Have you ever had a serene evening soaking the peace at Safdarjung Tomb and then heard the guard&rsquos whistle because it&rsquos time to leave Well that just got delayed by 3 hours. In an attempt to boost tourism in India, the Union Culture Ministry has decided to keep open 10 monuments till 900pm as opposed to their current closing time that ranges between 530-600 pm.
These 10 monuments include Rajarani temple complex (Bhubaneswar), Dulhadeo Temple (Khajurao), Sheikh Chilli Tomb (Thanesar), Safdarjung Tomb and Humanyun&rsquos Tomb (New Delhi), Group of Monuments at Pattadakkal and Gol Gumbaz (Karnataka), Group of Temples, Markanda (Maharashtra) , Man Mahal, Vaidhshala (Varanasiu) and Rani ki Vav (Gujarat).
All these attractions hold historical significance to the locals as well as tourists and regularly flocked by both alike. Hence the decision to keep them open from sunrise till 900 pm came out recently.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry received a proposal to keep 35 monuments open till 1000 pm. However, the committee short listed 10 monuments in its first phase. This decision will be effective for 3 years, while other monuments are being considered for extension of their visiting hours.
According to Times Now, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, said, &ldquoSome places in this 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.&rdquo
Visitors in New Delhi can now enjoy Safdarjung Tomb fully illuminated as it went under the process in July this year while dome of the Humayun&rsquos Tomb was lit in September last year.