The famous tombs at the Taj Mahal are being given a special clay pack treatment in honor of Donald Trump's visit. The Yamuna river behind the Taj Mahal has also received 17 million liters of water.
This is the first time the replicas of the graves are being cleaned since their installation more than 300 years ago.
The treatment involves the application of a thick layer of clay, followed by a wash with distilled water.
The clay pack is originally inspired from a traditional face pack Indian women apply to appear fairer. The Taj Mahal itself has been cleaned with a clay pack treatment five times, but the replicas of the graves were not cleaned. The real graves of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are in a chamber below the replicas.
Trump, who is due to visit the Taj Mahal with his wife, daughter, and son-in-law during his visit to India starting on Monday, may not visit the actual grave because the entrance is just five feet high. The president's security team, which visited the Taj Mahal recently, said that Trump will not bow down, even if it is to see a 17th-century grave.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed US President Donald Trump on his first visit to India. The whirlwind trip intended to strengthen ties and jumpstart business deals, was overshadowed by protests and violence.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Ngan
Modi meets Trump in his home state
After a 17-hour journey, US President Donald Trump touched down in Ahmedabad, marking the start of his first visit to India as president. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the US leader and first lady Melania Trump to his home state of Gujarat. The visit is intended to jump-start ties between the world’s two biggest democracies, which have recently been strained under trade tensions.
Image: Reuters/A. Drago
Violence overshadows visit
Seven people were killed and at least 90 injured in violent riots on the sidelines of Trump's visit. India has experienced weeks of unrest since a controversial new citizenship law came into force in December. Critics say the law discriminates against Muslims. The latest violence erupted when hundreds of supporters and opponents of the law clashed in a Muslim-dominated area of Delhi on Sunday.
Image: picture-alliance/Xinhua News Agency/Str
Thousands of spectators gather at new stadium
The visit featured a mega-rally at the city's newly-built cricket stadium — billed as the biggest in the world with its capacity to hold 100,000 people. The 22-kilometer (14-mile) stretch is lined with huge billboards featuring Modi and the Trumps.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Ngan
Trump's delegation
Trump's daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien also attended the "Namaste Trump" event at Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium.
Image: Reuters/A. Drago
Left-party activists protest visit
Activists of left-wing parties gathered in the city of Guwahati, in the northeastern state of Assam, to protest Trump's visit to India. Assam has seen an outbreak of protests against the Modi government's controversial citizenship bill, which some say undermine India's secular traditions and excludes Muslim Indians.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Dutta
India builds wall to hide slums
Trump's three-hour visit to Ahmedabad may cost civic authorities $13 million (€12 million), according to some estimates. This includes a wall built to hide one of the slums adjacent to the road expected to be used by Trump.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Solanki
Security measures tightened
ITC Maurya, the five-star hotel where Trump will be staying, has been turned into a fortress. Located in the city's secure Diplomatic Enclave, the hotel will not be accessible to the general public and all the 400+ rooms have been booked. Security teams from both the army and paramilitary forces will be patrolling the roads near the hotel and armed with snipers and sharp shooters.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Solanki
Trumps tour Taj Mahal
Trump and his wife visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Ahead of their visit, the famous tombs at the iconic 17th century mausoleum were given a special clay pack treatment. The Yamuna river behind the Taj Mahal also received 17 million liters of water. On his way into the UNESCO world heritage site, Trump told reporters that it was an "incredible place."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Ngan
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Indian graves
The original Taj Mahal graves are only opened to the public for three days a year, to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Shah Jahan, also known as Urs. Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, who claims to descend from Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, also visits the graves to affirm his lineage to the Mughals.
The chandelier above the graves is also being cleaned with tamarind water. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is undertaking this project, is to clean the entire monument to remove dark spots on walls and floors.
Trump's visit to the city of Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, is a high-security event that has brought a number of preparations with it.
The Yamuna river directly behind the Taj Mahal, which was until recently a parched lake, has received 17 million liters of water. Trump will reportedly be welcomed by dancers at the airport and the Taj Mahal is closed for tourists on the day of Trump's visit. The wall from the airport to the Taj Mahal has been painted with colorful depictions of India's cultural heritage. To protect Trump from monkeys in Agra, five langurs (large monkeys) will reportedly be deployed to scare off small monkeys on the route Trump will take to the Taj Mahal.
Trump is scheduled to visit India from February 24 to 25 to meet with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump's first official visit to India comes at a time when the two nations share an ever-closer defense partnership, but also have sharp differences over trade and investment barriers.
A billboard in the city of Ahmedabad in India before Trump's visit.Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Solanki
