Incredible Taj!

VISHAL SHARMA

INDIA (AGRA) 25 Nov. The landmark decision of the Indian Supreme Court to allow the night opening of the Tajmahal has again raised the hopes of the tottering tourism industry of Agra, which may now expect a major boost in the tourist traffic coming to the town.

The Tajmahal is seen all over the world as India’s tourism icon and the tourist traffic in Agra serves as the most reliable gauge for the foreign tourist traffic inThe wait is finally over India. For years on end, the Indian tourism industry has been dogged by the low turnout of foreign tourists largely due to the prevailing uncertainty, both in the international as well as the domestic scenario.

Delivering a landmark judgement on Thursday, the Supreme Court has allowed the UP government to open the Tajmahal for five moonlit nights, barring Fridays, on an experimental basis for three months - November, December 2004 & January 2005. In the month of November, when the Tajmahal shall be opened for night viewing on 27 & 28 November as the full-moon night on 26th is falling on a Friday, a day of weekly closure of the monument.

The monument has remained shut down during the nights since the days of Sikh terrorism in Punjab and with the advent of terrorism in Kashmir, the security threat on the monument increased several folds and the prospects of the opening this monument by moonlight had grown dim. Before the monument was shut down, every moonlit night used to be a festival inside the Taj, with couples wandering about in the Taj premises, enjoying the Tajmahal bathed in the moonlight. Locals claim that the Tajmahal used to serve as the ideal spot for arranging weddings and both interested parties used to meet in the shadow of this symbol of eternal love.

Foreign and Indian tourists came in huge groups, bringing in good business to the hospitality and tourism industry of Agra. Now, with the Tajmahal opening for night the local tourism industry can again hope for the return of those golden days.

(UNITED NEWS NETWORK)

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