Agra: Entry tickets for the Taj Mahal and other historical monuments in Agra will now cost more.
Announcing the new rates, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said that a domestic tourist will have to pay Rs 40 ticket, instead of Rs 20. Likewise, a foreign visitor will have to shell out Rs 1,000 against Rs 750 earlier.
The new rates will come into effect from April 1, the ASI said.
Visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, who are treated on a par with Indians, however, will be charged domestic rates.
Tourists will also pay more for tickets to Sikandra, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Etmauddaula and other lesser known monuments.
The ASI notification to hike the entry fee comes in the backdrop of reports that a pinnacle of one of the four minarets of the Taj Mahal fell off during repair work.
The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being ‘the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage’.
Chemical cleaning of the white marble Taj Mahal has been going on for the past few months.
