Taj Mahal to Collapse in Five Years?

New Delhi - 05 Oct 2011: True love may be eternal, but it seems the monument meant to symbolise this idea is not.

If historians and archeologists are to be believed, Taj Mahal, the world's most beautiful monument built solely for love, is due to collapse in five years' time if not taken care of. The monument's foundations are said to be shaky and are rotting with the passage of time.

The river Yamuna that runs alongside the Taj Mahal is said to be highly contaminated and polluted, thanks to the growing number of industries and not to forget - deforestation. Researchers have said that the base foundation of the monument has become very brittle.

It is learnt that cracks appeared last year in parts of the tomb, and the four minarets, which surround the monument, are showing signs of tilting.

Ramshankar Katheria, member of the parliament, who is leading the campaign to save the monument, told a newspaper, "If the crisis is not tackled on a war-footing, the Taj Mahal will cave in between two and five years." He said, "The architectural wonder of the world is losing its shine, and if this persists the minarets may also collapse since the wooden foundation beneath the wells is rotting."

"No one has been allowed to go into the foundations for the last three decades. If everything is fine, what have they got to hide?" Katheria questioned.

The river Yamuna which is slowly dying away, is one main reason for the present state of the monument. Katheria said. "This was never anticipated by its builders. The river is a constituent of its architectural design and if the river dies, the Taj cannot survive."

The marble mausoleum has been India's pride for about 358 years now and is the most sought-after tourist destination, contributing to the national income by bringing about four million visitors a year to Agra. The Taj Mahal was built by Mogul emperor Shah Jahan, who was grief-stricken by the death of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.