Taj Mahal and Some Repair Work by ASI

 February 27/28, 2015

 

There is nothing I can tell you about Taj Mahal, which you already do not know. I found a bit more interesting subject of the repair work which Archeological Survey of India constantly undertakes.

The master Architect "Isa Shiraji" made sure that everything he builds is on a solid foundation, hence there is nothing in Muslim architecture which is ever placed on soft subsoil. They keep digging until solid rock is reached. Hence, unlike leaning Tower of Pisa, it is all solid and is as vertical or at an angle as was originally built 360 years back. The horizontal is as square as the builders built it after such a long time.

Muslim in the Middle East and India/ Pakistan were master builders. They even surpassed the building techniques of Romans or Jews building the Temple at Jerusalem. The flat platform they created on which the Taj Mahal stands is reminiscent to the Turkic memorial to Timur Lane in Samarkand, later Humayoon Tomb in Delhi. It is perfectly flat and has not given way anywhere in 360 years. Even the water in the river next door does not seep into the foundation to begin the deterioration process. The structure is probably built of stone/brick masonry to the height of 310 feet and then clad with absolutely white Markana marble from Rajasthan. To get this marble Shah Jahan struck a deal with local Rajputs in exchange for marble, their control over the trade routes of Rajasthan. There is plenty of soft red sandstone within 25 miles hence there is a perfect harmony of red and white combination. That is where the problem begins to repair it.

The marble is soft, an inch or less thick and is translucent. The ASI official showed us light when he switched on a torch from the other side of the marble. It oxides and with constant use. The sharp lines chip away where human foot constantly uses it. Hence the marble stairs have no sharp square lines left, the marble entrances have rounded up. The lattice work is fine but has oxidized. I hate to say that the British when they became the rulers chipped away the precious stones which provided the reflected and refracted light for the inside, hence inside is dark. Where they removed the gem stones, there are depressions in he marble.

The builders, - the stone masons who worked for twenty years have their sixteenth generation living next door, beyond the western gate and they repair anything damaged. They were asked by Shah Jahan to stay around, in case he wants something else built. They have been their for the last three centuries. They can repair the floor which has sort of dull or the steps to sharp square lines but the new marble quarried would require about a century to oxidize and properly blend into the rest of the work. Hence all advice is not to undertake it. 

Alternative is to limit number of visitors. Average day has about ten to fifteen thousand visitors. On weekend it triples. Summer holiday times,it stays triple for four months. That is a good advice. The Chinese have closed public visits to the Forbidden City, unless special pass. They are trying to limit the damage. Chinese are dictatorial regime, they can limit entree. Any government who limits entree to Taj, will fall. 

Ten feet above the ground, there is no damage except the oxidized marble. I was told by the official ASI escort that it probably was absolutely white until the middle of the nineteenth century. Then began the industrialization and pollution. The SO2 and other gases from diesel, coal plants and cars and trucks in last sixty years has changed the marble's texture a bit. Mind it, it is still white but only a century back, it was whiter. Now the conventional wisdom is to leave it alone. 

(we had an official ASI guide, thanks to connections, not mine but Surrinder's). 

The red sandstone is easy to repair. The builders had assumed that, some repair work on red sandstone would be needed in the future, hence they built the outer cladding and overhangs in such a way that, these can be carefully pulled out and an exact replica be placed in its place. That is true even for the red sandstone vertical claddings also. At a few places, they in previous years they have pulled the pieces out and replaced them. A distinct change in patina is noticed where the replacement work has been done. The red stone has a tendency to deteriorate faster, hence more of these pieces have been painstakingly replaced. The entry gate, the walkways, two side buildings are all red sand stone. The ASI replaces these much more easily than the white marble. Good work done here. The same is not possible with the white marble, which has no cracks, no broken pieces but signs of wear with constant foot traffic. What a pity?

About the gem stones taken away by the British - only God would know, where these are, hence inside would stay dark. Electricity probably can light up the inside, but there are a number of schools within the ASI, who are against it.

I was told that British about 1905, Lord Curzon, undertook some repair work on the entry gate and other places. It probably looked alright then, but the plaster after a hundred years of exposure to rain and sleet is coming loose. A huge debate is in progress as to how to remove it and replace it. Right now they have left it alone.

Everything else about the Taj Mahal and its beauty, its harmony you already know. It is relic which need to be preserved and if the need be entry restricted. 

Guys, I am back from four day trip to Mathura/Vrindaban/Taj Mahal/Fatehpur-Sikri. Next one is to Kathmandu in two days. After that to Haridwar etc. I will not bore you with info in these trips unless it strikes me something unusual.

Did you like my unusual kind of travel journalism? I do not concentrate on the usuals but try and find unusual. These also act as my notes. Now I do not have to keep a diary, which I used to keep on my previous trips. I can send my notes to friends and file them in my personal files. 

Was this a fun?

 

Hari Sud