India has been home to many world heritage sites, which reflects the country's rich cultural and architecture heritage. The symbol of love - Taj Mahal - is one such heritage that every Indian is proud of. Built in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal is located on the bank of the Yamuna in Agra, which is about 220 kilometres from Delhi, India.

It is the unique design and the timeless appeal of the Taj Mahal that sets it apart from other world heritage sites. It is this character of the Taj Mahal that has made it a wonder that people from across the world tour India to see it.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which, encourages the protection and preservation of heritage sites world over declared Taj Mahal a world heritage site in 1983. Once on the world heritage list, a monument receives patronage from the Unesco in terms of technical assistance and professional training. The organization also provides emergency assistance and public awareness for world heritage conservation.

But recently a project that proposed to build a heritage corridor between the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort was in the centre of controversy. The Taj Corridor project drew flak from all quarters, as experts believed the construction of the corridor on the riverbed might alter the course of the Yamuna and would lead to ecological problems. This may have posed a threat to the Taj Mahal, a world heritage site. The work on the Taj Heritage Corridor Project had already begun but it was stopped immediately.

In spite of the Supreme Court order that prohibited construction around Taj trapezium (the area in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal that has many historical monuments), without proper approval, the Taj Heritage Corridor project took off in the garb of an environment-cum-heritage project.

The Rs. 175 crore project envisaged a heritage corridor complex comprising shopping malls, tourist complexes, amusement parks and restaurants, stretching about two kilometres on the Yamuna bed from the Agra Fort to the Taj Mahal. Experts felt the filling of the riverbed would narrow the Yamuna, which might put the Taj's foundation under threat.

The project was not only a risk for the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort but it had violated the rule prohibiting construction within 300 meters of monuments. As it was found the construction work of the Taj Heritage Corridor Project had almost touched the wall of the Agra Fort.

As fallout of these developments, the heritage status of the Taj Mahal had come under threat. As the Unesco said, that it might put the Taj Mahal under 'World Heritage in Danger' list, if it found, "the new complex would affect the authenticity and integrity of the site and would have a negative visual impact."

But thankfully, nothing that sort of happened.