A parliamentary committee last year had also inspected the Taj Mahal and discovered black spots on the marble.
Experts at IITs across the country should be consulted to assess whether smoke from cremations is damaging the Taj Mahal, the Supreme Court said to the government today.
The concerns about a crematorium in Agra located between the city's famous fort and the Taj have been shared by environmentalists and a Supreme Court judge who visited the monument late last year.
"It's not just a question of (the) cremation ground in Agra, there must be so many cremations grounds adding to pollution. It's time to look at environment-friendly and less polluting cremation technology," said the top court's judges today.
Up to 25 funeral pyres are lit every day at the crematorium near the Taj Mahal, with experts including the local pollution board pointing out that smoke could smear the beautiful marble of one of the seven wonders of the world.
A parliamentary committee last year had also inspected the monument and discovered black spots on the marble and had asked the Archaeological Survey of India, responsible for the preservation of the Taj, to intervene urgently.
The ASI had then asked for the cremation ground to be relocated, but local groups have objected to that.
The case will next be heard at the end of March.