All ASI Protected Monuments Shut Amid Coronavirus Scare
Furthering the restrictions in the wake of the steadily-rising COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Culture has announced the closure of all historical monuments and museums under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) till March 31 in view of the increasing risk posed by the coronavirus.
Union Minister for Culture Prahlad Patel said that it has been decided after a meeting of the group of ministers that 3,691 monuments under the ASI’s protection will be shut till March 31.
The largest number of tourists in Uttar Pradesh visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal but due to restrictions their numbers have declined sharply. On Sunday, just 1,274 tourists reached here whereas normally, 20,000-25,000 tourists used to arrive here daily. The Taj Mahal has been closed for the time being. Tourists going to Agra also used to visit Fatehpur Sikri to see the Buland Darwaza but here too, tourist activities have come to a standstill Apart from the Taj Mahal, foreign tourists used to fall over each other to frequent such historical monuments as the Humayun’s Tomb, the Qutub Minar and the Lotus Temple in Delhi, the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata and the Charminar in Hyderabad but now, silence prevails everywhere. Apart from historical monuments, foreign and domestic tourists also used to visit hill stations like Shimla and Manali in large numbers, but there is pin-drop silence there as well. While only a few tourists can be seen in hotels, there are locks on the doors of restaurants. Similar conditions prevail in temples and other places of worship. Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple has been closed till further orders and the crowds which gather for the ‘bhasm aarti’ in Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple have been stopped. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi faces the same situation, with the number of devotees there declining due to the coronavirus.
The largest number of tourists in Uttar Pradesh visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal but due to restrictions their numbers have declined sharply. On Sunday, just 1,274 tourists reached here whereas normally, 20,000-25,000 tourists used to arrive here daily. The Taj Mahal has been closed for the time being. Tourists going to Agra also used to visit Fatehpur Sikri to see the Buland Darwaza but here too, tourist activities have come to a standstill Apart from the Taj Mahal, foreign tourists used to fall over each other to frequent such historical monuments as the Humayun’s Tomb, the Qutub Minar and the Lotus Temple in Delhi, the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata and the Charminar in Hyderabad but now, silence prevails everywhere. Apart from historical monuments, foreign and domestic tourists also used to visit hill stations like Shimla and Manali in large numbers, but there is pin-drop silence there as well. While only a few tourists can be seen in hotels, there are locks on the doors of restaurants. Similar conditions prevail in temples and other places of worship. Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple has been closed till further orders and the crowds which gather for the ‘bhasm aarti’ in Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple have been stopped. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi faces the same situation, with the number of devotees there declining due to the coronavirus.
In a bid to stop the spread of #COVID2019, the Ministry of #Culture has announced the closure of all historic buildings and museums under #ASI till March 31@ShahnawazMalik_ #CoronavirusOutbreak #coronavirusinindia
— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) March 17, 2020
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