Taj Mahal suffers damage due to thunderstorm

Parts of the iconic Taj Mahal, including the marble railing of the mausoleum, suffered damages due to the thunderstorm that rolled across northern India on May 29.

The marble railing of the main mausoleum and red sandstone railings suffered damage due to thunderstorm, officials told PTI on Saturday. However, an AFP report, quoting ASI superintending archaeologist Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, said the main mausoleum has not suffered any damage.

Swarnkar told PTI that some trees on the premises were uprooted and one door was damaged. The false ceiling in the mausoleum was also uprooted, he said. Besides, a tree fell in Mehtab Bagh and Mariam’s Maqbara, officials said.

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The Taj Mahal, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, has been shut in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March. The mausoleum, called the ‘monument of love’, was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has, in a statement, expressed grief over loss of lives due to lightning and thunderstorm in the state. Officials have been directed to provide ₹4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and adequate medical treatment for the injured.

The weather department has warned of thunderstorm accompanied with lightening and squall at isolated places over the state in the next few days.

(With inputs from agencies)