Taj Mahal, Agra
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HISTORY
'A teardrop on the cheek of time'
By Dr Syed Amir, Dawn, 2006
The celebrated Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore allegorically referred to the Taj Mahal in one of his verses as ‘one teardrop, glistening spotlessly bright on the cheek of time.’ Classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj is a testament to the eternal and enduring love of a man for his wife. It is visited by more than three millions tourists annually, up to 300,000 of them coming from outside India. In 1983, Unesco designated it a world heritage site.
More than three and half centuries have elapsed since the monument was built by Emperor Shah Jahan; however time has not been kind to this Islamic architectural masterpiece. Especially the decades since independence have witnessed a noticeable deterioration in its sparkling white appearance. In addition to the physical stress imposed by millions of visitors trudging on its delicate floors and through its spacious pavilions, atmospheric pollution and corrosive gases spewed by the iron foundries of Agra have inflicted major harm. Persistent exposure to pollutants in the air has dulled the brilliant shine of the porcelain-like marble, imparting a yellowish tinge to some sections of the facade.
The government has been concerned about preserving the beauty and mystique of the Taj that has become a symbol of national pride and a source of much revenue. However, combating the menace of air pollution eating into the marble surface poses a challenge far greater than maintaining the structural soundness of the building. The Indian Supreme Court, more than 10 years ago, had decreed the closure of factories and industrial units in the proximity of the Taj in a desperate attempt to reduce the level of pollution and retard discoloration of the marble surfaces. The decree had only marginal success. After much experimentation, Indian scientists have now come up with an ingenious and inexpensive solution. Application of Fuller’s earth (locally known as Multani Mitti) has long been recommended by Unani and Ayurvedic physicians for facial and skin rejuvenation. Scientists have discovered that briefly applying a thin coat of this to the Taj’s exterior, and then washing it off, can effectively restore much of its original glitter. The natural substance has the ability to extract and absorb the impurities and pollutants that have become embedded in the marble over a period of time.
The Taj Mahal’s current problems are not entirely recent in origin. In a recently published book entitled Taj Mahal, authors Diana and Michael Preston narrate in exquisite detail the planning, construction and completion of the magnificent monuments and its subsequent deterioration. With the decline of Mughal power and the disintegration of the central authority in the 18th- and 19th-century India, the Taj suffered many acts of vandalism at the hands of unruly bands of Jats and Marathas. Its precious and semi-precious floral inlays were chiseled away; lavish carpets, expensive wall hangings and an ornate door made of silver were removed and carted away.
British suzerainty brought no relief. Once Agra was captured by General Lake in 1803, the Taj Mahal became a playground for soldiers and employees of the East India Company. They would use its marble floors and terraces for late night dancing parties, while the mosque and tasbih khana on the two sides of the tomb were rented out to newlyweds to be used as weekend cottages.
Lord William Bentinck who served as the Governor General, first of Bengal and then of India from 1828-1835, had a reputation for stinginess and little appreciation of India’s cultural heritage. He is reported to have contemplated demolishing the Taj and auctioning off the rubble to raise money. The plan was, however, abandoned as it was estimated that the cost of demolition would exceed the amount of cash that could be raised by sale of the marble slabs. Although the story is repeated in several chronicles, its authenticity has been disputed by Bentinck’s biographer, John Rosselli and it might be only apocryphal. Regardless, it does reflect how little appreciation of the monument existed at the time.
Scientists have discovered that briefly applying a thin coat of this [Multani mitti] to the Taj’s exterior, and then washing it off, can effectively restore much of its original glitter.
The Taj remained in a state of neglect and disrepair for many years. Its once lush gardens, attractive water fountains and luxuriant flower beds were all withering away. Its fortunes were reversed with the appointment at the turn of the century of Lord Curzon as the viceroy of India (1898-1905).
An aristocrat educated at Oxford and appointed to one of the most powerful positions in the world at the young age 39, Curzon was reputed to be a supercilious person with an exaggerated sense of superiority. Fortunately, he also had a deep interest in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings of the Mughal era, especially the Taj Mahal.
Soon after his arrival Lord Curzon initiated a major restoration project of the Taj which he cherished. The work continued even after he left India and was completed in 1908. He ordered the construction of a brass hanging lamp; a replica of an antique lantern which he had originally seen and much admired in a mosque in Cairo, Egypt. He gifted it to the Taj where it still hangs from the ceiling of the interior chamber above the cenotaph.
Lord Curzon was extremely proud of the contribution he had made to the restoration of the Taj. In his speech delivered from the plinth of Taj Mahal — one of the last ones he gave as viceroy and cited by Diana and Michael Preston in their book — he proudly announced: ‘If I’d never done anything else in India, I have written my name here and the letters are a living joy.’
It may not be widely known that this mausoleum at Agra is not the first resting place of the young queen Arjumand Banu Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. Although Mumtaz Mahal was not Shah Jahan’s only wife, the relationship between the two had been exceptional. They had been intensely devoted to each other and the emperor never travelled without her by his side.
The Mughals had been battling the kingdoms of Deccan for several generations in an attempt to subdue them. On one such occasion in 1629, Shah Jahan left the capital for Burhanpur on the Tapti River in present-day Madhya Pradesh at the head of a mighty Mughal army to suppress a local insurgency. The city at the time served as the capital and military headquarter of the Mughal Empire in the South.
In the summer of 1631, Mumtaz Mahal, pregnant with her 14th child, went into labour at the royal palace at Burhanpur. She gave birth to a stillborn baby and died of resultant complications, while the distraught Princess Jahan Ara, her daughter, and Shah Jahan were at her side.
It has been recorded by chroniclers that the emperor went into a period of deep mourning following the death of his beloved wife; his beard reportedly turning grey in a matter of days. He never took serious interest in the conduct of the state business thereafter.
Mumtaz Mahal’s body was temporarily interred in a tomb at Burhanpur for about six months and later moved to Agra in a golden casket arriving at the capital in regal splendour. Today, it reposes in the monument built in her memory, so ethereal and majestic that it has had no rival. The Taj Mahal provided succor and comfort to Shah Jahan during the final nine years of his life which he spent as a prisoner at Agra Fort from where he was permitted to gaze at the Taj, but never to visit it.
Blend of Islamic, Hindu, European traditions
Dipankar Gupta, November 4, 2017: The Times of India
Is it beautiful because a powerful ruler ordered it be made or because of the magic that craftspeople created? These workers had gathered from different parts of India, as well as from Central Asia and Turkey and it is here that Islamic and Hindu motifs merged. In none of this was the throne involved.Makrana marble came from Rajasthan, jade and crystal from China, jasper from Punjab, and sapphire from Sri Lanka.
Notice the mix of Hindu and Islamic traditions in the red sandstone carvings of Jehangiri Mahal of Agra Fort, or in the colonnades of Mughal courtyards whose balconies are supported by brackets. Or take the Deccan Sultanate period (15001700), when Asia and Europe met in the plateau and promiscuously reproduced. This fusion was not ordained from above, but crafted from below where skills and talents met in camaraderie and not in a cage fight.
