The Taj Mahal needs a face mask 16 May 2007
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Let the splendor of the diamond, pearl and ruby vanish like the magic shimmer of the rainbow. Only let this one teardrop, the Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of time … – Rabindranath Tagore, poet
I read with supreme interest today’s news about a report submitted to the Indian parliament prescribing an aggressive restoration project for the Taj Mahal.
The mausoleum — built in the 17th century by order of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal — is a cultural landmark that never fails to blind in awe those who set eyes on it. It is one grand piece of Muslim architecture for which no photograph can prepare you for what you will see as you first enter the gateway, after a camel-drawn-carriage ride, and stand in the middle of an enormous landscaped garden at the end of which stands the white-marble edifice, in all its glory.
Sadly, high levels of tiny dirt particles have gathered on the surface of the monument over time, creating a yellowish tinge on what was once pristine white marble. Pollution has simply taken its toll.
Experts are now recommending a caking process that will draw out the impurities from the surface of the monument. The process is not cheap — estimated at around US$230,000 — and will have to be then regularly conducted to keep the marble’s surface clean. Much like a mud pack for the face, the clay mixture will be draped over the monument’s surface. The clay will then be dried in the sun, afterwhich it will be washed off, taking the layer of dirt with it and bringing out the white marble beneath. One cycle is estimated to take around two months.
Therefore it’s costly, and will take time. So be it. For the Taj Mahal — like all other pieces of cultural heritage that make each one of us, no matter our race or ethnicity, proud of being part of humankind — must be preserved. Pity the succeeding generations who will no longer be able to enjoy its splendor.
Which reminds me of a story FrenchBeard once told me, on our first trip to the Taj Mahal. Legend has it that all of the 20,000 men who toiled over some 17 years to erect the monument, after finishing their task, had their fingers cut off so that they may never again build anything after the Taj Mahal.
