Saturday, October 15, 2011

Maharashtra’s historical caves favourite among state’s Heritage destinations

Historical caves, particularly the Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves have emerged as the most popular heritage tourist stops for foreigners over the last three years. Lesser-known heritage sites such as Bibi ka Maqbara, considered Maharashtra's replica of the Taj Mahal, and the Agakhan Palace near Pune, a live memorial of sorts for Mahatma Gandhi, have also been witnessing increasing foreign footfalls.

Despite the repeated terror strikes and inadequate tourist infrastructure facilities in the state, foreign tourists visiting the states ticketed at heritage monuments have jumped by around 35 per cent in the last three years. The number of foreign visitors rose from 99,540 in 2008-09 to 1.33 lakh in 2010-11, figures from the Ministry of Culture showed, according to a report by Madhavi Rajadhyaksha in The Times of India.

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