Hiding The Taj Mahal During World War II, 2 Rare Photos 1942
Two rare photographs from 1942 reveal how the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra was disguised during WWII. One of the images even shows an American soldier standing in front of the camouflaged Taj Mahal. At the time, British India was allied with the Allied Powers, while Japan and Germany, part of the Axis Powers, posed a significant threat of aerial attacks.
Since enemy bombings during wartime often targeted world-famous landmarks, the Taj Mahal was considered an obvious target. Alarmed by the possibility of air raids, the British Indian government took special precautions to protect the monument. Memories of the 1914 German warship Emden’s shelling of Madras (Chennai) during World War I were still fresh when buildings and landmarks were bombarded, causing fear and destruction.
To prevent a similar fate, the dome of the Taj Mahal was covered in bamboo scaffolding, creating the illusion of a large bamboo stockpile when seen from above. This camouflage was meant to confuse enemy pilots, who at the time relied heavily on the naked eye rather than advanced electronic targeting systems.
However, no attack was ever carried out on the Taj Mahal. It remains uncertain whether the bamboo camouflage would have been effective if the monument had indeed been targeted. These rare 1942 photos serve as a fascinating reminder of the extraordinary measures taken to protect India’s most famous monument during WWII.
Did you know – in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars, yet again, the Taj Mahal was believed to have been disguised.
From the collection – 1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Art Abstract (#1)., Madras Gymkhana Club, Old Postcard 1905., Crawford Market Mumbai – Rare Old Print 1874., Maharaja Of Travancore’s Elephants & Sunbeam Car.
