Monuments in Agra Open Wait Continues for Taj

If you were planning to visit the Taj Mahal, you will have to wait but that shouldn&rsquot stop you from going to Agra. All historic monuments in Agra, except the iconic Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, will open for the public from September 1.

As per the local authority&rsquos announcement, the monuments which remained closed since March due to the pandemic, will now reopen for all visitors.

Earlier, the Centre had handed out necessary safety protocols and allowed all protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to open in July. Further decisions regarding the same were left to the discretion of the local administrations in states. While some states followed the guidelines and reopened monuments, others (including Agra) had decided to remain closed.

Read What&rsquos Opening Up and Where To Go

The District Magistrate of Agra has now announced that all historical monuments in the city, previously categorised as part of a &ldquobuffer zone&rdquo owing to the lockdown, will open up to tourists.

However, the two biggest attractions, the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, will remain shut. Originally, there were plans to open the Taj in July but it was deferred owing to the significant risk of virus spread due to large crowding. Authorities say that it is still not safe to open the Taj or the Agra Fort to the public as there are a large number of tourists waiting to visit the attractions once opened. 

As per the new guidelines, the reopened monuments will remain closed on weekends, owing to weekly lockdown in the state. Social distancing norms and masks have been made mandatory at all times.

The list of now accessible attractions includes Mughal gardens like Aram Bagh and Mehtab Bagh from where you can enjoy the view of the Taj across the Yamuna the Tomb of Mariam-Uz-Zamani, the stunning mausoleum for Akbar&rsquos queen consort the historic town of Fatehpur Sikri that served as Mughal emperor Akbar&rsquos capital, Chini ka Rauza, the mausoleum for Akbar&rsquos queen consort, and Sikandra, Akbar&rsquos sandstone clad resting place built by his son Shah Jahan.