An official from the ASI headquarters said that the scaffolding around the dome of the Taj Mahal could damage the facade, and so, the ASI will go ahead only after expert opinion on the matter, likely from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has withdrawn the decades-long conservational method of applying Multani mitti (or Fuller's earth) on the surface of the Taj Mahal. The reason, officials of the conservation body said, is that the scaffolding on the monument has been damaging the structure.
An official from the ASI headquarters said that the scaffolding around the dome of the Taj Mahal could damage the facade, and so, the ASI will go ahead only after expert opinion on the matter, likely from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
However, an official from the Agra Circle of the ASI said that the work has been stopped because of tourist season. "Work on the minarets has been completed, and we have halted the work on the domes simply because we are in the midst of tourist season. The ASI has received several requests from different tourist agencies to this effect," said Dr Bhuvan Vikrama, superintendent archaeologist, Agra Circle.
He added that while the mud pack has been used on the surface of the Taj for years, it has mostly been used under the arch. "This time, the exercise is extensive as we are now using it on the entire surface of the monument. The process is likely to take over two years," said Dr Vikrama.
Despite ASI's denial, sources in the organisation said that the alarm is likely to have been set off because of damage that the minarets may have suffered. However, DNA could not independently verify this.
Multani mitti was first used by the ASI in 2001-03 on the Taj's marble surface to get rid of "accretionary deposit". The clay, which has refined aluminium silicate, is applied on the surface in the form of a semi-liquid paste, left to dry and flake out on it own, as per data from National and International Council For Scientific Research, under the Center for Human Resource Development and Scientific Research.
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