As Bibi Ka Maqbara, a 17th-century Mughal-era monument in Maharashtra's Aurangabad city is currently shut due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has embarked on its repair and conservation work.
The ASI has started conserving paintings and marble parts of this popular tourist attraction, a senior official said.
"The conservation of the monument is being done in three parts- paintings inside the entrance gate, the domes and the partitions carved in marble around the grave," deputy superintending archaeological chemist Shrikant Mishra said on Thursday.
The entrance gate, where the tickets are checked, have paintings from inside, which are being scientifically conserved, he said.
"The work of colour reintegration has been undertaken and the material required for that has been called from Rajasthan," he said.
The key dome of the main structure will undergo the process of scientific conservation and cleaning, Mishra said.
The intricate net partitions carved in marble inside the monument will also undergo the same processes, he added.
According to him, the work will cost around Rs 50 lakh and it would go on for the next two to three months.
"The paintings conservation work may take some more time," he said.
When contacted, historian Dulari Qureshi said she welcomes the ASI's move, but stressed the need to restore other parts of the monument as well.
"There are domes on four sides of Bibi Ka Maqbara, which are also deteriorating at a fast pace. These domes also need to be conserved," she said.
The structure, known as the 'Taj of the Deccan' because of its striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, was commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1660 in the memory of his wife Dilras Banu Begum.
