Editing Taj Mahal (section)

== Later years ==
[[File:Sambourneagra1860s.jpg|thumb|Photograph of the Taj Mahal by [[Samuel Bourne]], 1860s]]

In December 1652, Shah Jahan's son [[Aurangzeb]] wrote a letter to his father about the tomb, the mosque and the assembly hall of the complex developing extensive leaks during the previous rainy season.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Wayne |last1=Edison Begley |title=Taj Mahal: The Illumined Tomb : an Anthology of Seventeenth-century Mughal and European Documentary Sources |first2=Ziauddin |last2=Abdul Hayy Desai |publisher=Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture |year=1989 |pages=175}}</ref> In 1658, Shah Jahan was deposed by Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at the nearby [[Agra Fort]] from where he could see the Taj Mahal. Upon Shah Jahan's death in 1666, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife.{{sfn|Gascoigne|1971|p=243}} In the 18th century, the [[Jat]] rulers of [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]] attacked the Taj Mahal while invading Agra and took away two chandeliers, one of agate and another of silver, which had hung over the main cenotaph and the gold and silver screen. Kanbo, a Mughal historian, said the gold shield which covered the {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=mid|-high|order=flip}} finial at the top of the main dome was also removed during the Jat despoliation.{{sfn|Swamy|2003}}

By the late 19th century, parts of the buildings had fallen into disrepair. At the end of the century, British [[viceroy]] [[Lord Curzon]] ordered a restoration project, which was completed in 1908.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Taj Mahal |url=https://www.tajmahal.org.uk/history.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105180730/https://www.tajmahal.org.uk/history.html |archive-date=5 November 2021 |access-date=29 August 2021 |work=Tajmahal.org.uk}}</ref> He also commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber and replaced the gardens with European-style lawns that are still in place today.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 September 2022 |title=Taj Mahal – The Symbol of Love – Shah Jahan Mumtaz Mahal |url=https://theindianchronicles.in/taj-mahal-the-symbol-of-love-shah-jahan-mumtaz-mahal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302124726/https://theindianchronicles.in/taj-mahal-the-symbol-of-love-shah-jahan-mumtaz-mahal/ |archive-date=2 March 2023 |access-date=2 March 2023 |work=The Indian Chronicles}}</ref>

[[File:Protective scaffolding over the Taj Mahal, Agra, India, c. 1943 (3687753113).jpg|thumb|Protective wartime scaffolding, {{circa|1943|lk=no}}]]

In 1942, the government erected [[scaffolding]] to disguise the building in anticipation of air attacks by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service|Japanese Air Force]].{{sfn| DuTemple|2003|p=96}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Access 360° World Heritage |url=https://geographyscout.com/world/india/indias-taj-mahal/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204193726/http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/panasonic-presents-access-360-world-heritage/access-360-world-heritage-india.aspx |archive-date=4 February 2015 |access-date=7 February 2015 |work=The National Geographic Channel}}</ref> Since [[Indian Independence movement|Indian independence]] in 1947, the [[Archaeological Survey of India]] has been responsible for the maintenance of the monument.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/technology/report-taj-mahal-s-history-of-repair-and-restoration-1107916 |title=Taj Mahal's history of repair and restoration |date=13 December 2017 |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=DNA |archive-date=18 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818154303/http://www.dnaindia.com/technology/report-taj-mahal-s-history-of-repair-and-restoration-1107916 |url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[India-Pakistan wars]] of 1965 and 1971, scaffolding was again erected to mislead bomber pilots.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 December 2001 |title=Taj Mahal 'to be camouflaged' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1732993.stm |url-status=live |access-date=7 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426040105/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1732993.stm |archive-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

In 1983, the Taj Mahal was designated as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] for being "the jewel of [[Islamic art]] in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".<ref name="UNESCO" />

