'After it was finished, Shah Jahan visited the Taj only twice.' 'There is a letter from Aurangzeb to him after a visit, reporting that the dome was leaking and needed to be fixed.' 'Shah Jahan wasn't bothered: He had moved on to designing his next project, Shahjahanabad,' reveals Aakar Patel.
Learn about the historical spots in India most visited by domestic tourists.
A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar asked the petitioner to approach the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and make a representation before it.
A dagger that once belonged to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fetched 1,700,000 pounds at the Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale in London on Thursday. The elegant and understated personal dagger carried by Shah Jahan (reign 1627-1657), with its fine gold inscriptions and decoration dated to 1629-30 AD, was expected to attract bids of around 300,000-500,000 pounds.The dagger was the most important item in a collection built by the late Jacques Desenfans, a Belgian.
'Melania Trump asked about the mud-pack treatment and was amazed when she got to know the details of the process'
A gold-encrusted dagger belonging to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan is expected to fetch 500,000 pounds when auctioned at Bonhams on Thursday.The dagger is part of the collection of Islamic and Indian art and artefacts of the late textile businessman Jacques Desenfans.The inscriptions in nasta'liq script on the blade include Shah Jahan's official titles, date and place of birth, and the honourific parasol.
The book, to be introduced in schools from the 2025-2026 academic year, marks a shift in tone in its portrayal of the Mughal emperors, offering detailed accounts of conquest, religious decisions, cultural contributions, and brutality.
As we celebrate the 136th anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru's birth, let's embark on a journey to places in India, and across the world, that had a connection with India's first prime minister.
'Aurangzeb spent a major part in the Deccan. The later Mughals were looted by Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali. The Mughals had no money to build. That's why Zafar Mahal, the only palace they built in Mehrauli, was built very shoddily and quickly fell into ruin.' 'Mehrauli spans a much longer period of time than any other city of Delhi,' says historian Rana Safvi.
'Bollywood now pushing propaganda with #TheTajStory a film twisting history by showing the Taj Mahal as a temple. A country boasting of being the 4th largest economy is drowning in fantasy & communal myths. When propaganda feels ashamed, you know it's India 2025'
'Lots of people fade away from our memory after they die, but he will stay on forever.'
Shah's emotional statement indicates he has bid farewell to MCX; but is he stooping to hit back?
'Look after your own mother before looking after your neighbour's mother.' 'I don't believe in starving my own mother and feeding sweets to the neighbours.'
'Be it tourist guides, hotels, rickshaw drivers, all have a livelihood thanks to Shah Jahan.'
'My family are the mainstream audience and think I am wasting my time. Until I make a Rs 100 crore film, they won't be convinced.'
'When I undertook a study of temple desecration in precolonial India, it was not enough simply to document what temples were desecrated, by whom, when, and where.' 'It was also important to explore the total historical context of such incidents, with a view to discovering patterns, which in turn could reveal the reasons why they occurred.'
The cultural richness that began from a narrow bank of the Yamuna has continued for over 7 centuries. And you literally go underground for as little at Rs 50 to see it!
Sachin Tendulkar spent nearly an hour at the monument as he clicked pictures with Anjali on the Diana Bench.
Glimpses from the light and sound show at the Red Fort, which Union Home Minister Amit A Shah inaugurated on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra legislative assembly till the ongoing budget session ends on March 26, over his remarks eulogizing Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
'Shivaji and Sambhaji followed the gospel of humanity. 'They did not discriminate based on religion, caste, or colour.' 'That is the beauty of Shivaji and Sambhaji's Hindvi Swaraj.'
Sukanya Verma looks at Bollywood's best-known diamond robberies in film.
A body representing the 'Khadims' of the Ajmer dargah has condemned a plea in a local court that seeks to declare the shrine of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz as a temple, saying right-wing forces were trying to "isolate" Muslims and "disrupt" communal harmony in the country.
How much do you know about Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahal?
Glimpses of visitors enjoying the majestic beauty of maple trees at the Nishat Garden in Srinagar on Sunday, November 13, 2022.
Netflix has announced a thrilling line-up for 2025.
A local court in Ajmer has issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India on a plea seeking to declare the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti a temple. The petition, filed in September, has sparked a heated debate, with politicians and community leaders weighing in on the potentially volatile issue. The dargah committee has declined to comment, but the Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the caretakers of the dargah, described the petition as a deliberate attempt to fracture society along communal lines. The petition comes just days after four people were killed in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following a local court ordering survey of a Mughal-era shrine. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which fixed August 15, 1947, as the cut-off date for status quo on the character of religious places, is at the centre of much of the debate. Several politicians, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, have weighed in on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called the civil court's decision to entertain the petition unwarranted and has asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has launched a veiled attack on party president Ajit Pawar, claiming that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in favor of his induction in the cabinet. Bhujbal expressed his disappointment and humiliation over his exclusion, alleging that he was treated like a "toy" by the party leadership. He also alleged that Ajit Pawar makes decisions for the NCP like Fadnavis does for the BJP and Eknath Shinde does for the Shiv Sena.
It seems that Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao have started their Oscar campaign for Laapataa Ladies.
She also supported a petition in the Allahabad high court, seeking a fact-finding inquiry into the 'history' of the Taj Mahal and also opening of the doors of its '22 rooms' to see 'the truth, whatever it is'.
CBI investigations point out that DG Vanzara, the then Deputy Inspector General of Gujarat Police, Border Range, received a go ahead two days prior to the encounter. Vicky Nanjappa reports
'He used to do his homework before singing a song.' 'He used to find out who the hero of the movie would be or the situation in which the song would play in the film.' 'Accordingly, he moulded his voice.' 'For example, he sang Tel Maalish and Main Bambai Ka Babu for Johnny Walker in Johnny Walker style.' 'He would sing in different tones for Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Guru Dutt.'
He hinted that the same hue and cry is not made about 1984 riots not being in textbooks.
Princess Jahanara, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's daughter, was a paragon of virtues: well-educated, well-versed in statecraft, even-tempered, beautiful. Although she was on the side of Dara Shikoh in the succession battle, it says much for her stature that after Shah Jahan's death, she was made the chief lady of the court by Aurangzeb and accorded every respect.
The cardinal rule for Mughal princes was 'Ya Takht, Ya Takhta' (the throne or the funeral pyre). They often went to battle against their brothers, even their father, to become emperor, points out Syed Firdaus Ashraf. Nothing bloodless about it.
With the supplementary chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case finalised, the Central Bureau of Investigation has sought the opinion of the law ministry on whether sanction is needed to prosecute Intelligence Bureau officers in the conspiracy in which Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's aide Amit Shah may not be named.
The British were in India for over 300 years but they never became Indians. The East India Company sent all its loot back to London and the British empire continued that tradition. On the contrary, the Mughals did not send a single rupee outside India. So by what right does one call them traitors, asks A Ganesh Nadar.
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