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The Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year:
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Answer: Option D — 1983
Detailed Solution
The Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, along with the Agra Fort; these were among the first sites in India to be included in the World Heritage list.
India's first World Heritage Sites (1983):
- Agra Fort.
- Taj Mahal.
- Ajanta Caves.
- Ellora Caves.
UNESCO's description:
UNESCO describes the Taj Mahal as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".
Other recognition:
In 2007, the Taj Mahal was named one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" in a global poll organised by a private foundation.
Protecting the Taj Mahal:
The white marble of the Taj Mahal has been affected by air pollution, which causes yellowing and discolouration.
In 1996, in the case of M. C. Mehta v. Union of India, the Supreme Court ordered industries in the "Taj Trapezium Zone" (TTZ), an area of about 10,400 square km around the Taj, to switch to natural gas or relocate.
Vehicles are not allowed close to the monument; visitors use battery-operated vehicles.
The marble is periodically cleaned with a special clay pack (multani mitti, Fuller's earth).
About the Taj Mahal:
- It was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
- It combines elements of Persian, Central Asian and Indian architecture.
- Its white marble surface appears to change colour at different times of the day.
- The poet Rabindranath Tagore described it as "a teardrop on the cheek of time".
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India:
India has more than 40 World Heritage Sites, including cultural, natural and mixed sites.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1986, 1993 and 2007 are the years when other Mughal monuments were listed.
Quick tip
Remember: Taj Mahal and Agra Fort = UNESCO 1983 (with Ajanta and Ellora, India's first sites); Taj Trapezium Zone (Supreme Court, 1996); "a teardrop on the cheek of time" (Tagore).
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.