Agra police enforce new measures to handle holiday crowd at Taj Mahal
On regular days, the Taj Mahal draws15,000 to 20,000 visitors, with attendance declining during the sweltering summer months but increasing significantly during the peak tourist season from October to March.
Approximately 60,000 tourists visited the Taj Mahal on January 1, 2024, and with the year-end holiday season approaching, another surge in visitors is anticipated. To manage the increasing crowd, the Agra police are planning to restrict vehicle movement in the yellow zone, the area surrounding the Taj Mahal.
On regular days, the Taj Mahal draws15,000 to 20,000 visitors, with attendance declining during the sweltering summer months but increasing significantly during the peak tourist season from October to March. During this six-month period, considered ideal time for tourism, daily visitor numbers often surpass 25,000 to 30,000, according to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials.
December, however, witnesses a significant surge in visitors during the last ten days of the month. With schools closing for winter vacations, employees utilising their remaining leave, and Christmas festivities encouraging global travel, the Taj Mahal emerges as a favoured destination for many to kick off or conclude the year, they added.
“We are prepared for the anticipated rise in tourist inflow during the final fortnight of the year,” said Syed Areeb Ahmed, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Taj Security.
“A designated ‘paryatak path’ (tourist route) has been mapped out to divert visitors from Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) away from Agra’s congested city roads. Tourists will be encouraged to use the inner ring road, which connects the Yamuna Expressway to the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.”
Agra’s traffic woes often intensify on weekends, with an additional 10,000 tourist vehicles flooding the city. These vehicles commonly congest Yamuna Kinara Road, especially in the evenings when visitors make their head home.
“The inner ring road leads directly to Shilpgram, the designated parking area for the Taj Mahal, allowing tourists to bypass traffic congestion,” explained Ahmed. “Additionally, vehicles heading to the Taj Mahal will be organised at designated points, including Purani Mandi crossing, which is within walking distance of the monument.”
Eight spots within the yellow zone around the Taj Mahal are being designated as “No Halt Zones”, where auto-rickshaws and other three-wheelers will be prohibited from stopping near the monument. Instead, will have access to golf carts to reach the gates. Bike-borne traffic sub-inspectors (TSIs) will patrol the area to ensure the no-halt regulations.
“We are working closely with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to streamline crowd management at the eastern and western gates of Taj. All seven queue channels will be fully operational, and a comprehensive crowd management plan will be implemented on weekends and during the Christmas-to-New-Year period,” added ACP Ahmed.
Last year, on December 23, over 40,000 tickets were sold, both online and offline. On January 1, 2024, another 10,000 tickets were sold. Children under 15 years of age are exempt from entry fees, visitors wishing to access the main mausoleum—home to the graves of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal—must purchase an additional ticket for ₹200. On the first day of 2024, over 7,000 visitors opted for this extra ticket.
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