One of seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal is tightening its pores with an anti-pollution face mask designed to take years off the marbled beauty.
The dirt and grime that has over time stained the 17th century white marble mausoleum will be scrubbed clean using fuller’s earth, a type of clay used in face packs. Additives designed to specially rid the marble of stains from chewing tobacco and hand prints left on the walls by inconsiderate tourists will be added to the mud pack, according to Manoj Kumar Bhatnagar, an official with the Archaeological Survey of India in Agra – the city where the Taj Mahal is located.
Mr. Bhatnagar refused to divulge the list of secret ingredients that will accompany the lime-rich clay pack except to say that it will “be similar to how ladies used to do facials traditionally during the Mughal period.”
The iconic monument was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his third wife Mumtaz, who died during the birth of their 14th child in 1631. Construction of the tomb began a year later and took thousands of workers almost 20 years to complete the structure built on the banks of the Yamuna river.
Over the years, the world famous Taj Mahal has received several facelifts. This will be its fourth, Mr. Bhatnagar said.
The passages inside the mausoleum are being cleaned first, followed by the four minarets, the riverfront terrace and the finally the main dome will be coated in the mud pack and left to dry overnight. The mud is washed off the next day using distilled water and nylon paint brushes, according to Mr. Bhatnagar.
The Taj Mahal is the most visited monument in India, according to India’s tourism ministry. In spite of its rigorous scrubbing schedule, the monument will remain open to tourists.
via India’s Taj Mahal Gets a Facial – India Real Time – WSJ.
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