UP: Taj Mahal closed for tourists due to corona threat

The world-famous Taj Mahal has been closed for visitors till March 31 because of the deadly Coronavirus threat. This is the third time Taj Mahal was closed down in the last 49 years. ETV Bharat spoke to S K Sharma, who was assistant conservator of Archaeological Survey of India in 1971 about these closures.

Agra: The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the closure of many prominent monuments, including the world-famous Taj Mahal, for visitors till March 31 because of the deadly Coronavirus threat.

Many tourists, including foreigners, who did not know about the government decision announced late night on March 16, had to go back disappointed without seeing Taj Mahal, the monument of love.

This is the third time Taj Mahal was closed down in the last 49 years. It was closed down for 15 days for the first time in 1971 and then in 1978 due to flood.

In an exclusive interview, ETV Bharat spoke to S K Sharma, who was assistant conservator of Archaeological Survey of India in 1971 about these closures.

Sharma said for the first time Taj Mahal was closed for 15 days in 1971 during the Indo-Pak war when there was a threat of the monument being bombarded by the enemy. To hide it from the aerial view, the entire Taj Mahal was covered by a tarpaulin giving it the look of a forest.

In 1978, Taj Mahal was closed for seven days when the monument was surrounded by floodwaters.

The closure of Taj Mahal this time for 15 days would not only lead to loss of revenue from tourists but the life of common people would also be disarrayed because of the Coronavirus scare.