Did British plan to demolish Taj Mahal? Read on to know the legend and myth concerning the demolition of Taj Mahal.

Demolition of Taj Mahal Myth

Taj Mahal
For long Taj Mahal has been a monumental figure, contributing to the epical history of the country. Clothed with white marble and ornamented with precious and semi precious stones, for long has it raised the jealousy bar in the hearts of the malice ones and has been an object of desire. Since the British rule of India, Taj Mahal has encountered numerous threats. Lavish carpets, jewels, silver doors, and tapestries with which the Taj once adorned, were looted by the British along with local people. In 1830, it even faced demolition when a crew led by the governor of India Lord William Bentinck was up and ready to begin the demolition work and auction off the marble, only to be stopped because he failed to make the scheme financially viable as no prospective buyers could be found. By the late 19th century, Taj Mahal had fallen badly into despair.

It was about the same time that British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a major restoration project that got completed in 1908. The buildings were repaired; gardens were restored, and he even got the canals working again. By the late 20th century better care was being taken of the Taj Mahal than what was being taken a few decades ago. In 1942 Taj Mahal again came under the threat of direct attack by way of an air attack, this time from German Luftwaffe and later by Japanese air force. Scaffoldings were erected by the government on Taj Mahal to protect it from these attacks. Later on, during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, these scaffoldings were erected yet again and the monument was covered with Tarpaulin, to mislead the bomber pilots if they planned to attack the Taj Mahal. But despite all these demolition threats, Taj Mahal has been able to hold its own and shine as it was meant to be.