Diwan e Muhandis, written by Lutfullah Muhandis, son of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, bestowed with the title Nadir ul Asr in 1635 by Shah Jahan, was discovered in the early part of the 20th century and removes the conjecture as to the identity of the architect of the Taj Mahal.
“the single explicit evidence is the verse in the Diwan-i-Muhandis of his second son Lutf Allah, which claims his father designed both the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal and the Shahjahanabad Fort. Since this second claim is corroborated in the official history of Shah Jahan’s reign and other sources, the first claim must also be taken seriously. Other sources assembled here clearly
Other sources prove that Ustad Ahmad enjoyed an outstanding reputation, not only as an architect, but also as an
an architect, engineer, mathematician, and astronomer. Although no books by him survive, two of his sons, and various other descendants as well, were both practicing architects and prolific authors of a wide range of mathematical treatises.
[The evidence provided in certain works by the sons of Ustad Ahmad is also decisive. Many of these refer to his title, “Wonder of the Age” (nadir al-asr), which Lutf Allah states was bestowed by Shah Jahan himself. )
From The Illumined Tomb by Begley and Desai
#tajmahal #architect #ahmedlahori
The Architect of Taj Mahal
