Fears: Taj Mahal damaged in flood as water enters central tomb

Water is entering the central tomb of the Taj Mahal after three days of sustained heavy rain caused a crack in the roof of India’s most famous landmark.

The government agency responsible for the preservation of Indian monuments said it was urgently investigating the extent of the damage to the 17th-century mausoleum.

Videos circulating on the Internet show one of the four gardens of the Taj Mahal completely under water. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the building itself, where authorities say water has been observed.

“Dampness has been detected inside the main mausoleum,” said Rajkumar Patel, a senior official with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). “There could be a hairline crack in the stones of the dome that is causing the leak.”

“The place where the water drops are falling is being checked to find out whether they are constantly falling in the same place or only intermittently. In any case, the necessary repairs are being made. The garden will be revived once the rain stops,” Patel told the Times of India.

The Taj Mahal in Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

A government-certified tour guide said the water leaking from the dome had reached the chamber containing the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife.

The Taj Mahal remains one of India’s most famous tourist destinations and has been visited by many world leaders and prominent figures, perhaps most famously Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. More recently, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former US President Donald Trump have also included the monument in their official visit itineraries.

This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about the upkeep and maintenance of India’s most famous tourist attraction. Historians have blamed the poor control of air and water pollution around the architectural marvel for the gradual yellowing of the monument, dulling its brilliant white marble.

This came after large parts of northern India, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital Delhi, were hit by heavy rains, leading to flooding on city streets due to a combination of poor drainage systems and inadequate urban planning.

Agra received 151mm of rain in a single day this week – the highest rainfall ever recorded in 80 years – and caused damage and flooding at other historic sites such as the Agra Forts and Fatehpur Sikri.