Indians are giving a warm welcome to US President Donald Trump who arrived in India on his first official visit. After Ahmedabad, he is expected to visit Agra during the 2-day tour.
There is an extensive preparation being done for his visit, from covering up of slums to assembling huge crowds in the stadium. Afterall both Indian PM and US President are quite fond of large crowds.
But the government initiative to clean the replicas of two graves inside the iconic Taj Mahal, the first time in over 300 years is getting most attention from the general public.
The replicas of graves are being given a clay pack treatment which involves the application of a thick layer of clay, followed by a wash with distilled water. The Yamuna river behind the Taj Mahal has also received 17 million liters of water.
This is the first time, the replicas of the graves of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal will be cleaned since their installation. While the monument has been cleaned previously, these graves were never cleaned before.
The chandelier above the graves is also being cleaned with tamarind water. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is undertaking this project, is to clean the entire monument to remove dark spots on walls and floors.
This is how Twitter reacted to the news of tombs being cleaned for the first time, ever.
Graves of Taj Mahal
The original Taj Mahal graves are only opened to the public for three days a year, to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Shah Jahan.
The gentlemen known as Urs. Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, who claims to descend from Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, also visits the graves to affirm his lineage to the Mughals.
Trump’s visit to the city of Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, is a high-security event that has brought a number of preparations with it.
Trump and his family are expected to visit the grave replicas during their trip to the Taj Mahal and not the actual grave because its entrance is just five feet high and the president’s security team has reportedly said that Trump will not bow down.
Trump is scheduled to visit India from February 24 to 25 to meet with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump’s first official visit to India comes at a time when both nations share an ever-closer defense partnership, but also have sharp differences over trade and investment barriers.
