BANGALORE - The Taj Mahal is set to get a facial. The 350-year-old "monument to
love" is going to be given a rejuvenating mudpack facial to rid its surface of
yellow discoloration. But more than a mere cosmetic cleansing might be needed
to save this beauty.
Built on the banks of the Yamuna River by a grieving Mughal emperor, Shah
Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal is sheer
poetry in stone. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore once described it as "a
teardrop on the
cheek of time". A United Nations-listed world heritage site, the Taj is India's
most popular and iconic tourist destination. About 3 million tourists walk
under its marble arches every year to savor its stunning beauty.
The Taj is renowned as much for its symmetry of proportions as for its
intricate details. Built of pure white marble, the Taj is imbued with a
delicate pink tint at dawn. It turns dazzling white by noon and then at dusk it
is a pearly gray. On a full moon night it is bathed in a soft silver light. And
when the sky is overcast with heavy monsoon clouds, the Taj turns a brooding
blue-gray.
But the Taj's translucent white marble exterior is yellowing because of
pollution. There is fungus in its interiors. "Airborne particles are being
deposited on the monument's marble surface, giving it a grimy yellow tinge," a
parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture noted in a
report this year. While pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide
gases are generally within permissible limits, high levels of "suspended
particulate matter" have been recorded, except during the rainy season, the
report said.
The Taj has been under threat for centuries. Its precious stones and ornate
doorways were looted in the 18th and 19th centuries. During World War II and
the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, the Taj was protected from possible
air strikes by the erection of elaborate scaffolding around the monument. And
in recent decades, the monument has figured on terrorists' hit lists.
Ugly graffiti on its walls etched by tourists eager to leave their mark on the
monument has scarred its walls. More devastating is the environmental pollution
that is eating away the Taj. The Mathura Refinery (located about 30 kilometers
from Agra), iron foundries, glass factories and brick kilns as well as vehicles
in and around Agra are belching smoke. Fumes mix with moisture in the
atmosphere to produce "acid rain" that is corroding the Taj's complexion.
Experts describe it as "marble cancer".
Steps have been taken to curb pollution in the area. In 1996, India's Supreme
Court shut down hundreds of industrial units in the Taj's vicinity that were
guilty of serious pollution. It ordered over 300 other foundries and kilns to
install pollution control devices or to relocate outside the protected zone.
Air pollution monitoring facilities have been set up at Agra. Traffic within a
mile of the mausoleum is restricted; only electric-powered vehicles or cycle
rickshaws are allowed. But as any visitor to the Taj will have noticed, these
measures have not prevented the Taj's yellowing.
The parliamentary report suggests applying a special mud treatment to the
monument. "To restore the pristine glory of the Taj Mahal, as a conservation
measure, the clay pack treatment which is non-corrosive and non-abrasive
[should be] carried out for the removal of the accretionary deposits," it said.
The mud treatment that is being considered involves caking the monument in a
lime-rich clay called Multani mitti to draw out surface impurities in a
multi-step treatment. After the clay on the monument has fully dried in the
sun, it will be washed off, taking with it a layer of grime and, it is hoped,
restoring the marble's pristine white magnificence.
Multani mitti (literally Multani mud, also known as Fuller's earth),
draws its name from the place of its origin - Multan in Pakistan. It is found
in parts of Rajasthan and Punjab in India as well.
For centuries, Indian women have used Multani mitti as a face pack. They
will now share their beauty secrets for a glowing complexion with the Taj. A
mud pack for the Taj will not come cheap - about US$230,000.
The Taj was treated with trial ace packs earlier. "A trial facial [some years
ago] produced good results," says D K Burman, joint director of tourism for
Agra.
Officials in the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) maintain that Multani mitti
will not harm the marble. "Since Multani mitti is an inert material,
there is not even a remote chance of any side effect on the stone of the
monument," insists N K Samadia, an ASI chemist in charge of maintenance of all
mediaeval monuments in Agra.
But not everyone is convinced. Multani mitti is "a bleaching agent
comprising hydrated aluminum silicates that contain magnesium, sodium and
calcium within their structures to absorb impurities like oils, fats, tallow
and petroleum-based residues", noted Moghul historian R Nath told the Indian
newsmagazine Outlook. "As a bleaching agent, it will make the surface of the
Taj uneven and harm the marble, exposing it to dirt and fungus."
Experts say that when the mud pack treatment was tried, it did indeed whiten
the marble. But the yellowing set in again. "If the treatment was so good, why
do they have to give it another one so soon?" asks Surendra Sharma of the Braj
Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.
Another attempt at "beautifying" the Taj that is damaging its structure is the
ASI's laying of a park between the main Taj structure and the Yamuna River. The
park not only detracts from the Taj's original beauty - historical records and
maps show the Yamuna flowing close by, even touching the rear wall of the Taj's
structure, and Emperor Shah Jahan is said to have chosen the site specifically
because of the huge water body in the background - but also, it is weakening
the structure.
The Taj's foundation is water-borne, that is, the monument rests on huge wooden
slabs placed inside deep wells that need perennial water. There are fears that
the monument could face serious structural damage if the Yamuna is not filled
with water. And laying a park between the Taj and the river is not helping, say
experts.
Conservationists say that cosmetic changes are only hastening the decay of the
monument. Instead, the government should do more about addressing the real
issues causing the damage, they say. And the underlying problem is are and
water pollution. Unless these are addressed, nothing can save the Taj's beauty.
The Yamuna is among the filthiest of Indian rivers, clogged with industrial
effluents and chemicals. Rules made by the government to clean up the air
around Agra have not been fully implemented. Foundries and kins that were shut
down have quietly returned. Vehicular traffic in the Taj's immediate vicinity
might have reduced, but there has been a 10-fold increase in the number of
vehicles in Agra over the past two decades.
At peak season, the Taj has about 45,000 people stomping on its floors and
platforms every day. Thousands touch and feel the intricate marble inlay work.
This number is expected to increase this year, with the Taj recently being
crowned as among the world's seven wonders. The crowding of the Taj is
weakening its structure. The surfeit of love and interest its admirers shower
on it is damaging the monument: the Taj's beauty is becoming a liability.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in
Bangalore.
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