Since the late 20th century, the monument has been affected by [[environmental pollution]] which has turned the Taj Mahal yellow-brown.{{sfn|Jayalakshmi|2014}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 December 2010 |title=The Taj Mahal is falling victim to chronic pollution |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8179264/The-Taj-Mahal-is-falling-victim-to-chronic-pollution.html |access-date=10 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Acid rain]] and pollution affecting the Yamuna River including the presence of [[Mathura Refinery|Mathura Oil Refinery]], have contributed to the same.{{sfn|Dowdey|2007}}<ref>{{cite web |title=What Really Ails the Taj Mahal? |url=https://thewire.in/urban/what-really-ails-the-taj-mahal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812184339/https://thewire.in/urban/what-really-ails-the-taj-mahal |archive-date=12 August 2020 |access-date=3 September 2020 |work=The Wire}}</ref> After directives by the [[Supreme Court of India]], in 1997 the Indian government set up the "Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ)", a {{convert|10400|km2|sqmi|adj=on}} area around the monument where strict emissions standards are in place.<ref>{{cite news |title=Supreme Court raps Government for its apathy towards Taj Mahal |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/heritage/story/19940228-supreme-court-raps-government-for-its-apathy-towards-taj-mahal-810127-1994-02-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302125743/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/heritage/story/19940228-supreme-court-raps-government-for-its-apathy-towards-taj-mahal-810127-1994-02-27 |archive-date=2 March 2023 |access-date=2 March 2023 |work=[[India Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 April 1997 |title=Toxons and the Taj |url=http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_07/uk/signe.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526021559/http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_07/uk/signe.htm |archive-date=26 May 2008 |access-date=7 February 2015 |work=UNESCO}}</ref>

Concerns for the tomb's structural integrity have recently been raised because of a decline in the groundwater level in the Yamuna river basin, with cracks appearing in parts of the tomb in 2010 and the minarets surrounding the monument showing signs of tilting.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 July 2010 |title=Dry Yamuna could sink Taj Mahal |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/dry-yamuna-could-sink-taj-mahal-77866-2010-07-01 |access-date=1 December 2023 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412205640/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/dry-yamuna-could-sink-taj-mahal-77866-2010-07-01 |url-status=live}}</ref> Minor damage was reported due to storms on 11 April 2018 and 31 May 2020.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 April 2018 |title=India Taj Mahal minarets damaged in storm |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43735757 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125175717/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43735757 |archive-date=25 January 2019 |access-date=21 July 2018 |website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1 June 2020 |title=Deadly thunderstorm damages Taj Mahal |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1560444/deadly-thunderstorm-damages-taj-mahal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602151418/https://www.dawn.com/news/1560444/deadly-thunderstorm-damages-taj-mahal |archive-date=2 June 2020 |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=Dawn}}</ref> In the 2020s, the Government of India has undertaken various restoration measures, including placing mud packs to restore the white color and replacing broken marble.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5262395/taj-mahal-india-change-color-supreme-court/ |title=The Taj Mahal Is Changing Color. That Has India's Highest Court Concerned |date=1 May 2019 |magazine=Time |access-date=1 December 2023 |archive-date=12 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212201146/https://time.com/5262395/taj-mahal-india-change-color-supreme-court/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/tajs-dome-likely-to-go-under-mud-pack-for-6-months-beginning-october-a-first-in-its-history/articleshow/85077791.cms |title=For 1st time, Taj Mahal's main dome to get mud pack for 6 months |date=6 August 2022 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=1 December 2023 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821100232/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/tajs-dome-likely-to-go-under-mud-pack-for-6-months-beginning-october-a-first-in-its-history/articleshow/85077791.cms |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Taj Mahal to undergo major restoration, 400 stones to be replaced |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/taj-mahal-restoration-400-stones-replaced-1615621-2019-11-04 |date=26 March 2022 |work=[[India Today]] |access-date=1 December 2023 |archive-date=26 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526184602/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/taj-mahal-restoration-400-stones-replaced-1615621-2019-11-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>