The kalamkari of that period carried Hindu, Islamic and European motifs and the Deccan standard (or alam) displayed the Chinese dragon. If 17th century Jaipur carpets showed European designs up front, Venetian paintings reciprocated by depicting Turkish “Ushak“ carpets with intricate borders and geometric cartouche patterns. Heritages, everywhere, unite vast territories that histories and kingdoms divide.
We all know of the enmity between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh, but that is history telling at its best. Behind its back, heritage was at work in the Mughal court itself. Dara Shikoh's wife, Nadira, painted Mary Magdalene in a style that deliberately imitated Tintoretto, the great 16th century Italian artist.That is how deeply European art was appreciated in medieval India.
Apparently , European motifs and paintings from the New and Old Testament were also doing the rounds in Akbar's court.None of this was of any consequence, however, when Akbar made history and captured Chittor. Nor did this grand historical event change the course of heritage.That proceeded with combinations and re-combinations, linking past and pre sent, near and far, in perpetual sympathy .
Europe too was inspired by the Orient.Renaissance Italian drapery openly copied Chinese patterns, just as Gothic builders transformed Saracenic and Islamic architecture. The dazzling silk drapery in St Mary's Church in Danzig, a revered Christian place of worship, is clearly Arabic in style. Tin-glazing earthenware, in particular Venetian Majolica, drew heavily from the Orient, especially its blue enamel and flower tendril designs.
17th century Chinese weavers learnt about the Sehna knot from Persia and used it extensively to make their very distinctive carpets. Even Buddhism did not travel alone from India. It impacted textiles in China with a proliferation of patterns featuring bulls, elephants and tropical trees.
The patriarchal aspect of history and the feminine tone of heritage can also be gauged from another perspective. Deborah Tannen, best selling author and sociolinguist, pointed out that while men engage in “report talk“, women are better at “rapport talk“.
For example, observe a party scene.Men tend to crack the loudest jokes, provide the definitive answers and generally strive to be the life and soul of the evening. Women, on the other hand, make connections through everyday issues, quotidian dilemmas, information about illness and health, securities and insecurities of jobs and marriages. In none of this conversation are voices raised or attention demanded, as in the case of masculine “report talk“.
History and heritage are analogous to masculine report talk and feminine rapport talk, respectively . While the former studies successes and failures of singular projects, the latter unites little deeds of some of the smartest people who have gifted us the wisdom of the ages.They have done this in unobtrusive, peaceful exchange, without bells and whistles. How else did we get high art, delicate crafts and majestic constructions, such as the Taj Mahal? Even the heaviest lifter is powered by gentle heartbeats.
To make our past reveal its humanity our attention must shift from history to heritage, and from documents to monuments.
Mughal Rajput ties
Manimugdha S Sharma, May 19, 2022: The Times of India
In November 1556, after newly crowned Mughal emperor Akbar had defeated an Afghan army led by Hemu in Panipat and retaken Delhi, a Mughal general named Majnun Khan Qaqshal informed the boy king about the “excellent loyalty” of Amber king Raja Bharmal at another engagement.
The Kachhwaha Rajput king had, as an Afghan ally, convinced Sur general Haji Khan to let the besieged Mughal garrison at the fort of Narnaul led by Qaqshal peacefully surrender and go to Delhi to join up with the emperor. A grateful Qaqshal wanted to repay Raja Bharmal’s kindness by securing for him some imperial favour. Akbar invited Raja Bharmal to his durbar in Delhi, and in December that year, the Amber king showed up with his sons and other relatives. Akbar cordially received them and presented Raja Bharmal with a khillat or a robe of honour and gave gifts to his sons and relatives. The delegation stayed back in Delhi to enjoy the imperial hospitality for a few days. But when they came to say goodbye to the 14-year-old king, something dramatic happened. This encounter was depicted in the 2008 Bollywood blockbuster Jodhaa Akbar . The Rajput delegation led by Bharmal (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda) arrived to find Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) taming an out-of-control elephant. The sheer physical prowess of the emperor and his reckless bravery overawed them. But the real incident played out differently. Akbar’s court chronicler Abu’l Fazl says in the Akbarnama that the emperor was dangerously riding an elephant in musth . As the crazed animal ran amok, everyone ran helter-skelter. But not the Rajputs. They didn’t flinch and held their ground. This impressed the young monarch a lot, possibly giving him ideas for the future. He remarked (in Farsi): “Nihaal khwaahim kard.” (We shall plant/cherish/rear you). Perhaps that was the moment that changed the destiny of the Kachhwahas of Amber.
Ties of blood
Amber in the 16th century wasn’t a large and powerful kingdom like Marwar and Mewar. To safeguard its interests against aggressive manoeuvres by powerful neighbours, it had to seek alliances with others from time to time. During the Sur interregnum, (1540-1555) Raja Maldev Rathore of Marwar attacked and seized four districts of Amber, forcing Amber to seek a military alliance with Sher Shah Suri. In 1562, an internal succession struggle in Amber once again forced Raja Bharmal to seek an external alliance with the Mughals.
This time, though, it was more than political, for Raja Bharmal offered his daughter in marriage to Akbar, thus binding his clan and the Mughals with ties of blood. It was a bold move by Bharmal as no other Rajput family had sent their daughters to the Mughal harem until then. It paved the way for other Rajput houses to seek matrimonial alliances with the Mughals.
The Muslim Mughals, referred to as mlechhas (savages) in Rajput accounts until then, now came to be seen as Rajputs of a different faith. Akbar was projected as an avatar of Vishnu in bardic literature and someone whom even Lord Indra and his fellow gods feared. This was a massive intellectual exercise by the Rajputs to justify their own ties with the Mughals and make them acceptable suzerains.
But it wasn’t that Bharmal’s daughter entered the Mughal household alone; he himself, along with his son Bhagwan Dass, grandson Man Singh and other kinsmen, joined imperial service as mansabdars (a military title).
Amber’s fortunes soared due to this relationship as cash flows from the imperial treasury filled its coffers as did income from the jagirs (feudal land grant) elsewhere in the empire. As they moved around the empire as imperial officers, viceroys and governors, the Kachhwahas of Amber built great buildings wherever they went: a temple here, a fort there, even mosques. The Rajputs found in the Mughal state a patron that encouraged and utilised their war-making potential and allowed them to mimic the pomp and pageantry of the imperial court in their own kingdom.
The Mughals benefited equally from this relationship as they now had a steady flow of military manpower that was locally available, which somewhat eased their overdependence on Central Asian recruits. It also served another purpose for the Mughals: the Rajput nobility acted as a counterbalance to the dominance of the Turani (Central Asian) and Irani nobles, which helped maintain equilibrium in the imperial court.
