The Moral Vision
The Greatest Asset
~ 202 ~
THE GREATEST ASSET
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.
