But before the Indian government stepped in at the weekend, the 17th century marble monument's source of illumination was in danger of being cut off by a tourist complex of shopping malls, restaurants, multiplex cinemas and other entertainment facilities.

Construction on the project, less than 300 meters from the Taj Mahal, began in November but was halted by the Indian government, which said the new structure could divert the river during monsoon rains and damage the base of the monument.

Although no elevated structures have been built, work on filling up the river bed began months ago, leading to reports that the lack of water was damaging the red stone base of the Taj.

The minister for tourism, Jagmohan, said he had asked the Uttar Pradesh state government to investigate how the 1.75bn rupee (£22m) project was approved without federal authorization.

The state-run Archaeological Survey of India has filed a police complaint against the state-run National Project Construction Corp, which was hired by the Uttar Pradesh government for the project.

The aim of the mile-long construction scheme was to allow tourists to visit the monument without having to enter the city of Agra, and to relocate shops removed from the premises of the Taj Mahal under a supreme court order.

According to conservationists, the project was approved without any environmental assessment of its impact on the Taj, which was built by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan as a monument to his love for his favorite wife, Mumtazmahal.

An army of 20,000 stone masons, gem cutters, marble fitters and laborers toiled for 22 years to build it. Legend has it that the artisans that built the dome and its four tapering minarets had their hands cut off afterwards so that they would not be able to build anything to rival its beauty.

Soon after its completion, Shah Jehan was dethroned by his son and imprisoned a few miles away in the royal palace, the Red Fort, where he would gaze at the Taj using a small mirror positioned on a balcony.

If the construction project had been allowed to go ahead, a similarly positioned mirror would have shown a view of the back of a shopping mall.