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60-Kg, 6-Feet-High Copper Chandelier Crashes Inside Taj Mahal, ASI Wants To Know Why

60-Kg, 6-Feet-High Copper Chandelier Crashes Inside Taj Mahal, ASI Wants To Know Why
Side profile of a young woman taking a picture through window with a digital camera, Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Side profile of a young woman taking a picture through window with a digital camera, Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

AGRA — A 60-kg British-era copper chandelier at the main entrance of 17th century Taj Mahal crashed down recently, prompting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to initiate a probe into the matter.

The six-feet high and four-feet wide chandelier, gifted by Lord Curzon and installed at the Royal Gate of Taj Mahal in 1905, fell down on Wednesday, sources said.

A probe under ASI's superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikram has been initiated into the matter, they said.

Though there was no official word as to what caused the chandelier to fall, the sources said it probably came down due to "aging and wear and tear".

"Luckily, there was no one around or else it would have resulted in a major tragedy," a tourist guide Ved Gautam said.

On Thursday, Agra ASI chief Bhuvan Vikram Singh had said that the decision to fix the chandelier would be taken only after carefully examining its structure and its present state.

Meanwhile, some tourist guides have accused the ASI officials of "gross negligence" and questioned their expertise in handling the monument's artifacts.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.