The entrance to the Taj Mahal is more expensive than before. The tourism board have hiked ticket rates to the entrance and the main mausoleum of Taj Mahal
The main mausoleum contains the original graves of Mughal ruler Shah Jahan and his love Mumtaz Mahal.
The tourism board have set three slab rates based on the location of visitors -
Visitors from all over India -
Any tourists who is an Indian citizen has to pay ₹50 for an entrance ticket, this would permit access around the marble structure, and visit the rear site that faces the Yamuna river. The ₹50 ticket does not include access to the mausoleum.
For Indian's who want to visit the graves housed inside the mausoleum the ticket price is ₹250 per visitor.
Visitors from SAARC & BIMSTEC countries -
People who belong to the SAARC and BIMSTEC nations i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand would have to pay ₹540 to enter the mausoleum.
Visitors from elsewhere-
Foreign citizens who don't belong to the SAARC or BIMSTEC countries would need to pay ₹1300 for an entrance ticket to the mausoleum.
Children who are below the age of 15 do not need any entrance ticket, its free.
All entrance tickets to the Taj Mahal are valid for 3 hours, if any visitor exceeds the duration he/she would have to buy another ticket.
The move came after a stampede occured inside the mausoleum in 2017, this damaged and weakened the inner historic structure. Activists knocked the doors of the Supreme Court of India, and demanded for an immediate restoration drive.
Archaeological survey of India recommended the hike in ticket prices of the Taj Mahal, it aims to reduce the number of visitors to the main mausoleum, and prevent any further damage.
The Government's central or state have not been able to maintain the existing historic but continue to spend large sums of public money on statues and buildings.