Taj Mahal closed, annual Shah Jahan Urs not to be held

The annual three day Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan,builder of the iconic Taj Mahal, will not be held, as scheduled from March 21,as the historic monuments including the Taj in the city have been shut downtill March 31, in the wake of COVID-19.

This will be the first time in the history of the Taj, thatthe annual Urs will not be held.

   

During the three day Urs, entry remains free and a series offunctions are organised. Work on the 365 metre long chadar, to be offered, hadbegun.

A member of the organising committee said, the conventionwould indeed be disrupted, but the safety of the country was more important.

The whole area around the Taj Mahal wears a deserted look.The Taj is visited by around 30,000 people daily. For the past one month therehad been a steep decline.

Agra mayor Navin Jain had asked for closure of themonuments, in a letter to the union tourism minister, a fortnight ago.

The Agra Development Authority used to earn around Rs 14crore daily from ticket sales.

On Tuesday, a pall of gloom descended on the tourism sector,as guides, photographers, taxi drivers, hoteliers were left with no work.

The once crowded parking areas were vehicle free. The elevenfive star hotels and around 25 three star hotels, plus countless guest houses,dharamshalas and smaller hotels are waiting for customers. How long this waitwill be, uncertainty continues.

Only during the 1971 war with Pakistan, the Taj Mahal wasclosed for more than a week. During the flood in 1978, it was again closed fora couple of days.

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