Concerns over neglect of Taj Mahal after dome leaks during rain

NEW DELHI: (Bernama) There are serious concerns over the neglect of the Taj Mahal after the main dome of the famous Mughal monument started leaking during rains.

Built by Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1648 in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, the monument, which contains the tombs of the Muslim king and his queen, is India’s most visited historical site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Videos posted on social media on Saturday (September 14) showed a flooded garden next to the white marble building.

The water reached the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal in the inner chamber as incessant rains lashed the historic city of Agra, local media reported.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the government agency responsible for protecting historical monuments, acknowledged the water ingress but said the large central dome was not damaged.

“Yes, we saw the leak in the main dome of the Taj Mahal.

“When we checked, it was a leak and there was no damage to the main dome.

“We checked the main dome using a drone camera,” Rajkumar Patel, a senior ASI official in Agra, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Agra is located 220 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, was once the capital of the Mughal Empire and is home to numerous famous historical buildings, including the massive Agra Fort on the Yamuna River, not far from the Taj Mahal.

“For centuries, the Taj Mahal has stood as an enduring symbol of India’s architectural brilliance and romantic heritage.

“However, after three days of relentless rain, the iconic dome of this white marble monument is facing an unexpected challenge – a water leak,” The Telegraph newspaper wrote on Saturday.

Historians react

Historians are appalled that the monument, a major foreign exchange earner and a symbol of India’s past glory, could fall into such a poor state due to a bit of extra rain.

“The number of visitors to the Taj is unparalleled by any other surviving landmark on the (South Asian) subcontinent.”

“Unfortunately, the building has been extremely poorly maintained for decades,” Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, history professor at Aligarh Muslim University and secretary of the Indian History Congress, told Bernama.

The water leaking through the dome is just the latest example of a series of concerns about the monument’s preservation.

There are reports that smoke from vehicles and industrial plants turns the white marble surface of the Taj Mahal yellow and green.

The heavily polluted Yamuna River flows next to the Taj Mahal.

Agra is rich in monuments from the Mughal era and presents a picture of urban neglect and congestion.

Fatehpur Sikri, built by Emperor Akbar as his capital between 1571 and 1573 but later abandoned, is another centre of spectacular Mughal architecture.

Most of these monuments are under the care of the ASI.

Mahmood Farooqui, author and historian, told Bernama that the ASI lacks funds, personnel and expertise to carry out its duties.

But Rezavi says there is no lack of funds, because even if only a fraction of the Taj’s tourism revenues were spent on its maintenance, “the situation would not be so bleak.”

“For the past few years, the marble and the Carvo Intaglio patterns (a style widely used during Shah Jahan’s time) on the annex buildings (Mosque and Mehman Khana in the Taj complex) have been decaying and rotting,” he said.

Mohammad Tarique Anwar, associate professor of history at Delhi University, said the Taj Mahal should not be treated like an ordinary monument and problems like the leaking dome and the flooding of the garden should not be taken lightly.

“It shows that there are serious problems with the conservation and maintenance of this iconic monument, which is not only an Indian but a world heritage site,” he said. – Bernama