February 16, 2008	Saturday	Safar 08, 1429

LUCKNOW, Feb 15: Indian archaeologists have started giving a face-lift to the centuries-old Taj Mahal by applying a mud pack to the marble exteriors of the country’s most famous monument.

The aim of the mud pack is to restore the gleam to the 17th-century architectural wonder in the northern city of Agra, about 400 km from the capital.

“The first phase of the mud packing will take about five months,” N.K. Samadia, an Archaeological Survey of India official, said by telephone from Agra.

He said work started on the exterior on Wednesday. After that, the mausoleum’s interiors will be treated.

Last year, an Indian parliamentary committee said airborne particles were being deposited on the monument’s white marble, giving it a yellow tinge.

The mud pack will remain on the marble for about two or three days and then peeled off.

“That would be followed by a distilled-water wash of the surface to give the Taj a new look,” Samadia said. The Taj Majal received a similar mud pack treatment in 2002, he said.

The renovation will be done by a team of around 150 people.

—Reuters