As India continues to reel under a calamitous second wave of Covid19, the Taj Mahal was reopened to the public on Wednesday. Various states in India are pushing to lift restrictions in a bid to revitalise its economy which has been decimated under an unprecedented contraction level of (-)7.3%.

The world famous Taj Mahal is a 17th-century white marble mausoleum, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the northern city of Agra. It was closed in early April as India introduced strict lockdown measures in an effort to contain a surge in Covid-19 infections that is still killing thousands every day.

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District authorities in Agra stated that only 650 tourists will be allowed inside the premises of the Taj Mahal at any time. In normal times, the monument generally attracts 7 million to 8 million visitors annually, or over 20,000 people per day.

Uttar Pradesh, where Agra is located, reported 270 new infections of Covid19 overnight and 56 deaths. In terms of total Covid-19 cases, UP is among India’s hardest-hit states. Depressing images and videos of dead bodies floating in the Ganges and bodies rotting at the banks brought infamous attention to UP in terms of alleged mismanaged response to Covid19.

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Other nationally protected monuments in India include New Delhi’s Red Fort and Qutub Minar. They were also reopened to tourists on Wednesday. The monuments were reopened even as alarm bells ring in the country over a resurgence of crowds in major cities that threatens to fuel another spike in infections.

Significance of Taj Mahal

Taj mahal is nothing less than a timeless marble masterpiece from Mughal times. Its construction is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. He had erected this mausoleum in memory of his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, who was popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan’s wife, Arjumand Bano Begum died in A.H. 1040 (A.D. 1630). Last wish of Mumtaz to her husband was “to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before”. Therefore, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale like marvel, which was once in centuries creation.

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Taj Mahal’s construction was started in A.D. 1632 and was completed at the end of 1648 A.D. The designer of the surreal wonder was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Construction materials for this architectural genius-work were brought from all over India and central Asia. Over 20000 people were said to have been employed in its construction on a daily basis for 17 years, whose residence were in what is now known as Tajganj.