A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time The Story of the Taj Mahal
THE STORY OF THE TAJ MAHAL
We could not have written this book without spending considerable time in India
– a country that, despite the many times we have travelled there, still
overwhelms our senses. In New Delhi Professor R. C. Agrawal, Joint Director-
General of the Archaeological Survey of India, gave generously to us of his own
time and facilitated our visits to the Taj Mahal and other sites associated with the
story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. In Agra we were very grateful for the
expert advice of Superintending Archaeologist Dr D. Dayalan and of his deputy
Mr A. K. Tiwari and to Dr R. K. Dixit, who, in his atmospheric office perched in
the southern gatehouse to the Taj, briefed us on recent excavations and future
plans. He also led us extensively around the Taj complex and the excavations of
the waterworks, helping us see things both figuratively and physically in a new
light. Dr K. K. Muhammed, Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI in Bhopal,
made possible our visit to the palace fortress of Burhanpur, where Mumtaz
Mahal died, and the lonely site where she was temporarily laid to rest. We are
also grateful to many others whom we met in India, especially Lucy Peck for her
knowledge of the Moghul monuments of Delhi, Vibhuti Sachdev for insights
into Hindu architectural principles and Dr Giles Tillotson for advice on Moghul
architecture.