The ties blossom
But political exigencies apart, the Kachhwahas of Amber rose very high in the Mughal military bureaucracy or the mansabdari and occupied key positions in Akbar’s court. In more ways than one, the emperor cherished them just as he had promised at their first meeting.
In 1572, at the crucial battle of Sarnal in Gujarat against revolting Mirzas in which Akbar fell upon the unsuspecting enemy with just 150 horsemen, Bhagwan Dass saved Akbar’s life from certain death though couldn’t save his own brother Bhupat. Akbar personally avenged Bhupat by killing Shah Madad, the man who had killed Bhupat. Bhagwan Dass was presented with a banner and a kettledrum by Akbar — the first Hindu to be honoured that way.
But it was Man Singh who was the prince among Akbar’s nobles and the emperor’s favourite. By relation, Akbar was his phupha (uncle), but the emperor declared him his farzand (son) and bestowed on him the title of Mirza, a title until then used by Timurid princes and nobles. Man Singh became the first Mughal noble to be raised to the rank of a haft-hazari (7,000) mansabdar — the highest rank that any nobleman could attain in Akbar’s time.
He was the empire’s firefighter who defeated Mewar king Pratap Singh Sisodia at Haldighati, subdued Afghans as the Mughal viceroy of Kabul and completely subdued Bihar, Bengal and Odisha.
For his service, Man Singh was allotted a premium plot of land on the banks of the Yamuna in Agra on which a haveli or a mansion came up.
The property stayed with the family until Man Singh’s great grandson Jai Singh sat on the Amber throne. The family’s fortunes at the Mughal court had dimmed somewhat during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, but they soared again when Shah Jahan became emperor. In 1631, Shah Jahan lost his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in Burhanpur in the Deccan. Her mortal remains were temporarily interred in Burhanpur, but Shah Jahan resolved to build a grand mausoleum for her in Agra.
His surveyors zeroed in on the plot and mansion of Man Singh, now owned by Jai Singh. Mughal records suggest that Jai Singh readily offered to part with the land as a sign of solidarity with the emperor in his hour of grief. He may not have had much of a choice after the emperor wanted something, but it would have been haram for a Muslim funerary monument to stand on illegally-acquired property. So, Shah Jahan acquired the property legally. A firman issued to Jai Singh in 1633 orders that he be given four crown properties — all of them havelis — in exchange for this property and also refers to a fifth haveli that was originally allocated. It isn’t clear if these were in addition to the first mansion granted earlier or were replacements, but Jai Singh didn’t have to part with his family property without compensation.
Flaunting a Mughal title
Jai Singh became a successful Mughal general who fought the Uzbeks in Balkh and Badakshan and the Safavids in Kandahar for Shah Jahan, led Aurangzeb’s armies in the Deccan and defeated Shiva ji and forced him to sign a humiliating treaty at Purandar, and captured a fugitive Dara Shukoh and brought him to his victorious brother in the War of Succession of 1657-58. Like his grandfather, he, too, was bestowed with the title of Mirza Raja. But his son and successor Ram Singh didn’t fare very well in the Mughal political firmament. He was disgraced when Shiva ji escaped from Agra from under his watch. He was further disgraced when he led a punitive expedition to Assam and was defeated by the Ahoms at the Battle of Saraighat in 1671. His career ended in disgrace, but his great grandson Jai Singh II revived the family fortunes to a great extent.
He expanded the kingdom and laid out a new capital city that was called Jaipur after him. As a child, his ready wit and courage impressed Emperor Aurangzeb, who gave him the title of ‘sawai’ or someone as good as ‘one and a quarter’ men.
The title was formalised by Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1713, and till today, Jaipur rulers have used the ‘Sawai’ title with great pride. This pride is visible when the maharaja is in residence at the City Palace in Jaipur and the state flag is flown with a smaller flag on top of it to symbolise the ‘sawai’ honorific.
When the maharaja is in residence at the City Palace in Jaipur, the state flag is flown with a smaller flag on top of it to symbolise the ‘sawai’ honorific
Ultimately, it’s a Mughal title that the Jaipur royals flaunt — something that Diya Kumari is loath to admit perhaps? Manimugdha S Sharma is pursuing a PhD in History at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a fellow at the Institute of Asian Research, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. He is the author of Allahu Akbar: Understanding the Great Mughal in Today’s India
Was it a temple
2017: No, says ASI
Taj is a tomb, not a temple, ASI tells court for first time, August 26, 2017: The Times of India
For the first time, the Archaeological Survey of India has stated in a court hearing that the Taj Mahal is a tomb and not a temple. According to officials, a 1920 notification to protect Taj Mahal has been made the basis for the affidavit filed by the body here.
The Union culture ministry in November 2015 had already clarified in the Lok Sabha that there was no evidence of any temple at the Taj.
In April 2015, the Agra district court had admitted a suit filed by six lawyers that the Taj Mahal was a Shiva temple (Tejo Mahalaya) and Hindu devotees should be allowed access inside the premises. The court had issued notices to the central government, Union ministry of culture, home secretary and ASI to file their replies.
The ASI submitted its reply. It once again challenged the jurisdiction of the local court to hear and decide the case. The court, while giving time to the plaintiffs in the case to file their reply , fixed September 11 as the next date of hearing.
The ASI also challenged the locus standi of the plaintiffs in the matter, arguing that while the Taj is an Islamic structure, the plaintiffs were from other religions, and no practices of these religions had ever taken place at the monument.
No, say historians
Aditya Mani Jha, May 18, 2022: The Times of India
The history revisionist This Taj Mahal/Tejo Mahalaya idea was first floated by the notorious conspiracy theorist P N Oak (1917-2007) in books like The Taj Mahal Was A Rajput Palace (1965) and Islamic Havoc in Indian History (1993). These books are little more than right wing-inspired fantasias and they rail against, what they perceive as, an anti-Hindu bias on the parts of contemporary historians. They latch on to phonetic similarities and other risible superficial points to float dubious claims; Oak also claimed, for example, that “Christianity” is ‘krishna-neeti’, and that because ‘Vatican’ sounds like ‘vatica’, the papacy was originally an order of Vedic monks. For obvious reasons, therefore, Oak was never taken seriously in his lifetime by historians (or indeed, anybody in academia) and his claims were thoroughly debunked by the likes of academics Srinivas Aravamudan (who called Oak a ‘mythistorian’) and Gilles Tillotson.
Speaking about the recent Taj Mahal petition, historian and author Rana Safvi says: “He [PN Oak] was talking about so many ridiculous theories during his lifetime. In those days, whatever historical awareness people had was through academics and textbooks. There was no social media during that time. Today after his death, these bogus claims have again begun to circulate over the last five to six years due to some WhatsApp memes which have given people a false sense of victimhood.”
Safvi adds: “Till 1978, those rooms were open to the public. After 1978, which is when the floods came, they were flooded and after that there was leakage in those rooms. There were already some cracks since the 17th century because of the heavy superstructure, so there was a fair bit of repair and conservation work to be done.”
