The summer palace of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor of India, has been unearthed at a 500-year-old garden opposite the Taj Mahal.

Archaeologists suspect the latest discovery is a palace 'baradari' - a pavilion with 12 doors designed to allow free flow of air.

The garden where it was found, known as Mehtab Bagh, was thought to a favourite spot for the emperor to gaze up at the Taj Mahal at night.

The summer palace of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor of India, has been unearthed at a 500-year-old garden opposite the Taj Mahal. So far, archaeologists have unearthed remains of the wall (pictured) at the garden complex, located on the opposite bank of the Taj Mahal in Agra

THE MYTH OF THE BLACK TAJ Mehtab Bagh- which translates to Moonlight Garden - has been associated with the myth of the black Taj. Some scholars believe Shah Jahan never meant for himself to be buried along with his wife and instead wanted to build another Taj Mahal for his resting place, but this time, in black marble. A European traveller named Jean Baptiste Tavernier who visited Agra in 1665 first mentioned the idea of Black Taj in his writings. The story gained credibility following observation made by archaeologists in 2006, that part of the pool in the moonlit garden reflected a dark reflection of the white mausoleum. Archaeologists have also suggested that the blackened marbles in Mehtab Bagh that lie on the other side of the river are in fact foundations of an abandoned plan for the black Taj. Advertisement

‘The remains of the baradari-like structure have been found just opposite the Taj Mahal which strengthens our belief that the Mughal emperor must have built this place to enjoy the view of the Taj sitting near the bank of river.

‘The place seems to have sunk beneath the surface either due to floods or because of the presence of hollow space under the structure,’ an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official told Aditya Dev at the Times of India.

So far, archaeologists have unearthed remains of the wall at the garden complex, located on the opposite bank of the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Mehtab Bagh - which translates to Moonlight Garden - has been associated with the myth of the black Taj.

Pictured is an excavated wall from the newly-found palace. Archaeologists suspect the latest discovery is a palace 'baradari' - a pavilion with 12 doors designed to allow free flow of air

The garden where it was found, known as Mehtab Bagh, was thought to a favourite spot for the emperor to gaze up at the Taj Mahal at night. Agra is located in northern India Some scholars believe Shah Jahan never meant for himself to be buried along with his wife in the Taj Mahal (pictured) and instead wanted to build another Taj Mahal for his resting place, but this time, in black marble

Some scholars believe Shah Jahan never meant for himself to be buried along with his wife and instead wanted to build another Taj Mahal for his resting place, but this time, in black marble.

A European traveller named Jean Baptiste Tavernier who visited Agra in 1665 first mentioned the idea of Black Taj in his writings.

The story gained credibility following an observation made by archaeologists in 2006 that part of the pool in the moonlit garden reflected a dark reflection of the white mausoleum.

Archaeologists have also suggested that the blackened marbles in Mehtab Bagh that lie on the other side of the river are actually foundations of an abandoned plan.

But an ASI official said there has never been any historical evidence to prove the existence of a black Taj.

Previous excavation work in the 1990s found remains of an octagonal tank with with 25 fountains, a small central tank and a baradari in the east area of the garden.

‘The present work is going in the south direction of the garden in the straight alignment of the Taj Mahal which makes the discovery an interesting one,’ an official told Mr Dev.