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Select a historical site in
need of conservation,
research about its
historical significance,
identify the threatening
factors and suggest ways
of preserving the
Geological heritage.

Not a piece of
architecture, as
other buildings
are, but the
proud passion of
an emperor’s love
wrought in living
stones.
:-Rabindra Nath
Tagore

10 Facts about taj mahal
1. It is estimated to have taken more than 22,000
people to build this impressive building including
labourers, painters, stonecutters embroidery artists
and many others.
2. According to legend it is believed that Emperor Shah
Jahan had planned to construct another Taj Mahal in
black marble on the other side of the river but the
war with his son interrupted his plans.
3. The Taj Mahal takes on different colouring at
different times of the day, from a pinkish hue in the
morning, milky white in the evening and golden at
night when lit by the moon. They say the changing
colour resembles the changing mood of females – in
particular the Emperor’s queen.

4. Built in memory of the Emperor’s third and most
favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal took
17 years to be completed.
5. It is said that the death so crushed the Emperor
that all his hair and beard were said to have
grown snow white within just a few months.
6. The four sides of the Taj Mahal are perfectly
identical creating an astonishingly mirrored image
on each side. It uses the principle of self-
replicating geometry and symmetry of
architectural element.
7. The Taj Mahal is surrounded by significant
gardens and a number of other buildings including
a mosque and guest houses which make up the 17
hectares of land within the complex walls.

8. The full height of the Taj Mahal is 171
meters (561 feet).
9. More than 1,000 elephants were
employed to transport the construction
material used to build the Taj.
10.Many precious stones were ripped off
from its walls by the British during the
Indian rebellion of 1857.

Historical significance
Q: Why was the Taj Mahal named the Taj Mahal?
Mahal is a Sanskrit word means building; in Persian
the corresponding word is Manzil.
Taj came from the original word Tejendra one of the
names of Shiva. Taj Mahal was a Shiva temple
within a Raj put palace, which was taken over by
the Mongol shah Jahan to turn it into a tomb.

Shah Jahan’s
tribute to Mumtaz
Mahal is the Taj.
Upon the death of wife
Mumtaz mahal, shown
here, Emperor Shah Jahan
wept so often “his tearful
eyes sought help from
spectacles.”

Inside the
tomb are the
empty
sarcophagi of
Shah Jahan,
left, and his
wife, whose
bodies are
reportedly
buried below

The Taj’s
lustrous
white marble
was quarried
200 miles
away and
hauled to
the site by
oxen

Threatening factors
Q: What are the threats to taj mahal?
The answer is very vast. The Mathura refinery oil factory
situated near it emits a lot of poisonous gas which
irritates the white marble and cause black marks on the
monument.
Q: What threats does the Taj Mahal faces?
Pollution n air
Q: Why is beauty of Taj Mahal under threat?
Taj Mahal is under threat because of the intensifying of
river Yamuna, are slowly eroding its foundations.

Acid Rain is a major threat to the beauty of
Taj Mahal. When acid rain fall on the
monument (that is completely made of
marble), they react with marble to form a
powder-like substance that is then washed
away by the rain. This phenomenon is known
as marble cancer. Also, the soot particles
emitted from Mathura oil refinery near
Agra is leading to the yellowing of the
marble.

The two pictures shows the manner in which acid
rain is being caused by the industries around the
world and by the automobiles.

From what does acid rain
forms??
a) Wet deposition b) Dry deposition

The first picture was taken
some decades back, it shows
how Taj mahal was looking
at that time.
The second picture shows
the present
affected status of Taj
mahal.

The third
picture
showing a
monument
picture that
was
affected
seriously by
acid rain.

The Taj backs up against the
once-vibrant Yamuna River,
now often dried to the point
where locals can walk in the
riverbed. Preservationists
hope to counter the effects
of growing population on the
architectural marvel

The Taj is still amazing
after all these years, but
neglect, vandalism and
pollution, along with
centuries of exposure to
the elements, have
tarnished its luster in
places. Shown here is
fractured inlay work
Discoloured marble at
the Taj Mahal

Graffiti at
the Taj Mahal
Efforts to protect the
monument have not kept
pace with Agra’s growth;
800,000 vehicles
contribute to rising levels
of suspended particles in
the air.

Ways of preserving the
geological heritage
Q: Ways to protect the taj mahal?
Protect it and stop polluting.
Q: What can be done to protect Taj mahal?
It is protected already by UNESCO.
Q: What efforts is it taking to protect the Taj
Mahal?
The Taj Mahal is being effected by acid rain.
Reducing emission could help.

The efforts to protect the monument
were started in early 1990’s
Until 1993, 1700 factories in and around Agra were
belching out noxious fumes and gases and the
Supreme Court ordered the closure of 212
industrial plants in Agra. Cars and buses were
barred from crossing the cultural landmark.
In 1999, the Supreme Court ordered to close 53
iron factories and 107 other plants that harm the
Taj.
Many plants were planted in the Taj nature walk in
order to preserve its beauty.

In 2009, natural gas pipelines were placed
to deliver clean fuel to industries in Agra
and Firozabad. The three-wheelers
previously running on diesel have been
replaced by CNG-power and Mathura
refinery has been making heavy investments
to reduce pollution.
In February 2010, the government approved
a plan to plant one million ‘Tulsi’ plants near
Taj because Tulsi is considered to purify
the environment owing to its ability to
release high amount of oxygen.

Thank
you
I would thank
you from the
bottom of my
heart, but
for you my
heart has no
bottom

�ݺ�ߣ

Taj mahal

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