Frequent use of mud packs to clean pollution stains may damage the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is India's biggest tourist attraction, but its conservation has been challenged by the high levels of air pollution in the city of Agra where it is located. The monument is periodically given a mud pack to remove the yellow stains caused by pollution, a treatment which is believed to restore the original colour of its white marble. 

However, experts have now issued a warning that frequent use of mud packs may lead to the loss of the marble monument's original colour, texture and sheen. Instead, they've asked the government to reduce the city's pollution.

Last year, a government investigation had revealed that air pollution, especially dust and carbon particles, had led to the 17th-century monument's white marble exterior getting gradually discoloured. The local authorities have tried to curb air pollution by banning local coal-powered factories, but the problem has persisted.

Indian archaeologists have been using mud packs for removing the pollution deposits, which are believed to be relatively safe as they do not involve the use of chemicals. The method is believed to be based on traditional face packs used in area.

This May, the UNESCO World Heritage Site was affected by an insect attack, leading to more green marks on its surface. The insects were breeding in the polluted water of the Yamuna river that flows near the Taj. In the last fourteen months, the mud packs were used as many as four times.

Conservationists have now said that frequent cleaning of the Taj Mahal could result in the monument being scarred and stripped of its original look, and that there was a need to study the long-term effects of the mud packs on the marble. Last year too, the Central Pollution Control Board raised concerns that mud packs were making the monument turn grey. Archaeologists have also argued that there is a need to curb air and water pollution in the nearby areas rather than resorting to short-term methods to clean up the Taj Mahal.

"At present, the mud pack therapy is done every five-six years, but if the main cause for this yellowish-brown is not checked, we are afraid this will become an annual feature," one of the experts said.