A first at the Taj

Team L&M

Corona Virus is not only bringing the present-day life to a standstill. It is even making the past succumb to its pressure. With the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) deciding to shut all its protected monuments till March 31 for public, the annual three-day Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan will not be held as per schedule on March 21. This is for the first time in the history of the Taj that the event has been postponed.
There have been two other occasions when the Taj was shut — during the 1971 war with Pakistan when it was closed for over a week and then during the 1978 floods when it was closed for a couple of days.
The annual Urs witnesses an average of 30,000 visitors every day as the entry is free and a number if functions are organised. In fact, work on the 365-m long chaadar to be offered, had already begun. Though the convention would get disrupted, shared an organising committee member, the safety of the country was the primary concern.