Taj Mahal being turned into a shopping mall

A bit OT but how far will commercialization go?
NEW DELHI: Imagine a shopping mall as the backdrop of the Taj Mahal instead of the picturesque Yamuna. Is this an architectural nightmare? No, this could soon be the ugly reality. The UP government has started the construction of the Heritage Corridor on the banks of the Yamuna, behind the monument. The UP government has decided to fill up the river bed behind the Taj in order to build a shopping complex, the work for which has already begun. The Central and the state government have sanctioned Rs 175 crore for the construction of the Taj Heritage Corridor, even as environmental conservationists are decrying the 'scandalous' nature of the project.

The state government's grandiose project to link Agra's important monuments — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ram Bagh, Etmatuddula and Chinni-Ka-Roza — is supposed to allow tourists to visit these monuments without entering Agra. The mall is a part of that project. print article at Times of India

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Dabitch's picture

Pleeeease someone let me design the sign for the "Taj Mahll". :P

Dabitch's picture

Anyone been there yet (my pilgrimage is long overdue) and can tell us how much damage this is:

decided to fill up the river bed behind the Taj.

Is it the river bed I've seen in countless photographs?

anonymous's picture

Yes, I have been there. Yes, it is the river Yamuna which you have seen in countless photographs. The damage is terrible because they are changing the course of the river, and lest we forget, building a mall. This is cultural genocide.