ASI slams unwarranted 'expert' opinions on Taj structure
Vijay Upadhyay
Agra Reacting strongly to the frequent concerns raised by environmentalists over the requirement of a healthy water level in Yamuna to preserve the Taj Mahal's foundation, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has termed these concerns "unnecessary".
Attributing the spread of such "hoaxes" to an overzealous section of the media, Mr D Dayalan, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, said there was no need for concern over the structural integrity of the Taj as the monument was perfectly safe from all natural calamities. He said such hoaxes were "a result of some overzealous journalists and so-called experts who bring out baseless scoops on the Taj time and again".
He said rumours that the Taj's minarets were tilting had been the result of a measurement error, on which the ASI could have easily provided information, being the sole authority on this subject.
However, instead of contacting the ASI, he said, a particular news agency sourced this information from some local people who claimed to be experts on the Taj. This resulted in the rumour of Taj's tilting minarets irresponsibly spread across the world. In reality, the Taj minarets have been in a tilted position since the construction of this monument, proved during the first survey of the minarets in 1935 and subsequent surveys conducted till 1980.
Mr Dayalan said, "The ASI conducts a complete survey of the monument every month which includes the minarets. If the need arises, agencies like the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are asked to provide their expert opinion in
structural matters."
The ASI official said concerns over the drying up of the water-filled foundations of the Taj due to the shifting of the river Yamuna were also baseless as "most of the foundation of the Taj is placed on solid ground and not on a water-borne raft of ebony".
He said that the Taj and all other monuments near the river in Agra have one common feature - a "ring formation" in the foundation facing the river to disperse the force of the river water during floods. "This foundation had given rise to the speculation that the entire Taj was based on a ring foundation when in fact the rest of the monument is based only upon a 'sandwich' of two layers of ebony rafters at the sub-soil level, forming an intermediate substrata to absorb terrestrial shocks that could arise from calamities like earthquakes," he said.
The Pioneer was the first to have reported the news of the tilting minarets as hoax last October; subsequently, others picked up the story.
Asked why the ASI did not issue an official statement against such rumours, Mr Dayalan said there were a lot of myths associated with all historical monuments with people continuously making up stories. Issuing "official statements" against such stories is not prudent, he said.
(UNITED NEWS NETWORK)
For any queries or feedback - univijay@rediffmail.com 9412282297, 9319108697
Agra Reacting strongly to the frequent concerns raised by environmentalists over the requirement of a healthy water level in Yamuna to preserve the Taj Mahal's foundation, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has termed these concerns "unnecessary".
Attributing the spread of such "hoaxes" to an overzealous section of the media, Mr D Dayalan, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, said there was no need for concern over the structural integrity of the Taj as the monument was perfectly safe from all natural calamities. He said such hoaxes were "a result of some overzealous journalists and so-called experts who bring out baseless scoops on the Taj time and again".
He said rumours that the Taj's minarets were tilting had been the result of a measurement error, on which the ASI could have easily provided information, being the sole authority on this subject.
However, instead of contacting the ASI, he said, a particular news agency sourced this information from some local people who claimed to be experts on the Taj. This resulted in the rumour of Taj's tilting minarets irresponsibly spread across the world. In reality, the Taj minarets have been in a tilted position since the construction of this monument, proved during the first survey of the minarets in 1935 and subsequent surveys conducted till 1980.
Mr Dayalan said, "The ASI conducts a complete survey of the monument every month which includes the minarets. If the need arises, agencies like the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are asked to provide their expert opinion in
structural matters."
The ASI official said concerns over the drying up of the water-filled foundations of the Taj due to the shifting of the river Yamuna were also baseless as "most of the foundation of the Taj is placed on solid ground and not on a water-borne raft of ebony".
He said that the Taj and all other monuments near the river in Agra have one common feature - a "ring formation" in the foundation facing the river to disperse the force of the river water during floods. "This foundation had given rise to the speculation that the entire Taj was based on a ring foundation when in fact the rest of the monument is based only upon a 'sandwich' of two layers of ebony rafters at the sub-soil level, forming an intermediate substrata to absorb terrestrial shocks that could arise from calamities like earthquakes," he said.
The Pioneer was the first to have reported the news of the tilting minarets as hoax last October; subsequently, others picked up the story.
Asked why the ASI did not issue an official statement against such rumours, Mr Dayalan said there were a lot of myths associated with all historical monuments with people continuously making up stories. Issuing "official statements" against such stories is not prudent, he said.
(UNITED NEWS NETWORK)
For any queries or feedback - univijay@rediffmail.com 9412282297, 9319108697
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