The two other sites high on the revenue-earning list are the Agra Fort and the Qutb Minar in Delhi. There are 22 cultural and five natural sites in the country that are in the World Heritage List of Unesco, and the analysis covers the 16 monuments/sites that are under the jurisdiction of the Archeological Survey of India.
In each of the previous three years, the Taj has earned only slightly lower than the total revenue earned by the Agra Fort and the Qutb Minar combined.
Take for example the year 2007, when the Taj Mahal earned approximately Rs 17.28 crore as gate money, as against Agra Fort’s about Rs 10.12 crore and Qutb Minar’s Rs 9 crore.
The same story gets repeated in 2008 and 2009, during which the Taj earned Rs 17.42 crore and Rs 14.87 crore, as against Agra Fort’s Rs 10.93 crore and Rs 9.25 crore and the Qutb’s Rs 9 crore and Rs 10.42 crore approximately.
The slight dip in the figures during 2009 can probably be attributed to the global recession, and is reflected in the figures for all the monuments.
Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra and built by Mughal emperor Akbar, is another leading earner, its gate revenues standing at over Rs 5 crore in the first two years and Rs 4.29 crore in 2009.
The Ajanta caves in Maharashtra earned over Rs 1 crore each in 2007 and 2008 and about Rs 92 lakh during 2009, while the Ellora caves earned Rs 87.7 lakh, Rs 1.02 crore and Rs 1.21 crore in the three years respectively.
The Hampi group of monuments in Karnataka, which earned over Rs 1 crore in both 2007 and 2008, however, saw an unusually high number of visitors during 2009, going by the over Rs 3.5 crore it earned during the year.
The Buddhist monuments in Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, the Khajuraho group of temples, the Sun Temple at Konark, the group of monuments at Mamallapuram and Pattadakal, the Red Fort and Humayun’s tomb in Delhi, the Champaner-Pavagarh Archeological Park and the Elephanta Caves off Mumbai are the other top tourist attractions going by revenue earned from entrance fees.
DH News Service
*Taj Mahal’s gate fee collection around Rs 14.87 cr in 2009
* Agra Fort and Qutb Minar in second and third positions
* Hampi in Karnataka earned over Rs 3.5 cr last year
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