Agra District Administration installs air purifiers in Taj Mahal

Agra : The Agra District Administration has installed two air purifier machines at the gates of the Taj Mahal to combat air pollution in the region.

The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the Yamuna River in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17 hectares, in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh.

It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal with construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD, with the mosque, the guest house and the main gateway on the south, the outer courtyard and its cloisters were added subsequently and completed in 1653 AD.

The existence of several historical and Quaranic inscriptions in Arabic script have facilitated setting the chronology of this monument.

For its construction, masons, stone-cutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from the Central Asia and Iran. Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture.

The uniqueness of Taj Mahal lies in some truly remarkable innovations carried out by the horticulture planners and architects of Shah Jahan The large double storied domed chamber, which houses the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, is a perfect octagon in plan.

RK Rathi, Executive Engineer of Agra Municipal Corporation said, “An agency has been directed to do mechanized cleaning as well as deploy two air purifying machines at the gates of Taj Mahal.”

“We are taking these measures to combat air pollution and provide relief to large number of tourists who visit every day,” he added.

North India has been battling deadly air pollution since over a week. A thick layer of smog has engulfed Delhi and neighbouring areas.