The ASI’s monuments in India are doing brisk business as both Indians and foreigners flock to sample India’s history and culture. Revenues from tickets at monuments rose by about 12% to Rs 87 crore in 2010-11.
Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan’s tribute to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is the country’s top tourist attraction. The data from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on revenue from entrance fees at Indian monuments owned by the government, shows that Taj Mahal alone grossed around 23% of the total earnings for in 2010-11, at about Rs 20 crore.
Considering that the Delhi and Agra circles contribute around 70 per cent of the total revenue, this is not surprising. The third side of the golden triangle, Rajasthan, is not prominent in this list because the popular monuments do not appear to be under the ASI.
Collections at the second biggest attraction, the Agra fort, have dropped somewhat compared to last year. Its loss appears to have been Fatehpur Sikri’s gain, the fort complex which has similarities to the Agra fort. Fatehpur Sikri’s earnings jumped by 19% in 2010-2011, compared to a 5.5% decline in Agra Fort’s earnings.
Among the other well known tourist sites of the country, Mammalapuram in the Chennai circle grossed Rs 2.76 crore, Khajuraho in the Bhopal circle around Rs 2.6 crore, Sun temple, Konark in the Bhubaneshwar circle Rs 2.26 crore, Ajanta and Ellora caves in the Aurangabad circle together around Rs 2 crore, Hampi in the Bangalore circle Rs 1.34 crore and Elephanta Caves in the Mumbai circle around Rs 0.9 crore.
The top 5 monuments of India ranked as per April-March 2011 revenue from entrance fees are as below –
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Revenues – Top 5 monuments
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2011 |
Change% |
|
Taj Mahal |
19.9 |
15 |
|
Agra fort |
10.4 |
-5 |
|
Qutub Minar |
10.1 |
13 |
|
Humayun’s Tomb |
6.2 |
11 |
|
Red fort |
5.9 |
6 |
| Source: ASI | ||