What was the human cost behind the Taj Mahal? How was Shah Jahan responsible for the genocide of eight million people?
Have you ever wondered what was the human cost behind the Taj Mahal? Came across this interesting piece of info on Page XXVIII in the ‘Introduction’ section of the book ‘Babur: The Chessboard King’ written by Aabhas Maldahiyar which I had reviewed on the 12th of April, 2024.
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Coming up: Is the Taj Mahal symbol of love or death?
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Have you ever wondered what was the human cost behind the Taj Mahal? Came across this interesting piece of info on Page XXVIII in the ‘Introduction’ section of the book ‘Babur: The Chessboard King’ written by Aabhas Maldahiyar which I had reviewed on the 12th of April, 2024.
As mentioned in the previous episode, the devastating campaigns of Shah Jahan were of course set to bring results. There was a scarcity of rain that year and the devastating campaign by the Imperial Timurid Army resulted in a total famine. This famine of 1630-32 was one of the deadliest in world history. The affected regions were Gujarat, Malwa and the Deccan.
Just to set a perspective, we read about the devastating Bengal famine of 1943, in which three million people were killed, and for which Winston Churchill was held accountable. Yet, the Deccan famine of 1630-32, which killed more than twice that of the Bengal famine, gets whitewashed at ease. And of course, even if we hear a few murmurs of famine, no one asks, ‘Why did Shah Jahan kill so many?’
Court chronicler Abdul Hamid Lahori had this to say:
“Inhabitants were reduced to the direst extremity. Life was offered for a loaf, but none would buy. Dog’s flesh was sold for goat flesh.The pounded bones of the dead were mixed in flour and sold. Men began to devour each other, and the flesh of a son preferred to his love. The number of deaths caused obstructions in the roads. Those lands which had been famous for fertility and plenty of resources retain no traces of production.”
Peter Mundy, the seventeenth-century British traveller and merchant who visited the region during the famine, wrote in his diary:
“Surat (Gujarat)- Great famine, highways unpassable, infested by thieves looking not for gold but grain; Kirka- Town empty. Half inhabitants fled. Other half dead; Dhaita- Children sold for 6 dams or given for free to any who could take them so they might be kept alive; Nandurbar (Maharashtra)- No space to pitch a tent, dead bodies everywhere. Noisome smell from a neighbouring pit where 40 dead bodies were thrown. Survivors searching for grains in the excrement of men and animals. Highway stowed with dead bodies from Surat to Burhanpur.”
He gives complete details about how the Timurid lords were treating people. He wrote:
In Bazar lay people dead and others breathing their last with the food almost near their mouths, yet dying for want of it, they not having wherewith to buy, nor the others so much pity to spare them any without money. There being no course taken in this Country to remedy this great evil, the rich and strong engrossing and taking perforce all to themselves.
There was no food for the general public while it was abundant for the Royal Timurids. When the entire province was on its deathbed, Shah Jahan’s war camp was in fair shape. It was spacious and plentifully stored with all provisions. The camp was receiving supplies from all the corners, far and near.
Not only did Shah Jahan ensure that people felt the wrath of the ‘famine’ but the great Timurid prince collected tax to build the tomb for Mumtaz Mahal. The Timurid Empire, established by Babur, was known for collecting the highest taxes in the world. The estimates tell us that they used to take a share of more than half of what the peasants produced. In contrast, Hindu kings like that of the Vijayanagar Empire, charged one-sixth of the produce, as laid out in the Hindu scriptures. This was almost four times less than the Timurids.
And how did Shah Jahan utilise this revenue? He invested a little more than one-third of the revenue in the sixty-eight princes and Amirs. One-fourth of the revenue went to his 587 officers. This implies that almost 62 per cent of the revenue was spent on merely 665 elites of the court.
After having read around the subject, it doesn’t take much time to conclude that Shah Jahan brought the famine over Gujarat, Malwa and the Deccan by ravaging the cultivation completely. And then, the diverting of revenue to build the Taj Mahal coupled with the scarcity of rain caused the famine in which around eight million people died. This number is well attested in a letter written by a Dutch East India Company (VOC) lawyer.
If Churchill can be held responsible for ‘genocide’ in Bengal, then Shah Jahan should also be held responsible for the genocide of around eight million people. Hence, the building which everyone has described as the pride of Bharat, was built at the cost of the blood of so many.
So friends, this shocking tale of the Taj Mahal should send shivers down your spine. Next time when you visit the Taj Mahal, just keep the facts mentioned above in mind.
Hope you learnt something new today. I have provided the relevant links in the show notes. Please check them out for more info.
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