india

Updated: Dec 09, 2018 23:51 IST

In yet another ticket hike at Taj Mahal this year, visitors from Monday will have to pay another Rs 200 to enter the main mausoleum, which houses replicas of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal’s graves. Early this year, the entry charge for domestic tourists was increased from Rs 40 to Rs 50.

The move will hit domestic tourists the hardest, increasing their overall ticket price by five times (Rs 250), if they wish to see the grave replicas.

Meanwhile, foreign tourists and visitors from SAARC nations, who were already paying higher entry charges of Rs 1,100 and Rs 540, will also have to shell out Rs 200 more if they want to enter the main mausoleum, taking their overall ticket prices to Rs 1,300 and Rs 740 respectively.

Officials said the move is an initiative by the ministry of culture to implement step ticketing at Taj.

“Any tourist, Indian or foreigner, will be required to pay Rs 200 extra if they intend to go inside the main mausoleum to view the graves of the Mughal emperor and his wife.

The arrangement will come in force from Monday,” informed Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, superintending archaeologist, Agra circle, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

“A notification to be effective from December 10 has been issued after directions from the headquarters in Delhi, and a copy has been circulated to all those concerned,” he said.

The primary notification in this regard was published by the ASI on September 14, 2018. The ASI had invited objections to the extra charge within 45 days.

The original graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are located in the basement of the main mausoleum.

However, these are inaccessible to visitors throughout the year, barring the three days of Shah Jahan’s ‘Urs’ when the way to the basement is unlocked for devotees to pay obeisance to the Mughal emperor.

What the visitors get to see while visiting the Taj are the artistic replicas of these graves, located above the original resting place of the emperor and his wife.