Historic monument remains India’s highest-earning ASI-protected site through ticket sales, says government
The Taj Mahal, India’s most iconic monument, has emerged as the highest revenue-generating site protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), bringing in a massive ₹297 crore over the last five financial years through entry ticket sales, the government revealed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Taj Mahal leads ASI earnings every year between FY2019-20 and FY2023-24, underlining its global tourism appeal.
In a written response, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared official data that places the 17th-century Mughal-era mausoleum at the top of ASI’s monument revenue charts for five consecutive fiscal years. The monument, commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan, continues to draw millions of tourists annually, both domestic and international.
The most recent fiscal year (FY23-24) saw Delhi’s Qutub Minar and Red Fort follow in second and third positions, with revenues of ₹23.8 crore and ₹18.08 crore respectively
Other ASI monuments see varied performance across years
Minister Shekhawat also shared a breakdown of year-wise and monument-wise earnings. In FY19-20, Agra Fort and Qutub Minar were among the top earners after the Taj Mahal. However, during FY20-21, when tourism was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamil Nadu’s Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram and Odisha’s Sun Temple in Konark took the next highest spots after the Taj.
Despite fluctuations at other monuments, the Taj Mahal’s consistent revenue shows its unmatched prominence in India’s cultural tourism landscape.
