THE APEX.

THIS DOME WITHIN A DOME BRINGS HEAVEN CLOSER TO EARTH,

ALLOWING THE SHAH TO MAKE A SYMBOLIC STATEMENT

BOTH OUTSIDE AND IN.

AND RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE BUILDING

LIES ONE OF ITS GREATEST MYSTERIES.

IN THIS TOMB BUILT FOR AN EMPRESS LIE TWO BODIES,

NOT ONE.

THE SECOND IS THE EMPEROR HIMSELF.

WAS THIS PART OF HIS GRAND PLAN OR SOMETHING DARKER?

♪

♪

Narrator: THERE'S MORE TO INDIA'S TAJ MAHAL

THAN ITS FAMOUS LEGEND OF LOST LOVE.

AT ITS VERY HEART LURKS A MASSIVE MYSTERY.

WHEREAS EVERY PREVIOUS MUGHAL RULER

HAS AN ENTIRE MAUSOLEUM BUILT FOR THEMSELVES,

THERE'S SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT ABOUT THE SHAH.

Narrator: BUT LOOKING INSIDE THE TAJ MAHAL

REVEALS THINGS DIDN'T WORK OUT THAT WAY.

RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE TAJ,

DEAD CENTER BELOW THE APEX OF THE DOME,

IS THE SARCOPHAGUS OF EMPRESS MUMTAZ MAHAL.

BUT SQUASHED IN AWKWARDLY BESIDE HER IS THAT OF HER HUSBAND,

SHAH JAHAN.

BOTH CASKETS ARE EMPTY.

THEY'RE ONLY DECOYS.

THE REAL BODIES ARE HIDDEN IN A CRYPT JUST BELOW,

IN IDENTICAL POSITIONS TO THE ONES ABOVE.

AND THEY RAISE A QUESTION --

IF THE TAJ MAHAL IS MEANT TO BE A TOMB FOR AN EMPRESS,

WHAT IS THE ALL-POWERFUL SHAH DOING SQUEEZED RIGHT BESIDE HER?

♪

ARCHAEOLOGIST PRATAP SENGAR HAS SPENT DECADES

UNEARTHING MUGHAL RUINS

ALONG THE SAME RIVER BANKS AS THE TAJ.

LIKE MANY, HE'S EAGER TO UNDERSTAND

WHY THE SHAH'S SARCOPHAGUS ENDED UP IN ITS AWKWARD SPOT.

ONE POPULAR THEORY IS THE EMPEROR'S BODY

WAS FORCED INTO THE TAJ AGAINST HIS WISHES.

Narrator: THE SHAH SPENT THE LAST EIGHT YEARS

OF HIS LIFE IN NEARBY AGRA FORT,

IMPRISONED BY HIS POWER-HUNGRY SON, AURANGZEB.

Narrator: AURANGZEB, ACCORDING TO THE POPULAR THEORY,

PLACED HIS FATHER IN THE TAJ OUT OF SPITE,

DELIBERATELY DESTROYING THE SYMMETRICAL LAYOUT

OF THE MAUSOLEUM AS A SNUB TO THE SHAH.

BUT TWO MILES UPRIVER, A BUILDING PROVIDES CLUES

TO A VERY DIFFERENT EXPLANATION.

THIS IS THE BABY TAJ.

COMPLETED JUST THREE YEARS BEFORE THE TAJ BEGAN,

IT'S A TOMB FOR A DISTANT RELATIVE OF THE SHAH.

AFTER YEARS OF NEGLECT,

PRATAP'S TEAM IS RETURNING THIS ONCE-MAGNIFICENT TOMB

TO ITS ORIGINAL SPLENDOR.

Narrator: THIS REBUILDING WORK REVEALS THAT THE MAUSOLEUM

WAS A KEY INFLUENCE ON THE SHAH'S PLANS FOR THE TAJ.

Narrator: THE SIMILARITIES TO THE TAJ MAHAL ARE STRIKING.

LIKE THE TAJ,

THE BUILDING'S FOUR SIDES ARE IDENTICAL.

FOUR WATERWAYS ONCE FLOWED THROUGH A GARDEN

DIVIDED INTO FOUR SQUARES.

AND THERE'S ONE FINAL SIMILARITY AT THE HEART OF THE BUILDING --

THE BABY TAJ HAS AN UNUSUAL ARRANGEMENT OF COFFINS.

THE TOMB'S MAIN SARCOPHAGUS SITS DEAD CENTER IN THE BUILDING

RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE SITE,

BUT SITTING BESIDE IT LIES ANOTHER COFFIN.

