India's white marvel, the Taj Mahal, which means "crown of palaces", the  monument of love, one of the 07 wonders of the world  is slowly turning brownish-yellow and is detoriating because of air pollution.
It is a white marlble mausoleum located on the southern bank of Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra. Commissioned in 1632 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his Favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India". It is one of the world's most celebrated structures and a symbol of India's rich history. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Taj Mahal attracts some 3 million visitors a year.

But, Despite all this Facts, the symbol of Love and a milestone in History is fading away from its glory due to pollution.
Taj Mahal houses their graves and a mosque, as well as several other graves of Mughal royalty. Around 30 lakh tourists visit the site every year.

It was also noted that the ambient particulate concentration, which is an indicator of air pollution, was significantly higher than the annual world Health Organization guidelines.
To cut back on pollution, cars and buses are not permitted to drive to the Taj Mahal but must be parked at a lot about 2km away, where visitors can take battery-run buses or horse-drawn carriages. The measures already taken by the government are not enough and more stringent guidelines are needed to protect the heritage building according to the studies done on Taj.

Negligence is also one of the major reson for its detoriation. Recently, a 60-kg British-era copper chandelier at the main entrance of 17th century Taj Mahal crashed down.

A recent study found that high levels of light absorbing particles including black carbon, light absorbing organic carbon (brown carbon) and dust was present in the area around the monument.
The study estimated the impact the deposited particles had on the perceived colour of the Taj Mahal by the human eye. Results indicated the light-absorbing dust, black carbon and the brown carbon generated from the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass were responsible for the discolouration.
Concerns for the tomb's structural integrity have recently been raised because of a decline in the groundwater level in the Yamuna river basin which is falling at a rate of around 5 feet a year. In 2010, cracks appeared in parts of the tomb, and the minarets which surround the monument were showing signs of tilting, as the wooden foundation of the tomb may be rotting due to lack of water.

Last month, Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad, the city of glass and bangles, was  surveyed for air pollution caused by its glass units operating  within the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) covering the Taj Mahal and 40 other protected monuments.
The world famous glass industries which have been in news since 1990s for environmental hazard was inspected for pollution that they are causing and air samples from entire area of Firozabad was be collected.

Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution in the shape of trapezoid. The Supreme Court of India delivered a ruling on December 30, 1996 regarding industries covered under the TTZ, in response to a PIL seeking to protect the Taj Mahal from environmental pollution. It banned the use of coal/ coke in industries located in the TTZ with a mandate for switching over from coal/ coke to natural gas, and relocating them outside the TTZ or shutting down. The TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage Sites — the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

TTZ was a great step towards protection of Taj Mahal but its implementation has always been debated. In 2011 it was reported that some predictions indicated that the tomb could collapse within 5 years which has fortunately not been true. Government and people collectively need to take steps for saving Taj. The symbol of love is dying due of negligence of people and government. It needs to be saved.