History of "Taj Mahal"
"The Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal built the Taj Mahal. It was built in 22 years (1631 to 1653) by 20,000 artisans brought to India from all over the world! . Many people believe Ustad Isa of Iran designed it." This is what your guide probably told you if you ever visited the Taj Mahal. This is the same story I read in my history book as a student.

The Real History - It was Lord shiva's Palace not Mumtaz's tomb
No one has ever challenged it except Prof. P. N. Oak, who believes the whole world has been duped. In his book Taj Mahal: The True Story, Oak says the Taj Mahal is not Queen Mumtaz's tomb but an ancient Hindu temple palace of Lord Shiva (then known as Tejo Mahalaya). In the course of his research Oak discovered that the Shiva temple palace was usurped by Shah Jahan from then Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Singh.

In his own court chronicle, Badshahnama, Shah Jahan admits that an exceptionally beautiful grand mansion in Agra was taken from Jai SIngh for Mumtaz's burial. The ex-Maharaja of Jaipur still retains in his secret collection two orders from Shah Jahan for surrendering the Taj building. Using captured temples and mansions, as a burial place ! for dead courtiers and royalty was a common practice among Muslim rulers.For example, Humayun, Akbar, Etmud-ud-Daula and Safdarjung are all buried in such mansions.

Oak's inquiries began with the name of Taj Mahal. He says the term "Mahal" has never been used for a building in any Muslim countries from Afghanisthan to Algeria. "The unusual explanation that the term Taj Mahal derives from Mumtaz Mahal was illogical in atleast two respects. Firstly, her name was never Mumtaz Mahal but Mumtaz-ul-Zamani," he writes. Secondly, one cannot omit the first three letters 'Mum' from a woman's name to derive the remainder as the name for the building."Taj Mahal, he claims, is a corrupt version of Tejo Mahalaya, or Lord Shiva's Palace.

Oak also says the love story of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan is a fairy tale created by court sycophants, blundering historians and sloppy archaeologists.Not a single royal chronicle of Shah Jahan's time corroborates the love story. Furthermore, Oak cites several documents suggesting the Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan's era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs of Agra city.

For example, Prof. Marvin Miller of New York took a few samples from the riverside doorway of the Taj. Carbon dating tests revealed that the door was 300 years older than Shah Jahan. European traveler Johan Albert Mandelslo,who visited Agra in 1638 (only seven years after Mumtaz's death), describes the life of the city in his memoirs. But he makes no reference to the Taj Mahal being built. The writings of Peter Mundy, an English visitor to Agra within a year of Mumtaz's death, also suggest the Taj was a noteworthy building well before Shah Jahan's time.Prof.

Oak points out a number of design and architectural inconsistencies that support the belief of the Taj Mahal being a typical Hindu temple rather than a mausoleum.Many rooms in the Taj ! Mahal have remained sealed since Shah Jahan's time and are still inaccessible to the public. Oak asserts they contain a headless statue of Lord Shiva and other objects commonly used for worship rituals in Hindu temples.

Fearing political backlash, Indira Gandhi's government tried to have Prof. Oak's book withdrawn from the bookstores, and threatened the Indian publisher of the first edition dire consequences.

There is only one way to discredit or validate Oak's research.The current government should open the sealed rooms of the Taj Mahal under U.N. supervision, and let international experts investigate.

More information can be found from the following link
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm

The best rafting experience in the World
Those who have boated rivers around the world find some of the greatest experiences in the rivers of Colorado. The varied terrain and climatic regions that Colorado has within its borders creates an amazing array of beautiful rivers from exciting whitewater action to calming and serene float trips.

Colorado's geography makes great rafting
So many rivers flow out of Colorado as it provides the watershed of the Continental Divide, rivers like the Colorado beginning in beautiful Grand County, The Arkansas River flowing from the collegiate peaks is surrounded by 13,000 to 14,000 foot peaks and the Rio Grande flowing from the Sangre de Cristo watershed and south into New Mexico.

Colorado Whitewater is known around the world to be some of the finest to be found anywhere in the world, this is held true by all of those who have experienced the thrill of floating down a river in Colorado. The Arkansas River for instance is the most popular run in the world, seeing about 250,000 people per summer!

The rivers of Colorado provide the natural beauty that can be seen all around us, so it is time to get to the heart of it all and experience first hand for ourselves what the rivers of Colorado have to offer.

These are the small pieces of information to prove that we had the best rafting experience ever.

Actually, Whitewater rafting is an experience that requires, nerve and a lot of adventure, but if you have this then it is definitely something you need to try. It is a thrill seeking adventure, which will change the view of water.

It is one of the most popular adventure sports available. The idea of facing fierce whitewater and coming out the other end in one piece is certainly one of the appeals to whitewater rafting.

On May 20th, we decided and went to CLEAR CREEK, LOCATED JUST 30 MINUTES WEST OF DENVER IN HISTORIC IDAHO SPRINGS. One of Colorado's most exciting whitewater rivers with more challenging rapids per mile than most commercially rafted rivers in the state.

We opted to go for Intermediate (1/2 Day) which requires the participant to be of age 15* at least. This exciting stretch of river is the Clear Creek's most popular trip! Continuous class III and IV rapids will thrill throughout the run. Surge through the Phoenix Holes then take on the class IV climax, the Outer Limits.

Are we prepared to get wet and wild on the river? Oh Yeah! We six (Dhivya, Gokul, Lakshmi Narayanan, Guru, Sudha and Me) of us are gonna rock!

Whitewater rafting like all our experiences is very safety orientated, so before we started we had a brief Whitewater rafting safety induction. Wherein myself and Dhivya were horrified to hear all of those instructions to be followed when you fall off the boat. The instructions were like the person must be able to confidently swim 50 meters unaided and must be physically fit as Whitewater rafting is a very physical experience. The point is we both don’t know swimming and we don’t want to learn on that fine day.

Then we were provided with all the necessary rafting kit like the wet suit, booties, life jacket and helmet. (On putting those stuffs on, I lost my breath and my belief too that I can paddle & be on the boat. Huh!)

Once we completed our rafting safety induction, our Whitewater rafting experience truly began and it’s into our 6 person inflatable and off into the water. We started off in calm water before plunging in falls, rapids and whirlpools and of course into serious Whitewater. It’s going to be for approximately 1 hour and a half, lasting approximately 20 minutes per run.

We were heading towards the rocks with water flooding over the sides of the boat; everyone is hanging on as tight as they can. We were confronted with a wall of white water….will we make it through? Yeah, we made it. This is definitely one of the most adrenaline pumping, exhilarating experiences. There is nothing like the sheer thrill of white water rafting to really get your heart racing which will make it an experience to remember!

No experience is necessary for this fun filled activity but a sense of adventure is a must. As you challenge the “Looping Pool”, in these fantastic rafts, you know this is an experience you won't forget in a hurry.

Those hours were spent surfing, splashing and paddling through the rapids with our Professional and Knowledgeable Guide – Mariah on one of Western Colorado's pristine mountainous rivers.

Adventure, fun, beautiful scenery and wild tales all in one!