“If you look at the theories around the Taj Mahal, it is very obvious that the people who came up with this Hindu temple theory are extremely ignorant about the history, the architecture, etc surrounding the monument”, says Ruchika Sharma, Centre for Historical Studies, JNU
Oak’s influence on the Taj Mahal petition can also be gauged by the fact that he himself had put forward a similar set of demands in the introduction to The Taj Mahal Was A Rajput Palace .
Oak said that the ASI should be ordered to stop attributing the origin of the Taj Mahal to Shah Jahan, that all the locked rooms in the monument should be opened to visitors. Significantly, he demanded that “free entry on Fridays causing a revenue loss to the government should be discontinued because there is no mosque in the Tejo Mahalaya premises”.
Behind closed doors
According to Safvi, the plot of land on which the Taj Mahal is built belonged to Raja Man Singh, Akbar’s famed general. When Mumtaz died in 1631 AD, Raja Jai Singh, Raja Man Singh's grandson, was the owner. The Mughals administration was “very bureaucratic, thousands of documents were generated and preserved”.
Though many have been lost over the years, some still remain. Apart from the memoirs by emperors, many contemporary accounts were written which record minute details of the period. The texts refer to the mausoleum that was built by Shah Hahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal as Rauza-i Munavvara (the illuminated tomb). In the Taj Mahal: The Illumined Tomb , W E Begley and Z A Desai have compiled an anthology of these sources, and it was from this book, she says, that we get a glimpse of how well documented the building of the mausoleum was.
“The Taj Mahal was built on the land where Raja Jai Singh had a mansion and there is no mention of any religious building on that land,” writes Safvi. “These historians mention that though Raja Jai Singh wanted to give it for free for the noble purpose, the emperor was unwilling and gave another mansion loftier than the one he had acquired in lieu thereof. Two books give details and a translation of the royal ‘farman’ giving four ‘havelis’ in lieu of Raja Jai Singh’s haveli. The word mentioned is ‘haveli’ or mansion.
Begley and Desai have translated the ‘farman’ in its entirety and have given all the details of endorsements and scrutiny that were given on the back, which were necessary before it could be admitted in the royal office.”
So, why are Oak’s ideas gaining so much currency in recent times? A big part of the answer is, of course, that it’s politically convenient in these polarised times. But there’s also another reason – the widely misunderstood and misapplied idea of ‘decolonising’ the practice of history-writing.
According to an article by Manimugdha Sharma, author of the 2019 book Allahu Akbar: Understanding the Great Mughal in Today's India , “The criticism of ‘western’ retelling of history has gained volume in India over the past few years. ‘Indic’ or ‘dharmic’ readings of history proliferate and anyone with access to a couple of history books or a research archive is lauded as a historian. Which is not necessarily all bad…It is, perhaps, time that Indian history moves beyond the white gaze. But any such effort must necessarily be based on fact; fact that has been hidden or forgotten or deliberately erased. Sadly, that’s not what is happening today.”
Oak's idea of the Taj Mahal's origins is gaining traction because of the widely misunderstood and misapplied idea of ‘decolonising’ the practice of history-writing
Sharma points to “an amazing proliferation of misinformation surrounding this monument in various languages on social media”. He cites the work of Ebba Koch, professor of art history at University of Vienna, to say “this tendency to reimagine the Taj Mahal as a Hindu temple is not something new. Koch says the Jat conquerors of Agra [also] thought about converting the monument into a Hindu temple to spite the Mughals.”
According to Ruchika Sharma, who’s pursuing a PhD at the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU (her area of specialisation is art history), historical revisionism has always been one of the key political projects of hardliners.
“If you look at the theories around the Taj Mahal, it's very obvious that the people who came up with this Hindu temple theory are extremely ignorant about the history, the architecture, etc surrounding the monument,” says Ruchika.
“So much is made of the fact that there is the symbol of the lotus used in the Taj Mahal at a few places. But to interpret that as a ‘Hindu symbol’ is something no historian would do. Even the British were guilty of this; any element or geometric motif they did not understand was branded 'Hindu'. Historians are supposed to question and critically analyse every feature. But in the case of the Taj Mahal and other monuments across India, neither 'Hindu' nor 'motif' is critically challenged by those who are determined to see a Hindu temple there.”
According to her, this is a popular notion of history that India was defiled by the Turks or the Mughals – they engaged in mass conversions, they were cruel and barbaric, and so on. “Like the idea that Aurangzeb was some sort of uniquely monstrous tyrant, for example, is an inaccurate one that has been popularised amongst the general public,” she adds. “Not everybody will say ‘demolish a mosque’, but a lot of them will say that nothing was the same since the Turks came.”
Some lesser-known facts about the Taj Mahal
The cost of making the monument nearly 400 years ago, is estimated to be close to a whopping 32 million rupees.
The minarets of the Taj Mahal have been constructed in such a way that they function as an optical illusion — the monument appears massive as you enter the front gate but seemingly shrinks as you approach it.
The central white onion dome, the most recognisable feature of the Taj Mahal, is 35 metres tall and surrounded by four other domes.
During what is generally considered the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, British soldiers removed several previous stones from the mausoleum located within the Taj Mahal. There are architectural influences from both India and Persia in the making of the Taj Mahal, for example there are lotus symbols at numerous places.
In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, the city of Agra is shown to Adam after his fall as a future wonder of the world.
When Mumtaz Mahal died, and it was decided to bury her in Akbarabad, as Agra was known then, a search for the best place to build her mausoleum was undertaken. This plot of land belonged to Raja Man Singh, Akbar’s general who had marriage ties with the Mughals.
The “22 locked rooms”
Anuja Jaiswal, May 13, 2022: The Times of India
Agra: Contrary to claims made in a petition to the Lucknow HC seeking unlocking of the Taj Mahal’s “22 permanently locked rooms”, many in its basement, “as they could be housing Hindu idols from ancient times”, top Archaeological Survey of India officials told TOI on Thursday that the contention in the plea is wrong on both counts. One, these rooms — officially called “cells” — are “not permanently closed” and they were only recently opened for conservation work. And that all records scrutinised so far over the years “have not pointed to the presence of any idols”.
A senior official privy to the restoration work done just three months ago said, “Various records and reports that have been reviewed till now haven’t shown the existence of any idols”. If those with the deepest access to the Taj are to be believed, there are over 100 cells in various parts of the mausoleum complex which have remained closed to the public for reasons of security and safety, and none have thrown up any such findings.
“The petitioner’s claim of 22 rooms being permanently locked is factually incorrect as conservation work — including filling of cracks, replastering and anti-ageing treatments — are periodically done. In fact, the most recent work cost us Rs 6 lakh,” a senior ASI official told TOI.