Narrator: LIKE THE TAJ, THIS SECOND COFFIN

IS THE ONLY ASYMMETRICAL ASPECT

OF THE MAUSOLEUM'S ENTIRE FLOOR PLAN,

AND IT SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS PERHAPS

WHERE SHAH JAHAN FOUND INSPIRATION

FOR HIS OWN UNCONVENTIONAL RESTING PLACE INSIDE THE TAJ.

NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE, BUT PERHAPS AFTER THE EFFORT

OF CREATING THE MAGNIFICENT TAJ MAHAL

AND CRAMMING IT WITH SYMBOLS OF HIS OWN POWER AND STATUS,

THE SHAH COULDN'T RESIST LYING FOR ETERNITY

BESIDE HIS BELOVED WIFE.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN

STRETCHES EVEN FURTHER.

IT DICTATED THE LOCATION OF THE ENTIRE TAJ COMPLEX.

PUTTING THIS MASSIVE BUILDING RIGHT NEXT TO A RAGING RIVER

WAS A VERY RISKY DECISION,

BUT COULD THIS PRECARIOUS POSITION PAY OFF

AS ANOTHER PART OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE?

♪

♪

Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS MORE THAN JUST A SYMBOL OF LOST LOVE.

ITS FOUNDER, EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN,

WANTED THE BUILDING TO STATE HIS OWN RELIGIOUS

AND POLITICAL BELIEFS.

THE TAJ'S WATERWAYS HAD TO SPELL OUT

A VERY SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS MESSAGE.

TO ISLAMIC EYES,

THEY NEEDED TO LOOK LIKE RIVERS OF PARADISE

THAT FLOW THROUGH THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

Narrator: BUT TO REALIZE THIS VISION OF EDEN,

THE TAJ'S BUILDERS HAD TO SITE THE MAUSOLEUM PERILOUSLY CLOSE

TO THE CITY'S MAIN WATER SOURCE, THE MIGHTY RIVER YAMUNA.

HOW DID THEY STOP THE TAJ FROM WASHING AWAY?

THE TAJ MIGHT LOOK ORNATE AND DELICATE,

BUT ALL THE STONE ADDS UP TO NEARLY 40,000 TONS.

TO BEAR THIS COLOSSAL WEIGHT,

THE BUILDERS NEEDED STABLE SUPPORT.

THEY BUILT HUGE FOUNDATION PILLARS

THAT EXTEND 40 FEET BENEATH THE FLOOR,

REACHING THROUGH SOFT SAND TO SOLID GROUND BELOW.

THERE ARE OVER TWO DOZEN OF THESE GIANTS

SITTING RIGHT UNDER THE TAJ MAHAL.

THEY ANCHOR THE MARBLE MONUMENT TO THE GROUND

AND STOP THE TAJ SINKING INTO THE MUDDY RIVERBANK.

♪

SO WHAT PART OF THE SHAH'S SECRET CODE

MADE THIS EXTREME EFFORT WORTHWHILE?

LINING THE TAJ'S CANALS ARE NEARLY 100 FOUNTAINS.

THEY CREATE AN IMPRESSION OF SACRED SPRINGS

ERUPTING WITH THE WATERS OF LIFE.

TODAY, ELECTRIC PUMPS POWER THESE ELEGANT WATERWORKS,

BUT IN THE 17th CENTURY, VISITORS TO THE TAJ

WOULD'VE BEEN ASTONISHED AT THE SPECTACLE

OF SO MANY JETS SPURTING INTO THE AIR.

SO HOW DID THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS DO IT?

RAJENDRA PANDEY STUDIES ANCIENT WATER SYSTEMS.

HE'S DETERMINED TO FOUND OUT WHAT COULD HAVE DRIVEN

THE TAJ'S 96 FOUNTAINS.

Narrator: RAJENDRA SEARCHES FOR SIGNS OF 17th CENTURY PLUMBING,

ANY CLUES AS TO HOW ENGINEERS COULD GENERATE

THE MASSIVE WATER PRESSURE NEEDED TO CREATE

THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC GARDEN OF EDEN.

HIGH ON THE BANK, HE SPOTS THE REMAINS

OF THE ORIGINAL WATERWORKS.

Narrator: RAJENDRA BELIEVES THIS 17th CENTURY WALL

COULD BE THE REMAINS OF AN ANCIENT SYSTEM

OF RAISING WATER KNOWN AS PURS.

DESIGNED TO CREATE WATER PRESSURE,

A PURS STARTS WITH A LINE OF PULLEYS ALONG A WALL.

