Mudpack to restore Taj beauty
admin September 13th, 2007
India’s most famous monument, the Taj Mahal, is to be given a mudpack to restore its fading beauty.
Experts say pollutants in the atmosphere are turning the mausoleum’s marble yellow, leaving it in need of a facelift.
The Archaeological Survey of India has revealed plans to coat the famed tourist attraction in layers of lime-rich clay to help restore its traditional white hue.
The sterilised mud will be left to dry for several days before being washed off with salt-free water to reveal a new, cleaner Taj Mahal.
Indian women traditionally use a shorter version of the treatment, known as multani mitti (mud from Multan), as a facial.
Non-abrasive treatment
“It’s a non-abrasive formula that won’t do any damage to the monument and will remove accretionary deposits,” According to senior ASI official
The move comes after a parliamentary committee reported in May that a build-up of depositson the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal was imparting a yellow tinge to its surface.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the mausoleum, in the northern Indian city of Agra, as a tribute to his queen Mumtaz Mahal. It is seen as a symbol of eternal love.
The monument, which is more than 350 years old, took more than 20 years to build and attracts thousands of tourists every day – more than 2.5 million people visited the site last year.