The iconic Taj Mahal, voted by global acclaim as one of the seven wonders of the world not so long ago, will soon be covered with mud.
The Times, London, reports that the 17th century monument to love is scheduled to benefit from the sort of beauty treatment prescribed in Ayurvedic tracts, and much in favor with the haute set -- namely, the mudpack.
A type of mud found in natural state in Multan, in Pakistan's Punjab province, and also prevalent in several parts of north India, is the preferred treatment.
The lime-rich clay will be plastered over affected areas of the monument and left overnight; as the mud starts drying, it will be removed and, hopefully with it, the grime that coats the monument.
It is a six month project that seeks to clean up the marble archways, carvings, and crannies - in other words, those parts of the monument that are not exposed to the natural cleansing effect of rain, and hence tend to accumulate grime.
The Times quotes KS Rana, director of the science department of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), as saying that the marble of the Taj is of very high quality, and is still intact.
"There is just some yellowing in the arched areas and other parts not exposed to the rain," Rana is quoted as saying. "The mud is being used to clean only those areas."
The gradual yellowing of the monument, largely due to dust and industrial pollutants, has caused concern in recent times, and in the highest quarters.
In 1996, as the Times points out, the Supreme Court closed thousands of factories around the monument. Motor vehicles were also banned from the vicinity, forcing visitors to take rickshaws, electric buses or horse-drawn carriages for the last mile and a half.
Starting late last year, local authorities also began a project to clean up the surroundings, by demolishing illegal structures and squatters, and keeping rickshaws restricted to the perimeter.
The Times quotes Rana as saying that a team of two dozen experts had already erected the scaffolding, and the treatment, which costs about £115,000 per use and which has been used twice already over the past six years, will begin later this week.
Work will continue till March, then resume in January. However, reports the Times, care is being taken to ensure that the work is carried out in small sections, in order that the tourist traffic does not suffer.
The Taj will come into renewed global prominence this week when former supermodel Carla Bruni, companion of French President Nikolas Sarkozy, will visit it on her own, while her paramour goes through the official duties of a state visit to New Delhi, in course of which he will be guest of honor at the Republic Day Parade.
