Taj Mahal

With thousands freely entering the majestic Taj Mahal for the three-day Urs celebrations that end Sunday, questions are being raised over the security of the white marble wonder that thousands come to see from all over the world.
three major threats to the Taj Mahal: from terrorists, from air pollution and from too many people.

Last year also the monument was flooded with tourists and the devout, causing additional stress and pressure on the monument. The ASI had come under considerable flak for overlooking security considerations.

No doubt the ASI has taken adequate measures to ensure the monument was not put to any risk, but the free flow of people into the inner chamber of the real graves with hardly enough room for free movement is a matter of concern, say conservationists. Historians and conservationists now feel the marble edifice is being endangered by a surfeit of love and interest showered by its admirers whose number continues to soar sky high. From a few hundred at the time of independence, the daily influx of visitors from all corners has now crossed 12,000. On some days it crosses the 30,000 mark. During the annual Urs it touches 100,000.