Another senior ASI official added that 100 cells in the monument’s complex that remain locked to the public are located in the basement, the upper storeys of the main mausoleum, the corner ‘burjs’, the four minarets, inside the baolis (near the mosque) and on the Chameli floor on east, west and north sides. Besides these, several portions of the other world heritage sites in the region — Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri — have also remained closed to the public for years due to security reasons.
Controversy over the Taj Mahal was first stirred by historian PN Oak who, in a 1989 book, claimed that the monument was originally ‘Tejo Mahal’. He argued that the monument was originally a Hindu temple and a palace built by a Rajput ruler. However, his theory has been repeatedly debunked by several historians. In fact in 2000, the Supreme Court rejected a petition by Oak to declare that the Taj Mahal was built by a Hindu king.
Admission
Fee for international tourists
The Times of India, Apr 2, 2016
Foreigners’ Taj fee hike: 5,000 times in 50 yrs
Aditya Dev
The entry fee to see the Taj Mahal has risen in real terms by 200 times for Indians and 5,000 times for foreigners since 1966, when the ASI had first imposed a levy to see the 17th century mausoleum. However, when inflation rates are taken into consideration, the ticket price don't seem quite as steep.
The 20 paisa entry fee of 1966 is equivalent to Rs 5.7 in 2016. By this yardstick, there has been a seven-fold increase in price. In terms of affordability for the average Indian, a glimpse of the white marble monument has become only marginally expensive as the per capita income has increased manifold unlike the jump in entry fees, which was hiked after a gap of 15 years. In 1967-68, India's per capita annual income was Rs 622 which increased 150 times to Rs 93,231 in 2015-16.
An analysis of the historical data on ticket prices shows that it has been revised 11 times over the past 50 years and that differential pricing for Indians and foreign nationals is a recent phenomenon. For the first 34 years, 1966 to 2000, since introducing the entry fee, the price was same for both Indian and foreign tourists. Then in January 2000, the ticket price for international tourists was increased from Rs 15 to Rs 505. The prices were further revised in October 2000, when the rates were hiked to Rs 20 for Indians from the existing Rs 15 and Rs 970 for foreigners. Bucking the trend, 2001 witnessed a downward revision of ticket prices as the fee for foreigners was dropped to Rs 750. However, when inflation rates are taken into consideration, the ticket prices don't seem quite as steep. The 20 paisa entry fee of 1966 is equivalent to Rs 5.70 in 2016
’No dress restrictions’
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) announced on Saturday that visitors to Taj Mahal were free to sport any colour or symbol, following days of protests triggered by foreign models being denied entry over scarves with Hindu symbols.
The announcement followed threats by members of two right-wing groups, Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), to storm into the monument on Saturday wearing attire with Hindu symbols.
ASI and CISF officials, who have been on the back foot ever since the controversy broke out, said that there was no ban on wearing religious clothing at Taj Mahal unless the symbols and clothing were being used for any kind of promotion or demonstration or in violation of customs and practices followed at the monument.
ASI superintending ar chaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama said, “...There is no restriction. Our preliminary probe has revealed that the models were neither stopped by ASI nor CISF .“
He added that Union cul ture minister Mahesh Sharma had also clarified that people were free to visit the Taj in clothes of any colour.
Hours after the ASI clarification, over 200 members of BJYM, Bajrang Dal and VHP assembled near Tajganj and entered the monument in saffron attire and scarves.Earlier, they blocked the road leading to the Taj Mahal's east gate for more than two hours demanding the suspension of ASI and CISF officials who they alleged got the models to remove the scarves
Air pollution
2002-16: Constant at (PM) 10
The pollution level around the Taj Mahal has remained the same since 2000-onwards and the 17th century monument is completely safe, the UP government has told the Supreme Court. It, however, said Particulate Matter (PM)-10 around the monument was above the fixed standard.
In an affidavit filed in the SC on Friday by UP’s additional advocate general Aishwarya Bhati, the state government informed the court about the measures taken over the years to protect and preserve the monument.
The government filed a Comprehensive Environmental Management and Action Plan for maintaining the eco-system in Taj Trapezium Zone — a 10,400 sq km area covering over five UP districts and one Rajasthan district.
The state said, “According to data received from 2002 till 2016, yearly average at all four places of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are almost stable... Only in industrial areas, NO2 is more than standard and on four places, the quantity of PM-10 is more than the standard.”
The environs: court judgements, govt. decisions
SC orders demolition of multi-layer parking
The Supreme Court ordered the demolition of a multi-layer parking being constructed near the Taj Mahal after it was alleged that it may adversely impact the monument.The order came ahead of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditya Nath's visit to the monument on October 26.
The state government planned to construct the parking lot to ease traffic snarls caused by inadequate space, and construction was going on for basement lots with two parking levels near Taj's east gate.
Alleging that the construction was illegal and could have an adverse environmental impact, advocate M C Mehta urged the SC to restrain the government from building the lot, located just a kilometre from the Taj. He said no prior approval was taken by the state government from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the SC before construction was initiated.
Accepting Mehta's plea, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta ordered the structure's demolition within four weeks. The court was hearing a plea filed by the UP tourism department seeking its permission to cut 15 trees for constructing the lot.The counsel for the state government was not present and the court passed the order for demolition.
The government is proposing to construct a Taj Orientation Centre in the premises to create facilities for tourists with a parking lot in the basement. The total cost of the project is around Rs 231 crore. “It is respectfully submitted that without cutting 15 trees, the construction of Taj Orientation Centre is not possible. These 15 trees need to be felled on urgent basis so that the construction of the said project can be continued and completed. Facilities and amenities are required to the said area considering the massive traffic and congestion in the area of Taj,“ the state government said in its application.
After the demolition order was passed, the state government's counsel rushed to the bench to get a stay on the order. Advocate Aishwarya Bhati pleaded that all statutory permission had been taken by the government from authorities before launching the construction.The bench, however, refused to stay the demolition and asked Bhati to file an application for recalling its order.
SC: "No harm in visitors walking up to the monument"
SC maintains status quo on Taj parking, November 21, 2017: The Times of India
The Supreme court refused to vacate for now its status-quo order on construction of a multi-level parking near Taj Mahal, saying there was no harm in visitors walking up to the monument.
The court rapped the UP government for not coming out with a comprehensive policy to protect and preserve the beauty of Taj Mahal, saying “we need sustainable development”. The court said it first needed to examine the comprehensive action plan to protect the historic structure. Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for UP, said it had approvals to build a multi-level parking a kilometre away from the Taj and it would be difficult for tourists if this wasn’t allowed. “Why don’t you construct the parking lot beyond 1.5 km? Tourists can walk up to the monuments,” the bench said. It posted the matter for further hearing on December 8.
SC: "Taj Mahal turning brown and green"
Asks government whether it has expertise to conserve monument, May 1, 2018: The Hindu
The Taj Mahal was yellow and now turning brown and green, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta found from photographs handed over to them by noted environmental lawyer M.C. Mehta in open court on Tuesday.
