White marble palace Taj Mahal is often referred to as one of the wonders of the world.
The building was founded by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth.
But a newly-performed drama in India indicates that there is another motive behind the construction of the Taj Mahal.
Could the building be built out of guilt?
"Conflict is the driving force in my script," said Dilip Hiro, an international relations writer and expert based in London, told the BBC.
In the Taj Mahal story, Hiro explores "conflict in couples whose love is engraved as a popular story."
"As an Indian, I am struck by Taj.The conventional story behind him is Shah Jahan's eternal love for Mumtaz.
"Put simply, this is not a drama about her beauty, this drama is how to gain full power as emperor."
Hiro first wrote the Taj Mahal drama script in English in the 1970s under the title Tale of Taj.
The drama was first staged for the first time in Urdu, a language used by the Indian people during the reign of Shah Jahan and still used by many Indians today.
Image captionTaj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal
Great chess
Mumtaz is the third wife and the most beloved wife of Shah Jahan so that their love story becomes a legend.
Mumtaz is described as a beautiful and faithful wife and is willing to have many children with her husband. He died while giving birth to the 14th child.
"But there is another side that is not widely known, he is not a beautiful and faithful wife at all, he is a very great chorus, much more powerful than Shah Jahan, and he is ambitious and cruel," said director M Sayeed Alam of the Delhi theater group Pierrot's Troupe.
Historians agree that the royal women of the Mughal period applied significant political authority.
The surprise of this drama centers on chess games with high stakes.
Image captionMumtaz died in her husband's embrace
At that time, an old pregnant Mumtaz challenged her husband to risk his throne. And when the emperor lost, he ascended the throne and embodied his cruel ambitions.
The emperor realized that his queen should be stopped. The fight over the seal of the kingdom ends with the fall of Mumtaz from the throne and dies in childbirth.
But is it just an accident or is it encouraged?
This drama does not give a definitive answer to how Mumtaz died. But the audience left with one suspicion, that perhaps Emperor Shah Jahan was instrumental in his death.
So, is the Taj Mahal a true monument to love or a monument to murder?