Source – time.com<\/p>\n
India\u2019s iconic Taj Mahal has turned a sickly color. Its regal white walls have been stained brown and green by insects and pollution, and the country\u2019s Supreme Court\u00a0is urging\u00a0the government to do more to protect one of the world\u2019s most famous buildings.<\/p>\n
Located in Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the 17th Century mausoleum, famed across the globe for its white marble facade, has turned shades of yellow, brown, and green, India\u2019s Supreme Court said, according to the Hindustan\u00a0Times<\/em>. Construction, increasing pollution, and excrement from insects drawn to the nearby Yamuna River are thought to be among the culprits.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you have the expertise, you are not utilizing it. Or perhaps you don\u2019t care,\u201d the court\u2019s justices said, ordering the government to consult experts in India and abroad to address the issue.<\/p>\n The problem is not a new one. The government previously closed thousands of nearby factories in an\u00a0effort to preserve\u00a0the monument\u2019s shining facade, the BBC reports. And the Taj Mahal undergoes periodic\u00a0mud washes\u00a0to absorb dirt and other contaminants.<\/p>\n The Taj Mahal receives 7 to 8 million\u00a0visitors annually, according to the Indian government, and is considering\u00a0limiting domestic tourists\u00a0to 40,000 per day in an effort to protect the nearly 400-year-old palace,\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reported in January.<\/p>\n But those efforts seem to have done little to stop the discoloration, and the Supreme Court justices are giving Indian authorities a week to respond.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to save it,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a\u00a0funeral memorial\u00a0to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.<\/p>\n