Mr. Mehta said the upkeep of the UNESCO World Heritage site was in a shambles. River Yamuna, which used to flow nearby, has dried up. Encroachments and industries have cropped up in the neighbourhood of the white marble mausoleum. CCTVs hardly work. The government merely views the Taj as a money-making venture.
“Perhaps you do not care,” Justice Lokur addressed Additional Solicitor General A.N.S. Nadkarni.
‘Seek help’
Looking at the photographs repeatedly, Justice Lokur wondered whether the Taj Mahal in its present discoloured form would end being the “eighth wonder of the world.” Justice Lokur asked the government whether it has or not the expertise to conserve the 17th century monument.
“Even if you have the expertise, you are not utilising it,” the court observed. It urged the government to get help from international conservation experts, if required, to restore the monument to its pristine glory.
Foreign dignitaries
The court observed that foreign dignitaries are still given a tour of the Taj Mahal. This would surely mean that the government is interested in its preservation.
Mr. Nadkarni submitted that the maintenance is done by the Archaeological Survey of India. He said there were also expert bodies like the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which has worked to preserve an ancient fort in Goa.
“These photographs show a lack of will... when was the last time you visited the Taj?” Justice Lokur asked the government lawyers. When they replied that it has been over a decade, Justice Lokur replied, saying “well, you better go and take a look again.” ASG Mehta, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, said the State could assure the court that steps to protect and preserve the monument would be accelerated.
Finances
2016-19: what the Taj earned; what it utilised
Anuja Jaiswal, Dec 6, 2019 Times of India
Taj Mahal, one of the most visited world heritage monuments across the globe, has earned over Rs 200 crore through ticket sales in the last three years. However, the government has spent only Rs 13.37 crore for its conservation during the said period. The data was revealed by minister of state (independent charge) for tourism and culture Prahlad Patel in Lok Sabha recently.
The number of visitors to Taj has also witnessed a steady rise despite the increase in ticket prices. Nearly 2 crore tourists, both domestic and foreign, visited the monument during the said period. While the entry fee to the monument was hiked from Rs 40 to 50 for Indian tourists and Rs 1,000 to 1,100 for foreign tourists on August 8 last year, a separate entry ticket of Rs 200 to the main mausoleum was introduced on December 10.
According to the minister’s reply, Rs 55.09 crore was earned in 2016-17 from 61.77 lakh tourists, Rs 58.76 crore in 2017-18 from 65.65 lakh and Rs 86.48 crore in 2018-19 from 70.9 lakh through ticket sales at the monument. Similarly, Rs 4.5 crore was spent on its conservation in 2016-17, Rs 3.38 crore in 2017-18, and Rs 5.48 crore in 2018-19.
ASI superintending archaeologist (Agra circle) Vasant K Swarankar said it is a positive sign to see the number of tourists increasing every year. According to him, around Rs 2.5 crore was spent on infrastructure development in April 2018 when the turnstile gates were installed. He said 28 drinking water fountains have been installed so far and four more would be added soon. An exclusive air-conditioned feeding room was also set up.
Floods
2023
July 18, 2023: The Times of India
Agra:A rising Yamuna river touched the walls of the Taj Mahal in Agra and submerged a garden behind the monument on Monday for the first time in 45 years. The water level in the river reached 497. 9 feet, crossing the “lowflood level” of 495 ft.
An alarming rise in the level of the river following incessant rains has flooded the adjacent Dussehra Ghat. Water also entered the outer parts of Itimad-ud-Daula's tomb. Amid concerns that monuments such as Rambagh, Mehtab Bagh, Zohra Bagh, Kala Gumbad and Chini ka Rauza may be at risk, officials at the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) claimed that “these monuments have suffe- red no damage so far” and that flood waters had “not entered the basement of the Taj”.
Details
July 18, 2023: The Times of India
From: July 18, 2023: The Times of India
Agra: As a swollen Yamuna touched the walls of the Taj Mahal on Monday, ASI officials said the mausoleum was designed to prevent water from entering the main monument.
Prince Vajpayee, conservation assistant at ASI at the Taj Mahal, said, “The Taj Mahal was developed in such a way that water cannot enter the main mausoleum even during high floods. The last time the Yamuna touched the back wall of the Taj Mahal was during high floods in 1978. ”
“The swollen river has reached the back wall of the monument. The garden behind the Taj Mahal was developed a few decades ago as the water level in Yamuna had receded, creating a vacant area,” Vajpayee said.
In 1978, the water level in the Yamuna soared up to 508 ft, which marks a high-flood level of the river in Agra. The level is marked on the northern wall of the Basai Ghat Burj of the Taj Mahal. At that time, water had entered the 22 rooms in the monument’s basement, leaving behind silt. Later, ASI removed the wooden doors (through which the water entered the basement) and erected walls at the entrance from Basai and Dusherra ghats.
Meanwhile, teams of NDRF, police and administration have been rescuing people stranded in inundated low-lying areas of Agra and Mathura. Over 500 people from 50 villages and 20 urban localities near the Yamuna have been shifted to safer locations.
The water level in the river Yamuna in Mathura district touched 167. 28 m, which is above the danger mark of 166 m.
As per an official estimate, over 500 bighas of agricultural land have been submerged in Agra and Mathura districts. Around 100 villages and urban localities are without power for the past two days. Residents of flood-affected areas of Mathura claim that they have run out of ration and drinking water.
Taj viewpoint inundated
July 19, 2023: The Times of India
Agra : The water level in the Yamuna river crossed the medium flood level mark in Agra, reaching 499.2 ft. Floodwater entered the Taj viewpoint park situated behind the Taj Mahal and also entered the cells of Itimad-ud Daula (Baby Taj) located on the eastern bank of the river.
Theentry points to the Taj viewpoint were closed by the Agra Development Authority as a precautionary measure. The rising water of the Yamuna also entered the Mehtab Bagh,an ASI-protected monument, which lies north of the Taj Mahal complex, with the Agra Fort on the opposite side of the Yamuna.ASI officials also fear that other monuments such as Rambagh, Zohra Bagh, Kala Gumbad, Chini ka Rauza, and Khan-e-Alam might also suffer damage due to the flood.
TOI reported that the water of the swollen river touched the back wall of the Taj Mahal and submerged a garden behind the monument, after 45 years. TNN
Maintenance
Mud therapy
NDTV, April 5, 2017
A kind of mud therapy is being used on Taj Mahal as the white marble structure is changing colour, the government told the Rajya Sabha today after members voiced concern over the maintenance of the world famous monument.
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said efforts are also being made to reduce the impact of insects on the 17th century structure.
During the Question Hour, members voiced concern over the maintenance of Taj Mahal, while referring to change in the colour of the marble structure and the damage caused by insects.
Mr Sharma said a kind of mud therapy, involving application of a paste of 'multani mitti', was being undertaken to preserve the colour of the monument.
