Taj Mahal legends debunked: myths, rumors and facts

The Taj Mahal is one of the world’s most recognizable works of architecture. Beyond its beauty and the love story behind it, a thicket of legends clings to the marble. Some sound almost supernatural; others could pass for movie plots. Let’s sort out what holds up and what belongs to the realm of pretty fiction.

The legend of the Black Taj Mahal

According to a popular tale, Emperor Shah Jahan, after raising the gleaming white Taj in memory of his wife, planned a second mausoleum in black marble. The two structures, the story goes, would face each other across the Yamuna and be linked by a bridge.

The tale took off thanks to the 17th-century French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Modern research, however, points in another direction: there is no evidence a black Taj was ever on the drawing board. The dark stones found nearby turned out to be ordinary white marble that had darkened with time.

Even so, the vision of a mirror mausoleum still fuels the imagination of artists, writers, and filmmakers.

Were the craftsmen blinded so they could never build anything like it again?

Another legend claims Shah Jahan ordered the artisans blinded, or even executed, once the project was complete so nothing equally beautiful could be made again.

In reality, there’s no proof of that. Many architects who worked on the Taj later designed other buildings, so the tale feels more like a dramatic scare story than a record of events.

Was the Taj Mahal once a Hindu temple?

In the mid-20th century, Indian historian Purushottam Nagesh Oak suggested the Taj was originally a temple dedicated to Shiva. He pointed to architectural elements reminiscent of Hindu shrines and argued there had been an earlier sanctuary on the site.

Most historians disagree. They note there’s extensive documentation confirming the construction of a mausoleum rather than a reworked older building. Still, the theory continues to find supporters in some quarters.

Did the British plan to dismantle the Taj Mahal and sell it?

There’s a story that in the 19th century William Bentinck, the British governor-general of India, intended to take the Taj apart and sell its marble in England.

Historians consider that a rumor. Bentinck did sell materials from ruined Indian palaces, but there’s no confirmation he planned to destroy the Taj Mahal.

Why do Taj Mahal myths endure?

People are drawn to mysteries, especially around places this majestic. Myths add an extra layer of intrigue for travelers and researchers alike—and they make for compelling retellings.

Even today, when checking a fact takes seconds, these stories keep circulating. Sometimes a beautiful narrative wins out over a dry footnote.

One thing remains unchanged: the Taj Mahal continues to astonish, whatever secrets people choose to hang on it.