A dense smog blanketed the Taj Mahal in Agra on Thursday as pollution levels surged, obscuring the iconic monument from view. Tourists captured visuals showing the Taj Mahal nearly invisible behind the haze.

Officials blame high pollution, combined with humidity, becalmed winds and a drop in temperature for the smog, which cut visibility to 300 metres at the city’s international airport

Toxic smog obscured India’s famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, as well as Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and delayed flights on Thursday, becoming too thick to see through in several places.

Toxic smog obscured India's famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, as well as Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and delayed flights ..

The iconic monument Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh Agra was blanketed in a thin layer of haze even as the city air quality was recorded atisfactory on Sund

To combat worsening air quality, India's government has banned non-essential construction and encouraged residents to avoid burning coal for heating.

Toxic smog blanketed northern India on Thursday, becoming too thick to see through in several places, as high levels of pollution combined with humidity, low wind speed, and a drop in temperature, officials said.