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Lord Curzon, the viceroy of India (1898-1905) had a deep interest in the preservation and restoration of the Mogul historic monuments in India, especially the Taj Mahal.
Before he initiated the restoration project, the Taj seemed deserted and bore a look of abandonment. The once lavishly decorated gardens, beautiful water fountains and flourishing flower beds were all shriveling away. Fortunately, the work continued even after he left India and was completed in 1908. After the refurbishment and renovation work was complete, the governor general for want of acknowledgement and recognition, wanted his name on the Taj Mahal. As an unconventonal token for the same, he ordered his skilled workers to custom make a beautiful brass lamp. It is said this lamp is a copy of an antique piece of art he has seen in a mosque in the city of Cairo in Egypt.
Below is the image of the original lamp which has been hanging from the dome upon the two tombs since the early nineteen hundreds.
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Extremely proud of his own contributions to the restoration of the Taj, Lord Curzon gave a speech from the plinth of the Taj Mahal itself. This was recorded by Diana and Michael Preston in their book. He proudly announced: ”If I’d never done anything else in India, I have written my name here and the letters are a living joy.”
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