Workers examine the damage caused to a railing at the Taj Mahal after a heavy rainstorm in Agra on Friday. AFP
Workers examine the damage caused to a railing at the Taj Mahal after a heavy rainstorm in Agra on Friday. AFP
Workers examine the damage caused to a railing at the Taj Mahal after a heavy rainstorm in Agra on Friday. AFP
Workers examine the damage caused to a railing at the Taj Mahal after a heavy rainstorm in Agra on Friday. AFP

Asia

Taj Mahal damaged in deadly Indian thunderstorm

The country’s top tourist attraction has been shut since mid-March because of the coronavirus outbreak

Agence France Presse

May 31, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

A deadly thunderstorm that rolled across parts of northern India damaged sections of the Taj Mahal complex, including the main gate and a railing that runs below the mausoleum’s five domes.

India’s top tourist attraction has been shut since mid-March as part of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Images showed workers assessing the damaged railing, after the storm battered Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday night.

“One sandstone railing which was a part of the original structure has been damaged,” Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, superintending archaeologist at the Archaeological Survey of India, said.

“One marble railing which was a later addition, a false ceiling in the tourist holding area and the base stone of the main gate has also been damaged.”

He said no damage was caused to the main structure of the monument, which was built under orders from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth in 1631.

Local media reports said the storm killed at least 13 people in two Uttar Pradesh districts on Friday.

Fatal lightning strikes are relatively common during the June to October monsoon season.

Last year, at least 150 people were killed by lightning in August and September in Madhya Pradesh state in central India.

Did you know?

Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.

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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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