India's largest state has launched an investigation into whether the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, is sinking into the earth after experts warned about the drying out of a nearby river.
This month two historians pointed out the Taj Mahal may already be tilting and could crumble or sink if the government of Uttar Pradesh, the state in which the Taj is located, did not pay immediate attention to the monument's immediate surroundings.
Of particular concern is the Yamuna river, which flows close to the Taj Mahal and now trickles rather than flows.
"Dangerous tilts in its minarets, first noticed in 1942 and mentioned in various reports, have continued to increase over the years," Ram Nath, a former head of history at Rajasthan University, told the Hindustan Times. "They are caused by the dry riverbed."
more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,12559,1331900,00.html