The Leaning Minaret Of Taj

When you're 350 years old, you get too much attention. In fact all the attention that's been missing in the past is reserved only for such annual celebrations. It's in times such as these that they discover there's something tilting, very dangerously. In the Taj's case it would be one of it's minarets.

Agra - Authorities in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state have launched an urgent investigation after historians reported that one of the minarets of the Taj Mahal is tilting dangerously, an official said.
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The Taj Mahal, with four slender minarets, was built by heartbroken Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, Empress Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth. It sits on the banks of the Yamuna river.

Historian and former vice chancellor of Agra University Agam Prasad Mathur said the Yamuna river bed must once again be filled to prevent the minaret from tilting further.

"It was during a survey conducted by British colonial rulers in 1940 when it was found that the minaret had tilted by about 11cm. Another survey in 1965 found the tilt had increased by about 15cm," said Mathur.

"With passing time, the tilt must have increased and needs to be determined," he said, adding that the Yamuna river needs to be full to maintain the monument's balance.

"The foundation of the Taj Mahal is laid on a hillock and is based on wells underneath which require moisture from the Yamuna river. Regular flow of water in the Yamuna is a must... the tilting could be a fallout of scarcity of water in the river," he added.

He explained that the Taj stands on a raised platform and the four 13m minarets at each corner give it balance. The minarets have deliberately been constructed to tilt slightly to prevent them from crashing onto the tomb in the event of an earthquake.

Ram Nath, former head of history at Rajasthan University, sounded a similar warning.

"Dangerous tilts in its minarets, first noticed in 1942 and mentioned in various reports, have continued to increase over the years," Nath told the Hindustan Times. "They are caused by the dry river bed."

Lawyer Ajay Agarwal said he would urge the Supreme Court to order the state government to construct a barrage to ensure the water level in the Yamuna stayed constant to prevent the minaret from tilting further.

"Immediate action is needed to save the Taj Mahal," said Agarwal.

The Archaeological Survey of India has played down the perceived danger.

"We do have regular surveys done by concerned authorities after every four years at the Taj Mahal and any such anomaly in a minaret of the Taj could not have gone unnoticed," said a senior survey official, who did not want to be named.
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- Independent Online