Many people and historians believe that the architect
of Taj Mahal was an Italian by the name of Geronimo Veroneo. It is said
that Taj Mahal reflects many facets of the Italian architecture. Shah
Jahan appointed a council of the best architects that were available
from far and wide for designing the Taj Mahal. It is said that the chief
architect of the council was Geronimo Veroneo. This has been argued time
and again by many European scholars, particularly Italian historians who
advocate that the Italian architect designed Taj Mahal.
According to ancient records, Geronimo Veroneo did visit Agra in the
year 1640. It is written in the records of Father Manrique that Geronimo
Veroneo did actually visit Agra. But there is no evidence to prove that
he was involved in the designing of Taj Mahal. The sole purpose of his
visit was to release Father Antony who was confined in a prison by the
Mughals.
Some records provide a totally different version of the story. They
claim that Geronimo Veroneo was actually a goldsmith by profession who
visited Agra during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. He settled in Agra
and was also buried there. There are however no records of Geronimo
Veroneo actually helping in the architecture of the Taj Mahal.
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