NEW DELHI, 7 July 2004 — Indian archaeologists have found more than 670 names of previously unknown masons and laborers who built the 17th century Taj Mahal, the country’s greatest architectural marvel.
The names, written mostly in Arabic and Persian, are etched on the sandstone used in the wall and other peripheral structures on the northern side of the Taj Mahal, The Asian Age newspaper reported.
Some names were also written in Devnagri, the report said, quoting D. Dayalan, a senior official at the Archaeological Survey of India.
“We stumbled upon these names while doing our routine documentation of the Taj,” Dayalan was quoted as saying. “Most of these masons came from Iran, central Asia and India,” he said.
Dayalan and his staff also found tridents, stars, geometrical patterns and flowers carved into some of the sandstone, implying the masons and laborers were drawn from diverse religions.
“Since many of them were illiterates, they denoted symbols as a mark of their identity,” Dayalan said. “We already have an expert team working to decipher the epigraphs.”
At least 20,000 people were employed to build the Taj Mahal, which the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan wanted as the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Work on the white marble building began in 1631 and was completed in 1647.
For the accommodation of workers, a small town named after the deceased empress, Mumtazabad now known as Taj Ganj, was built adjacent to the building site.
“Of the names etched, five, including that of Isaf Afandi and Amanat Khan, were repeated in several places, asserting that they were important workers of the rank of chief architect, calligrapher and designer. We have now started documenting the names of all the lesser known masons. We hope to finish the total list in the next four months,” Dayalan said.
Amanat Khan Shirazi was the calligrapher of the Taj Mahal. His name has been found at the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet Ghyasuddin had scripted the verses on the tombstone while Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif was the superintendent of masons. The designer of the Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1,000 elephants to transport it to the site. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli and sapphires from Sri Lanka, coal and carnelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna.
“Our interest lies in the unknown masons who never received publicity for their work,” Dayalan said.