WORKERS RIG UP A LINE OF ANIMAL-HIDE BUCKETS

WHICH THEY LOWER INTO THE RIVER BELOW.

ONCE THE WATER REACHES THE TOP OF THE WALL,

IT POURS INTO A STONE CHANNEL.

THEN FURTHER SETS OF PURS LIFT THE WATER

HIGH ABOVE THE TAJ'S GARDEN.

BUT IS THIS GRAVITY-FED SYSTEM ALONE

ENOUGH TO TRANSFORM THE GARDEN

INTO THE SHAH'S VISION OF PARADISE?

RAJENDRA AND HIS ASSISTANT ARE GOING TO TEST THE THEORY.

Narrator: JUST LIKE AT THE TAJ, THIS ROOFTOP WATER TANK

GENERATES PRESSURE THROUGH GRAVITY,

POWERING TAPS AND SHOWERS IN ROOMS BELOW.

FIRST, THE TEAM ATTACH A RUBBER HOSE TO THE TANK.

THEN THEY CAREFULLY JOIN THREE IDENTICAL NOZZLES

TO ACT AS THE FOUNTAINS.

BUT WHEN THE WATER STARTS TO FLOW,

THERE'S A PROBLEM.

Narrator: THE JETS FROM THE THREE NOZZLE DON'T MATCH.

SO HOW DID THE SHAH'S ENGINEERS MAKE NEARLY A HUNDRED FOUNTAINS

ERUPT TO AN EQUAL HEIGHT?

UNDERGROUND INVESTIGATIONS MAY GIVE THE ANSWER.

BENEATH EACH FOUNTAIN,

THE WATER FLOWS INTO MYSTERIOUS METAL SPHERES.

COULD THESE BE A CLUE TO CREATING EQUAL PRESSURE?

RAJENDRA TRIES A NEW TACTIC.

HE ADDS A MATCHING SET OF METAL CHAMBERS.

Narrator: IN THEORY,

ALL THE RESERVOIRS SHOULD FILL FIRST,

AND ONLY THEN WILL WATER FLOW TO THE NOZZLES.

THIS WAY, EACH JET SHOULD ERUPT WITH EQUAL PRESSURE.

Narrator: THANKS TO THIS INGENIOUS ENGINEERING,

THE THREE JETS RISE TO THE SAME HEIGHT,

FORMING EVER-ERUPTING SPRINGS OF LIFE

PERFECT FOR THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC GARDEN OF EDEN.

AND BEYOND THIS INGENIOUS ENGINEERING,

THERE'S MORE TO THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC PUZZLE.

THE LAYOUT OF THE ENTIRE TAJ COMPLEX

HAS A HIDDEN MEANING ALL OF ITS OWN.

♪

♪

Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS RICHLY INFUSED

WITH HIDDEN SYMBOLIC MESSAGES.

THEY SUGGEST MORE THAN A SIMPLE STORY OF LOST LOVE

LIES BEHIND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS MAJESTIC MONUMENT.

ONE ASPECT THAT STRIKES

MANY OF THE MILLIONS OF VISITORS EACH YEAR

IS THE ALMOST EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF SYMMETRY BUILT INTO THE TAJ.

COULD THIS SYMMETRY ITSELF

BE A PART OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC CODE?

LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGIST M.B. RAJANI HAS FOUND A POSITION

DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE MONUMENT TO MEASURE THE TAJ'S SYMMETRY.

Rajani: LOOK AT THE MONUMENT.

YOU WILL SEE THE LEFT SIDE IS ALMOST SAME AS THE RIGHT SIDE.

THE DECORATIONS, THE STRUCTURE,

THE SIZE, THE NUMBER OF DOMES,

ALL ARE ABSOLUTELY SAME.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO REALLY MAKE OUT

ANY DIFFERENCE FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER.

Narrator: SYMMETRY BEGINS AT THE HEART OF THE TAJ.

THE SHAH'S CENTRAL MAUSOLEUM IS AN OCTAGON,

SURROUNDED BY FOUR SQUARE AND FOUR OCTAGONAL CHAMBERS,

CREATING FOUR PLANES OF SYMMETRY.

ON EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS, AN IDENTICAL MINARET.

TO MATCH A MOSQUE TO THE WEST,

THE SHAH BUILT AN IDENTICAL GUEST HOUSE.

THE GARDEN CONSISTS OF 16 SQUARES --

FOUR SMALL SQUARES INSIDE FOUR LARGER SQUARES.

AND ACROSS THE RIVER,

A MIRROR IMAGE OF THE SHAH'S ENTIRE GARDEN,

SO THE BUILDING SITS AT THE CENTER

OF A SYMMETRICAL FLOOR PLAN.

