History of Taj mahal (History,Threats,Tourism)

History

Taj Mahal by Samuel Bourne, 1860.

Taj Mahal as seen from Red Fort of Agra from where Shah Jahan used to see the mausoleum of his beloved wife during his last years

Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife.^[36]

By the late 19th century, parts of the buildings had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of the Indian rebellion of 1857, the Taj Mahal was defaced by British soldiers and government officials, who chiselled out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. At the end of the 19th century, Britishviceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908.^[37][38] He also commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber, modelled after one in a Cairo mosque. During this time the garden was remodelled with British-style lawns that are still in place today.^[28]

Threats

Protective wartime scaffolding

In 1942, the government erected a scaffolding in anticipation of an air attack by German Luftwaffe and later by Japanese Air Force^{[citation needed]}. During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, scaffoldings were again erected to mislead bomber pilots.^[39]

More recent threats have come from environmental pollution on the banks of Yamuna River including acid rain^[40] due to the Mathura Oil Refinery,^[41]which was opposed by Supreme Court of India directives. The pollution has been turning the Taj Mahal yellow. To help control the pollution, the Indian government has set up the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), a 10,400-square-kilometre (4,000 sq mi) area around the monument where strict emissions standards are in place.^[42]

Concerns for the tomb's structural integrity have recently been raised because of a decline in the water level of the Yamuna river which is decreasing at a rate of 5 feet a year. In 2010, cracks appeared in parts of the tomb, and the minarets which surround the monument were showing signs of tilting, as the wooden foundation of the tomb may be rotting due to lack of water. Some persons predict that the tomb may collapse within 5 years.^[43][44]

Tourism

The Taj Mahal attracts a large number of tourists. UNESCO documented more than 2 million visitors in 2001, including more than 200,000 from overseas.^[45] A two tier pricing system is in place, with a significantly lower entrance fee for Indian citizens and a more expensive one for foreigners. Most tourists visit in the cooler months of October, November and February. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourists must either walk from parking lots or catch an electric bus. The Khawasspuras (northern courtyards) are currently being restored for use as a new visitor center.^[46][47]

The small town to the south of the Taj, known as Taj Ganji or Mumtazabad, was originally constructed with caravanserais, bazaars and markets to serve the needs of visitors and workmen.^[48] Lists of recommended travel destinations often feature the Taj Mahal, which also appears in several listings ofseven wonders of the modern world, including the recently announced New Seven Wonders of the World, a recent poll^[49] with 100 million votes.

The grounds are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, except for Friday when the complex is open for prayers at the mosque between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The complex is open for night viewing on the day of the full moon and two days before and after,^[50] excluding Fridays and the month ofRamadan. For security reasons^[51] only five items—water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, still cameras, mobile phones and small ladies' purses—are allowed inside the Taj Mahal.^[52]