It has been applied on three-fourths of the structure and is "showing results", he added.
He added that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has also submitted a report about the upkeep of the Taj.
To another question, Mr Sharma said the irrigation department had proposed creating a barrage to raise the water level of the Yamuna which has been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Now it is for the state government of Uttar Pradesh to take a further action, the minister said. Mr Sharma also said that his ministry was planning a tourism circuit in Western Uttar Pradesh which would include the 'Dalit Prerna Sthal', F1 circuit, night safari, Kasna temple etc.
He said a proposal related to construction of national highways and overhead bridges etc near the protected monuments was under the consideration of the Law ministry.
DMK member Tiruchi Siva wanted to know whether the government had rejected the findings of a previous committee on 'Ram Setu' as it has set up a new panel.
Mr Sharma responded by saying that the government had not rejected the earlier findings.
He added that if there are any suggestions, there is a procedure and a new committee of experts may in the right perspective carry out a review.
Mud therapy harmful?
Aditya Dev Experts have raised concerns over the frequent use of mud pack therapy on the Taj Mahal to fight perils posed by pollution and insects. The therapy is currently being applied for the third time in the last 14 months on the monument's north wall. It is worried that frequent therapy may rob the Taj of its original colour and texture.
Officials of the Archaeological survey of India (ASI), which maintains the Taj, said frequent therapy mars the monument's aesthetic value.“At the rate it is being conducted, scaffolding will cover the monument most of the time,“ a senior ASI official said.
Mud pack therapy was done for the first time in April last year when the parliamentary standing committee on environment inspected the Taj following an Indo-US study which claimed that black and brown carbons along with dust were yellowing the monument. It was carried out again in September 2015 after hordes of insects left green patches on the walls. “It is the state's responsibility to take measures to curb pollution“ a senior official said.
The therapy , however, is “the safest and most-used method to clean monuments across the world,“ said an official from ASI's science branch.
S N Tripathi, professor at the Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at IIT-Kanpur, who was part of the Indo-US study , had earlier told TOI, “With regular cleaning, the original colour, texture and shine from the marble surfaces will be gone forever.“
2015: Chandelier falls down
Source:
1. The Times of India, Aug 22, 2015
2. The Times of India, Aug 23 2015, Aditya Dev
Taj's British-era chandelier falls
ASI orders probe
A 60-kg British-era copper chandelier at the main entrance of 17th century Taj Mahal crashed down recently, prompting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to initiate a probe into the matter. The six-feet high and four-feet wide chandelier, gifted by Lord Curzon and installed at the Royal Gate of Taj Mahal in 1905, fell down on August 19, 2015, sources said.
Conservation skills of ASI have come in doubt after a huge copper and bronze chandelier gifted by Lord Curzon in 1909 and hanging at the royal gate of the Taj Mahal fell on the ground, damaging it. Though tourists were milling around, no one was hurt. ASI officials now say they are looking to fix and reinstall it at the same place. According to an ASI official, the six-foot high and fourfoot wide chandelier was a gift from Curzon and installed at the royal gate. “It is believed that when Curzon visited Agra and Fatehpur Sikri in 1905, he ordered the installation of this chandelier. He also got a Dak Bangla built at Fatehpur Sikri Fort during that time,“ the official added.
ASI superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama said, “An inquiry is being done to know the cause of its fall. Anybody's involvement has already been ruled out and it seems the chandelier fell because of natural wear and tear. We will do a study to see if it can be rein stalled at the same place.“
“Curzon had great interest in ancient monuments and a lot of attention was given to preserve them during his time.It was during his time the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed in 1904. A great attention should be given to preserve the relics,“ MK Pundhir, medieval archaeologist from the Centre of Advance Studies in History at Aligarh Muslim University , said.
April 2018: Storm damages minarets, dome at the gates
Anuja Jaiswal, Storm damages minarets, dome at Taj Mahal gate, April 12, 2018: The Times of India
From: Anuja Jaiswal, Storm damages minarets, dome at Taj Mahal gate, April 12, 2018: The Times of India
From: Anuja Jaiswal, Storm damages minarets, dome at Taj Mahal gate, April 12, 2018: The Times of India
From: April 13, 2018: The Times of India
In a freak storm which saw winds with velocity of over 130 km per hour sweeping the city on Wednesday evening, stone minarets on the south and royal gates of the Taj Mahal were damaged.
According to sources, the incident occurred around 7.30pm when one of the minarets of the south gate fell off and one of the small white domes was hit too.
No official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was available for comment despite several attempts.
A 12-foot minaret with a metal finial, which is part of the main gate, also called Darwaza-e-rauza, was blown away by high-speed winds. It is from this royal gate that tourists get their first view of the 17th century Mughal-era monument.
Earlier in 2016, too, one of the minarets of Taj Mahal was reportedly damaged. While reports had suggested that the minarets might have been affected during cleaning work which was underway, the ASI had then blamed monkeys for weakening it.
Several electricity poles and trees were also uprooted in the storm which killed four in Mathura and one in Bijnor. Three children and a 70-yearold woman were killed in two separate incidents in the storm that was accompanied by heavy hailstones.
2020: Shah Jahan, Mumtaz graves undergo ‘mud pack’ therapy
Anuja Jaiswal, February 22, 2020: The Times of India
From: Anuja Jaiswal, February 22, 2020: The Times of India
The replicas of the graves of Mughal emperor Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are undergoing a clay-pack treatment for a ‘facelift’.
Ever since the two were buried here 389 years ago (Mumtaz Mahal in 1631 and Shahjahan in 1666), this would be the first time that the replicas of their graves are being treated to look clean. The real graves of the royal couple, much austere than their false marble copies, lie in a chamber below the crypt containing them. The real graves are opened only for three days in a year for devotees who come to offer prayers during Shahjahan’s Urs. The 22-step staircase leading to the real graves is narrow and no visiting foreign dignitary in the past expressed desire to see the real graves.
Confirming this, superintending archaeologist (science branch) of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), M K Bhatnagar, said that the mudpack treatment on the graves was started last week and will be finished by Friday evening.
The clay-pack treatment is based on a traditional mix which is used by Indian women to restore their natural glow on the face. “A thick layer of lime-rich clay is plastered over the affected part and left to dry,” said an official.
Monkeys
2019: CISF given catapults
To fight monkeys at Taj, CISF given catapults, January 25 2019: The Times of India
To protect tourists from monkey attacks, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel standing guard at Taj Mahal will now arm themselves with ‘gulels’ (catapults) to tackle the menace at the 17th century monument.
A team of a dozen jawans has been deployed with catapults at east and west gates of Taj to protect tourists from the simians. Several incidents of monkey attacks have been reported earlier at the monument. On July 8 last year, an Australian tourist was attacked by a monkey inside Taj and similarly, two French nationals were bitten by monkeys on May 22.