AND ALL THIS SYMMETRY FORMS A KEY PART

OF THE SHAH'S SYMBOLIC MASTER PLAN.

Rajani: WE DO SEE A LOT OF SYMMETRY

AND AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION IN ISLAMIC ART

AND ARCHITECTURE,

TRYING TO GET CLOSE TO THE ALMIGHTY.

Narrator: THIS IS THE REASON THE SHAH USED SYMMETRY

ON SUCH A VAST SCALE.

SYMMETRY WAS A WAY TO SHOW THE PERFECTION

AND INFINITE NATURE OF HIS ISLAMIC GOD

WITHOUT DIRECTLY REPRESENTING ALLAH'S IMAGE.

AND LIKE ELSEWHERE IN THE TAJ,

THE SHAH TOOK THIS SYMBOLIC IDEA TO ITS EXTREME.

BUT RAJANI'S LATEST RESEARCH

IS FINDING SOMETHING VERY UNEXPECTED.

Rajani: SO HERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH WHICH SERVES MY PURPOSE,

AND I DRAW A LINE MAKING THE LEFT CURVE

AND THEN I DRAW I LINE MARKING THE RIGHT CURVE.

AFTER I HAVE IDENTIFIED THE CENTER OF THE DRUM

AND USED THE SOFTWARE TO MEASURE PIXELS

FROM THE CENTER LINE

TO THE RIGHT EDGE AND TO THE LEFT EDGE.

Narrator: THE COMPUTER COUNTS PIXELS

ON EITHER SIDE OF THE DOME,

REVEALING AN ASYMMETRY THE NAKED EYE STRUGGLES TO SPOT.

Rajani: IT IS AMAZING THAT THERE ARE ANGLES

IN WHICH ONE SIDE IS LARGER THAN THE OTHER BY ALMOST A METER.

Narrator: THE THREE-FOOT BULGE IN THE DOME

MAY NOT BE VISIBLE AT FIRST GLANCE,

BUT IT REPRESENTS A MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE SIDES.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

RAJANI BELIEVES THAT

DESPITE THE SHAH'S OBSESSION WITH SYMMETRY,

THERE WAS A LIMIT TO HOW CLOSELY HIS BUILDERS

COULD MATCH THE NEED FOR PERFECTION.

Rajani: IT'S EASIER TO GET SYMMETRY IN 2D LAYOUTS,

LIKE IN THE GARDENS OF TAJ MAHAL.

FOR US, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT

TO GET THAT SYMMETRY IN A 3D, COMPLEX SHAPE LIKE THE DOME.

Narrator: ANY SMALL DISCREPANCY IN THEIR MEASUREMENTS

WOULD BE AMPLIFIED

WHEN BUILDING SOMETHING AS COMPLEX AS THE MASSIVE DOME.

BUT EVEN THOUGH THE MILLIONS OF VISITORS

TO THE TAJ MAY NEVER NOTICE, THIS MAN-MADE FLAW

MAY BE AN UNCONSCIOUS SOURCE OF THE TAJ'S TIMELESS BEAUTY.

Rajani: THE GENERAL PERCEPTION IS BEAUTY IS IN SYMMETRY,

THAT BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE HAVE SYMMETRY IN THEIR FACES

AND THAT'S WHY THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.

BUT ACTUALLY, IF YOU HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT ANY FACE,

IT'S NOT SYMMETRICAL AT ALL.

Narrator: TRUE SYMMETRY IS RARE IN THE REAL WORLD.

A LITTLE ASYMMETRY MAY BE MORE FAMILIAR

TO MOST PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.

LIKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FACES, THE DOME'S TINY ASYMMETRY

COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT PART

OF THE TAJ'S ALMOST UNIVERSAL APPEAL.

TAJ IS NOT SYMMETRIC,

BUT IT IS STILL VERY, VERY BEAUTIFUL.

Narrator: THE TAJ MAHAL IS A TRUE WONDER OF THE WORLD,

PERHAPS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING EVER CREATED.

BUT ITS LEGEND OF LOST LOVE IS FAR FROM THE ONLY TALE

TOLD BY THESE MAJESTIC WALLS.

THE BUILDING'S HIDDEN POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS MESSAGES

ARE PERHAPS JUST AS POWERFUL AND AS POTENT

AS ITS FAMOUS LOVE STORY, BUT IN THE END,

THE STORY OF LOVE SHINES THROUGH IN A COUPLE

DESTINED TO SPEND ETERNITY TOGETHER.

♪