NEW DELHI, Sept 15 – Serious concerns are being raised about the Taj Mahal’s neglect after the renowned Mughal monument’s main dome leaked in rain.
Built by Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1648 in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the monument housing the graves of the Muslim king and his queen, is India’s most visited historic attraction and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Videos posted on social media on Saturday showed an inundated garden next to the white marble edifice.
Water reached Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal’s tombs 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, admitted the water leakage but said the large central dome was not damaged.
“Yes, we have witnessed the leakage in the main dome of the Taj Mahal. When we checked, it was due to seepage and there was no damage to the main dome. We have checked the main dome through a drone camera,” Rajkumar Patel, a top ASI official in Agra, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Agra, located 220 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, once served as the Mughal empire’s capital and houses many famous heritage buildings, including the massive Agra Fort on the Yamuna River not far from the Taj Mahal.