“When we don’t allow tourists to enter the area with food items, they throw them in the dustbins at the security check point instead of putting it in lockers. Hence, the rise in monkey attacks. So we have now come up with the slingshot idea but it will be used mostly to scare away the simians,” CISF commandant Brij Bhushan told TOI.
Mosque
2018: Only locals can offer namaz
Only locals can offer namaz at Taj mosque, January 26, 2018: The Times of India
To ensure foolproof security to the Taj Mahal, a world heritage site, the district administration has ordered that, from now on, only locals with valid identity proof will be allowed entry to the monument complex to offer Juma namaz on Fridays.
People entering the premises of the Taj for offering prayers on Fridays will have to carry identity cards to prove that they are residents of Agra. The Taj Mahal remains closed for tourists on Fridays.
The administration’s move comes following complaints that “outsiders”, including Bangladeshis and non-Indians”, enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering namaz.
The order also states that the district magistrate should be immediately informed in case any outsider tries to enter the mosque.
The order issued by additional district magistrate (city) K P Singh also states that entry of ‘outsiders’ can
adversely affect the security of the monument.
Agra district magistrate Guarav Dayal said, “Now, we will allow only residents of Agra city to offer namaz at the mosque located inside the Taj Mahal complex.”
Similar orders were issued in 2013 by the Archaeological Survey of India but these were not enforced properly, said an official.
Namaz
2018: No 'namaz' by outsiders: SC
The Supreme Court (SC) refused to allow prayers by outsiders- that is, not locals - at the mosque on the premises of the Taj Mahal, saying the monument's preservation is paramount. The top court said the Taj is one of the seven wonders of the world and must be preserved. It added there is no need to perform prayers at the Taj Mahal.
To ensure foolproof security to the Taj Mahal, a world heritage site, the district administration on January 24 this year ordered that only locals with valid identity proof will be allowed entry to the monument complex to offer 'namaz' on Fridays. A petitioner had moved the SC against the district magistrate order.
In January, the district administration ordered that people entering the premises of the Taj for offering prayers on Fridays will have to carry identity cards to prove that they are residents of Agra. The Taj Mahal remains closed for tourists on Fridays. The administration’s move came following complaints that “outsiders”, including Bangladeshis and non-Indians”, enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering 'namaz.
The order also stated that the district magistrate should be immediately informed in case any outsider tries to enter the mosque. The order issued by additional district magistrate (city) K P Singh also states that entry of ‘outsiders’ can adversely affect the security of the monument.
“Now, we will allow only residents of Agra city to offer namaz at the mosque located inside the Taj Mahal complex,” said Agra district magistrate Guarav Dayal said,
Similar orders were issued in 2013 by the Archaeological Survey of India but these were not enforced properly, said an official.
Except Fridays, ASI bans daily namaz at Taj mosque
Anuja Jaiswal, November 5, 2018: The Times of India
In a controversial move, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has ‘banned’ Muslims from offering namaz at the mosque in the Taj Mahal premises on all days except Fridays. While the ASI officials claimed they were implementing a July order of the Supreme Court, the apex court had upheld a local administration’s order barring non-residents from offering Friday prayers in the mosque on the grounds of security of Taj Mahal.
Since the Taj Mahal is closed for public on Friday, local residents are allowed to offer namaz between noon and 2pm without paying any entry fee. However, on the other days, any visitor, who had bought a ticket could visit the mosque and offer namaz until now.
In a surprise move, the ASI on Sunday locked the ‘vazu tank’, where namazis clean themselves up before offering prayers, leaving several tourists disappointed.
Even the imam and staff of the mosque have been asked to show up only on Fridays. Imam Syed Sadiq Ali, whose family has been leading prayers at the mosque for several decades for Rs 15 per month, said he was surprised by the order.
President of Taj Mahal Intezamia Committee, Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi, told TOI that namaz had been offered at the mosque for the past many years and there was no reason to stop it. He said the present regime, both at the centre and state, has an “anti-Muslim” mindset and he will meet the ASI officials on Monday to raise the issue.
Superintending archaeologist, ASI (Agra circle), Vasant Swarankar said that it was “as per the order of the apex court”. He said, “Namaz can only be offered on Fridays and that, too, by local residents only.”
A January 2018 order by the Agra additional district magistrate (city) barred nonresidents from offering Friday prayers in the mosque. The administration’s move came following complaints that “outsiders, including Bangladeshis and non-Indians,” enter the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays on the pretext of offering namaz.
Tourist arrivals
International tourists, 2012-2017
Aditya Dev, Foreigners at Taj up 20% over '16 figure, October 5, 2017: The Times of India
Data available with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) suggests that compared to 2016 (from January to August), 20.4% more foreigners visited the monument this year during the same months. While 4.26 lakh foreign nationals came here in the first eight months of 2016, that number rose to 5.13 lakh for the same period this year.
Out of these 5.13 lakh tourists, 2.97 lakh (57%) stayed back in Agra for one or more days. Last year, 52% travellers had stayed back in the city after visiting the monument.
According to the data, the maximum number of foreign tourists who came here were from the USA (33,410), followed by UK (30,392), China (28,712), France (22,059), Sri Lanka and Japan.
There has, however, been quite a dip in the number of overseas tourists coming here after 2012. That year, 7.90 lakh foreigners had visited the Taj, the figure slipping to 7.40 lakh in 2013, 6.94 lakh in 2014, and 6.39 lakh in 2015.
Compared to 2016, there was a marginal decline of 3% in the number of domestic tourists visiting the Taj Mahal in 2017. While 3,749,066 Indian travellers came here between January and August 2016, their number fell to 3,630,039 for the same period this year. Industry experts have attributed the decline to demonetization, but have said that the numbers are likely to improve in future.
2018: pricier tickets reduce number of visitors
Anuja Jaiswal, Tickets cut Taj mausoleum rush, December 19, 2018: The Times of India
A week after the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) introduced a separate ticket of Rs 200 for entry into the main mausoleum of Taj Mahal, the number of tourists entering it has seen a 35-40% fall — from 10,000 visitors a day earlier to just 6,000 now.
According to the officials, only 6,000-6700 tourists are now visiting the main mausoleum daily. The main mausoleum of the 17th century world heritage site consists of artistic replicas of the graves of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and
his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Before the introduction of the separate ticket, the number of tourists to the Mughal-era building used to be all most twice, ranging between 12,000 and 18,000 every day.
Tourists, who only buy the Rs 50 entry ticket, can now move around the Taj, including visiting its rear side where the Yamuna flows. For entering the main mausoleum, the tourists have to shell out an extra Rs 200, which many are not doing now.
However, the decline in the number of tourists to the main mausoleum has made ASI officials happy. “It is a win-win both for our conversation efforts as well as revenue generation,” said superintending archeologist, ASI (Agra circle), Vasant K Swarankar.
Swarankar added that touristsdon’t have to stand in the long queue for the mausoleum and they can easily move around due to the lesser crowds there.
