Lord William Winlock, British governor-general in
India from 1828 to 1835, has the dubious distinction
of being remembered as the man who ordered the
destruction of the Taj Mahal in Agra—an order
which, happily, he was never able to have carried
out. This was revealed at the turn of the century by
the then viceroy, Lord Curzon. The East India
Company had been going through hard times, Lord
Curzon explained, and it was suggested to Lord
Wintock that a sale of the Taj would fetch Rs.
1,00,000 — enough to extricate the company from
its financial crisis, News of the Company’s
intentions circulated, and there was stiff opposition
to such a move. This infuriated Lord Wintock, who
now went one step further and gave orders for the
total destruction of the Taj. Opposition to the
imperial command stepped up, with both Hindus
and Muslims joining in one massive voice of
protest. The danger that full-scale rebellion would
ensue if the Taj was destroyed prompted the
governor-general’s advisers to persuade Lord
Wintock to withdraw the order.
Contemporary comment had it that “the people did
not save the Taj Mahal, it was saved by its own
beauty. If the Taj Mahal had not been beautiful, it
would not have won such overwhelming support;
Hindus and Muslims would not have united behind
it to foil the British government’s designs.”
Had the constructors of the Taj Mahal been able to
reproduce in themselves the beauty which they
produced so perfectly in their work of construction,
they too would have been protected by their own
quality. Just as virtue in a thing wins support for its
cause, so virtue in humans has the same effect. It
wins one friends from the enemy camp,
appreciation even from strangers. A virtuous nature
is the greatest asset a person can have, for with it
comes support from all quarters.
The Taj Mahal’s virtue lies in its beauty, while
man’s beauty lies in a virtuous nature. But man’s
beauty should not be like that of a snake—a
beautiful appearance marred by a venomous sting.
How do men “sting”? By presenting a challenge to
people’s political and economic interests; by
repeatedly resorting to violence in their dealings
with others; by constantly alienating people with
senseless, impulsive actions. Any virtue that one
might have is cancelled out by such a “sting”, and
prevents one from winning people’s affection.
It is the Taj Mahal’s silent beauty that has won
people’s hearts. Who would have time for it if, in all
its beauty, it tormented those who looked upon it?
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
