NEW DELHI: Taj Mahal remains the highest revenue-generating monument in India. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has collected about Rs 132 crore from the sale of tickets at the ‘monument of love’ in the last three years.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when all heritage sites and monuments were closed for months and had a cap on the numbers of visitors, the crowning glory of India’s tourism fetched over Rs 9.5 crore in 2019-20, which was the highest revenue collection from a centrally protected historical building.
Earning from the Taj is about 24 per cent of total revenue generated by the ASI from the sale of entry tickets for three financial years from 2019 to 2022. In 2019-20, revenue earned from Taj Mahal was Rs 97.5 crore while in 2021-22, it was Rs 25.61 crore.
The ASI received additional Rs 17.76 crore in the last three years with the sale of a separate entry permit costing Rs 200 for the main mausoleum (marble enclosure), which houses replicas of the graves of the Mughal royalty. This new arrangement was introduced in December 2018.
The Survey manages and protects 3,693 monuments, including 143 ticketed sites, in the country.
All these protected monuments and sites were closed in March 2020 after the Covid outbreak. After the pandemic subsided, the heritage buildings were reopened but some, which were in containment zones, remained out of bounds for tourists.
Other significant revenue grossers are Red Fort and Qutub Minar in Delhi, which earned Rs 6.01 crore and Rs 5.07 crore, respectively, in 2021-2022. Before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, the ASI’s proceeds from 16th century fort-palace in 2019-20 was Rs 16.23 crore and in 2020-21, it was Rs 90 lakh.
The Survey earned Rs 20.17 crore from the sale of tickets of Qutub Minar in 2019-20. During the pandemic year, the revenue from 12th century brick minaret plummeted to Rs 1.56 crore.
The Agra Fort, the group of monuments at Mamallapuram, the Sun Temple at Konark, Chittorgarh Fort, Khajuraho grup of temples, Ellora Caves, Shaniwar Wada in Pune, Golconda Fort in Hyderabad and Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi also feature in the list of highest revenue generating heritage sites of ASI.