Taj Mahal earned a whopping ₹98 crore through ticket sales in FY24; how much did Qutub Minar and Red Fort make?
- For all the five years between FY20 and FY24, Taj Mahal topped the list, a written reply from the government shared in a tabular format showed. Here is what else it revealed about ASI revenues.
₹98,55,27,533. This is the amount of money the Taj Mahal generated in FY24 through ticket sales alone, topping the list of earnings made by ASI-protected monuments through the route.
The Mughal-era mausoleum, built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, generated a revenue of ₹297 crore in the last five years, according to data shared by the government. In FY24 alone, the collection through ticket sales was over ₹98.5 crore, the data showed.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the data in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
He was asked the amount that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has received from selling entry tickets to various monuments in the last five years, year-wise and monument-wise. He was also asked to disclose data on the monuments that have received the highest income through sale of entry tickets in the last five years.
Taj Mahal statistics
For all the five years, Taj Mahal topped the list, the written reply shared in a tabular format showed.
The data further showed that in FY24, the Taj Mahal saw a footfall of 67,80,215 people, the highest in the preceding five financial years.
The ticket sale amount was also the highest since FY20. In that financial year, the Taj Mahal collected ₹97,11,09,995 via ticket sales.
Top 10 monuments collecting highest revenue
Here is a list of the top 10 monuments protected by the ASI collecting through ticket sales:
| Sl. No. | Circle | Monument | Revenue (in ₹ cr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agra | Taj Mahal | 98.5 |
| 2 | Delhi | Qutub Minar | 23.8 |
| 3 | Delhi | Red Fort | 18 |
| 4 | Agra | Agra Fort | 15.3 |
| 5 | Bhubaneswar | Sun Temple, Konark | 12.7 |
| 6 | Delhi | Humayun's Tomb | 10 |
| 7 | Chennai | Group of Monuments, Mamallapuram | 7.4 |
| 8 | Aurangabad | Ellora Caves | 7.1 |
| 9 | Agra | Fatehpur Sikri | 6.7 |
| 10 | Jodhpur | Chittorgarh Fort | 4.3 |
ASI revenue from other monuments
In FY20, the Agra Fort in Agra and Qutub Minar in Delhi were in the second and third positions.
In FY21, the Group of Monuments Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu and Sun Temple, Konark were in the second and third positions. In FY24, Qutub Minar and Red Fort of Delhi were in the second and third positions, generating a revenue of ₹23,80,16,983 and ₹18,08,90,825 respectively.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century and it is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
It is among one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The Mughal era masoleum is built with ivory white marble, located right on the bank of river Yamuna in Agra. The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, which has elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.
The Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage in 1983 and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.”
- The Taj Mahal remains the top revenue-generating monument in India.
- Ticket sales for ASI-protected monuments have shown a significant increase in FY24.
- Comparison of revenues highlights the popularity of Indian heritage sites beyond the Taj Mahal.
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