Is
Taj Mahal Sinking? One of the most popular myths about the Taj is the "Sinking
Taj Mahal" myth. Standing on the banks of river Yamuna in Agra, Taj
Mahal received utmost care in its construction. Its architects took all
the possible measures to make sure that the Taj was totally stable. Even
its weight was distributed in a uniform way and the strongest bonding
material was made use of. Nonetheless, inspite of all the precautions,
cracks were discovered in it, just four years after its completion. Read on further to know about the legend of the Sinking Taj…
After Aurangzeb cited this fact in his letter of 1652, repair measures were taken to solve the problem. However, again in 1810, cracks surfaced, this time more serious than the previous ones. This time, an advisory committee was constituted to decide on the renovation and preservation of the monument. It came to light that due to the northern side of the Taj being lower than south by 1-11/25(3.5cms), it was tilting towards the riverside.
Though the exterior of that Taj is intact, the cracks were noticed on its second story and the underground vaults below the northern side. There may be two reasons for these cracks. Either the lime may crushing due to excessive weight or the Taj is sinking towards the riverside. The Sinking Taj theory gained more popularity since the load is shifting slowly and gradually, cracking the weak points.