Fears Taj Mahal has been damaged in flooding as water leaks into central tomb

Officials say they are assessing the extent of the damage as the Taj Mahal’s gardens flooded with water during sustained heavy rainfall

A still image from a video of Taj Mahal shows water flooding the garden of the monument (Screengrab/AjitSinghRathi)

Water is leaking into the central tomb of the Taj Mahal after three days of sustained heavy rainfall led to a crack appearing in the roof of India’s most famous landmark.

The government agency responsible for maintaining India’s monuments said it was urgently investigating the extent of the damage to the 17th-century mausoleum.

Videos circulating online showed one of the Taj Mahal’s four gardens completely inundated with water. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the structure itself, where officials said water had been observed.

“Moisture was observed inside the main mausoleum,” said Rajkumar Patel, a senior official with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). “There may be a hairline crack in the dome’s stones, causing the leakage.”

“The place where water drops are falling is being checked, to find out whether it is continuously in the same position or is falling intermittently. In any case, necessary repairs will be carried out. The garden will be rejuvenated once the rain stops,” Mr Patel told the Times of India.

The Taj Mahal, located in Agra in Uttar Pradesh state, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It was built by the emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

A government-approved tourist guide said the water leaking from the dome had reached the chamber which houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife.

The Taj Mahal remains one of the most iconic destinations in India, having been visited by many world leaders and prominent personalities, including perhaps most famously Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. More recently, the likes of former prime minister Boris Johnson and former US president Donald Trump have also included the monument on the itinerary for official visits.

The Princess of Wales sat alone in front of the monument to love, the Taj Mahal, during a royal tour of India in 1992 (PA)

This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the upkeep and maintenance of the most famous tourist site in India. Historians have blamed poor management of air and water pollution around the architectural marvel for causing the gradual yellowing of the monument, dulling its brilliant white marble.

It comes as much of northern India, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital Delhi, experienced heavy rainfall, inundating city streets due to a combination of poor drainage systems and inadequate urban planning.

This week Agra received 151mm of rain in a single day – the highest recorded in 80 years – causing damage and flooding at other historical sites such as Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri Fort.