Now you can take pictures inside protected Indian sites and monuments

According to news reports, the Archaeological Survey (ASI) of India is going to permit photography within the premises of certain protected sites in India. A statement from the organisation working under the Ministry of Culture mentioned that all except three sites would be included under this new rule.
For now, the three sites, inside which you aren’t permitted to take photographs are the Leh Palace, Taj Mahal, and Ajanta Caves.

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The ASI released a statement saying, “The decision comes in the wake of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi observing in his speech at the inaugural event of ‘Dharohar Bhawan’ in New Delhi that Space Technology in the modern era has developed to such an extent that one can photograph even minute objects from far off distances, and in this background, it is indeed ironical to restrict tourists and visitors from taking photos of their experiences at heritage monuments and sites.”


The ASI is currently managing 3,686 heritage sites and monuments, and opening them up for tourists to take photographs could improve tourism potential in the country. India is home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mahesh Sharma, Culture Minister, tweeted and confirmed regarding the same, and mentioned that photography will be permitted inside protected monuments, except the aforementioned three sites. The Ajanta Caves are a group of Buddhist caves near Mumbai, and date back to the Gupta Period. The Leh Palace that is yet another excluded site, was built in 1553, and is located in Leh, Ladakh, belonging to the Namgyal dynasty that once ruled Ladakh. The third excluded site is Taj Mahal, Agra, which is perhaps the most popular of protected Indian sites.