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Taj Mahal to get mud-pack beauty treatment

September 30, 2015

India's top tourist attraction will need nine years of mud packs. It is hoped the treatment will help remove yellow stains from the white marble walls caused by air pollution, the "Times of India" reported on Wednesday.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Gfu4
India's Taj Mahal, Copyright: David Ebener dpa
Image: picture-alliance/David Ebener

"Due to increasing pollution in the city, the white marble is yellowing and is losing its sheen," B M Bhatnagar from the Archeological Survey of India said.

The cleaning treatment is needed to properly and safely clean particles from the four minarets and the main dome. It is based on a traditional recipe used by Indian women to restore a natural glow to their faces: A 2mm-thick layer of lime-rich clay will be plastered over the affected areas and left overnight to dry. It will then softly be brushed off.

The Taj Mahal had been given this treatment three times in the past: in 1994, 2001 and 2008. Authorities have also taken numerous steps in recent years to try to protect the monument from pollution coming from the busy city of Agra nearby, including banning local coal-powered industries. But pollution levels remain high.

The marble monument sits on the banks of the Yamuna River, at the city of Agra in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. It was completed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 as a mausoleum for his third and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a Unesco World Heritage site and attracts millions of visitors each year.

ej/jt (afp, bbc)