The July issue of Spice route In-flight magazine

OPENING SHOT ||||| MONUMENTS
ICONIC MARBLE INLAYS AT THE
TAJ MAHAL UNDER SIEGE
DROPPINGS OF MOSQUITO-like insects
that breed in the dirty waters of the
adjoining Yamuna are damaging the
iconic marble inlays in the Taj Mahal
according to the Archaeological Surve of
India. “A series of marble panels
depicting plant motifs on the walls or
reflective tiles used in this part of the
monument are becoming disfigured,”
Bhuvan Vikram of ASI was quoted
telling the London newspaper The
Guardian recently. The insects leave
green and black patches on the marble,
which then has to be scrubbed clean by
workers every day, which in turn
damages the marble. The proliferation of
these insects has been attributed to
pollution which has reduced the Yamuna
to a stagnant pool of dirty water behind
the Taj, killing most of its fish which
otherwise would have kept a check on
their breeding. ASI says it is working on a
permanent solution to the problem.
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Top: Iconic marble inlays of the Taj are in
danger. Bottom: Pollution has killed most of
the fish in the Yamuna leading to the
proliferation of the mosquito-like insects
32 ||||| JULY 2016