The Archaeological Survey of India, which is responsible for the upkeep of the Taj Mahal, is taking recourse to a pack of Multani mitti to restore the yellowing monument to its white pristine beauty.
Multani mitti, a lime-rich clay which takes its name from a place in Pakistan where it is abundant, has been used for years by Indian women as a beauty treatment. Now, it's going to give Shahjahan's marvel in marble - recently voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world - its sheen back. In a couple of months, ASI officials say, a sterilised version of this mud will be applied to the mausoleum, left to dry for a couple of days till it flakes off and then the Taj washed clean with salt-free water.
The result: a sparkling white Taj without the years of polluting build-up that has changed its colour. "It's a non-abrasive formula that won't do any damage to the monument and will remove accretionary deposits," said a senior ASI official.
The move comes after a parliamentary committee report in May noted the slowly changing colour of the Taj. "The deposition of suspended particulate matter (SPM) on the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal imparts yellow tinge to the marble surface," the report said.
Though a Supreme Court order limiting the number of vehicles allowed within 500m of the Unesco world heritage site has helped reduce emissions, a vehicle and construction boom in Agra has led to a rise in SPM levels.
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