A dry Yamuna threatens the Taj

When Shah Jahan decided to build the Taj Mahal on a wooden base on the banks of the Yamuna, he got everything right from design to science. Except for one thing — he never factored in the Yamuna going dry. In the Mughal era, wood was used to lay solid foundations. And Shah Jahan did not stint on the ebony, which props the Taj up. But even the finest ebony in the world needs a steady stream of moisture to ensure it does not expand or contract, posing a grave threat to the structure. That is where, experts say, a dry Yamuna could play havoc with the Taj’s foundation, making a solid love story in marble wobbly at the base. In the past decade or so, the ‘perennial’ river has been completely drying up in the summer months in Agra, posing a potent threat to India’s most famous monument.