Even in the face of a pandemic, the Taj Mahal remains the highest-revenue-generating monument in India according to a recent survey.
In the last three years – 2019 to 2022 – Taj Mahal generated approximately INR 132 crore from the sale of tickets.
The monument also saw a very high number of visitors buying tickets for the main mausoleum for which there was a separate entry ticket, a new system which was introduced in 2018.
The main mausoleum houses replicas of the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaj Mahal. During the covid pandemic, all heritage sites and monuments were closed for visitors for several months, Taj Mahal too had a cap on the number of tourists visiting but even then, the monument fetched over INR 9.5 crore (2019-2020).
Taj Mahal is a monument that is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the ASI protects and manages a total of 3,693 monuments in India, out of which 143 sites have entry tickets.
The reopening of the heritage sites when the pandemic subsided, broke the monotony of being confined to homes during the pandemic and the lockdown.
Apart from the Taj Mahal, ASI’s managed monuments like the Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Agra Fort, the group of monuments at Mamallapuram, Konark Sun Temple, Chittorgarh Fort, Khajuraho group of temples, Ellora caves, Shaniwar Wada, Golconda Fort and Humayun’s Tomb are some of the highest revenue generating sites in the country.
