The Taj Mahal is one of the world's most recognizable monuments. Built in Agra during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal , the monument has survived more than three centuries of political change, wars, colonial rule, environmental pressures and the passage of time. But alongside the documented history of the Taj Mahal, another story has become famous. According to a widely repeated claim, Lord William Bentinck, Governor-General of India, planned to dismantle the Taj Mahal and sell its marble . The story is dramatic. But is it true? No reliable evidence supports the claim that Bentinck ordered the Taj Mahal to be dismantled. The real story is more interesting. It involves a deteriorating Mughal bath, the sale of marble, a rumour that circulated in British India, newspaper reporting and decades of repetition that eventually transformed a rumour into what many people assumed was historical fact. The Bentinck and Taj Mahal Story Lord William Bentinc...