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Taj Mahal closed till March 31, tourists disappointed
Agra The iconic Taj Mahal and other historic monuments in Agra have been shut down till March 31 in the wake of Covid-19. The ‘monument of love’ was closed for the
Agra The iconic Taj Mahal and other historic monuments in Agra have been shut down till March 31 in the wake of Covid-19. The ‘monument of love’ was closed for the same duration during the 1971 war with Pakistan while it also remained shut for a week during 1978 floods, said officials.
This came as a shock for tourists. Buses ferrying visitors were stopping on Yamuna Kinara road to provide them a glimpse of the monument from a distance. Many tourists went to the rooftops of hotels near the Taj Mahal while others reached Dussehra Ghat on the east of Taj to have a view of the ‘marvel in marble’.
“Taj Mahal was closed for 15 days during the 1971 war with Pakistan. The white mausoleum was covered with black cloth to prevent any attack by enemy planes during night hours,” said an official with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Unconfirmed sources revealed that Taj Mahal was also shut for a week during floods in 1978.
On Tuesday morning, many foreign tourists were shocked to find the Taj closed. Some even broke into tears after finding the gates shut on the eastern side and got themselves photographed with the closed gates.
“I never knew about this closure of Taj Mahal till I reached here. It is sad news. But we understand safety concerns due to Covid-19,” stated an Irish woman.
The security personnel at the barriers had a tough time explaining visitors the closure of the monument. Notices were also placed near booking counters stating that coronavirus outbreak was the reason behind the closure.
Similar scenes were witnessed at other ASI monuments including Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daula Tomb, Sikandra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Keeping in view Covid-19 outbreak, the ministry of culture had decided to shut all ASI monuments/sites and museums till March 31, 2020. All online permissions for filming, free entry, photography and cultural events issued for the period were also cancelled.
SHAH JAHAN’S URS NOT TO BE HELD
The annual three-day Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the builder of the iconic Taj Mahal, will not be held as scheduled from March 21 due to the closure of historic monuments, including the Taj, till March 31.
This will be the first time in the history of the Taj that the Urs will not be held.
During the three day Urs, entry remains free and a series of functions are organised.
The 1,200-metre-long ‘chaadar’ was ready to be offered at the original grave of Shah Jahan. But with closure of Taj now, the basement where the original graves of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal will not be opened this year.
“If committee members are allowed inside Taj, then we can continue with traditional rituals associated with the ‘Urs’. But we will not force it as we are with the nation when it comes to the health of citizens. This was going to be 365th Urs of Shah Jahan, but in the present scenario it appears that the 365-year-old tradition will see a break this time,” said Tahiruddin Tahir from Khuddam-e-Roza committee that was organising the Urs.
About a fortnight ago, Agra mayor Naveen Jain had sought the intervention of the ministry of culture, seeking closure of the Taj Mahal in view of coronavirus outbreak. He had written a letter to the Prime Minister in this regard.
To recall, eight people had tested positive for Covid-19 in Agra, of which three had recovered.
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