One can soon take in the sights of Humayunās Tomb and Safdarjung Tomb at night, with the government deciding to keep 10 heritage monuments open to the public from sunrise till 9 pm.
The announcement was made by Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Monday. Most monuments are closed for visitors by 6 pm.
Besides Humayunās Tomb and Safdarjung Tomb in the capital, the extended timings will apply to Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneswar, Dulhadev Temple in Khajuraho, Sheikh Chilliās Tomb in Kurukshetra, Group of Monuments at Pattadakal in Karnataka, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, Group of Temples in Maharashtra (Markanda), Man Mahal in Varanasi and Rani ki Vav in Gujaratās Patan.
Safdarjung tomb
The change in timings will be effective for a period of three years, the minister said.
It has not been specified when the change will come into effect.
A senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said, āKeeping the monuments open till late night requires elaborate security arrangements. As soon as that falls into place, we shall implement the move one by one at these sites.ā
Most of the monuments mentioned in the list come under the ASIās purview, while others are temples.
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āSome places in the list are temples that are popular both among tourists and locals. People also visit temples at night. Hence, a decision was taken to extend their visiting time beyond 6 pm,ā the minister said.
The government has drawn up a list of 35 monuments proposed to be kept open to the public till 10 pm.
However, a decision was taken by the committee to introduce the new timings in 10 of the sites in the first phase and restrict the time till 9 pm.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More