ASI welcomed 1,000 visitors on first day after re-opening of monuments

Aurangabad, June 16:

The monuments and heritage sites in the custodianship of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI, Aurangabad Circle) got re-opened in the district, after three months, today. The ASI welcomed around 1,000 visitors (including one foreign national) at Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad Caves, Ellora Caves, and Daulatabad Fort from sunrise to sunset. Meanwhile, there was no visitor at Ajanta Caves as the shuttle bus was not in operation.

It may be noted that the other monuments in the city like Panchakki, Sunehri Mahal, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum, which are in the custodianship of Wakf Board, State Archaeology, and Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), remained closed due to their affiliation with the state government. Meanwhile, the ASI's protected religious structures were also kept closed as per the order of the district collector.

A ray of hope has emerged amongst the tourism associates. The re-opening of monuments will give a fresh lease of life to the tourism industry as thousands of persons are directly and indirectly associated and dependent upon it.

As the day broke, the head of each monument along with the field staff and attendants engaged themselves in planning the appropriate measures to be taken at their respective campus. The visitors were instructed to wear facemasks, use sanitisers and maintain social distances. No manual admission ticket was issued. The entry was strictly given to the visitors booking online tickets only. Around 500 visitors including one foreign national visited Maqbara, around 260 were at Ellora Caves and more than 250 were at the Fort, said the sources.

Under the supervision of the superintending archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley, the in charge of monuments Sanjay Rohankar, Rajesh Waklekar, and M R Shaikh were on their toes during the whole day and ensuring all is well. The ASI had deployed its security and its staff to ensure all SOPs are implemented and discipline is maintained at each site. The visitors were mostly from outstation and local families, apart from one foreigner. The rush of visitors is expected to increase from Friday to Sunday, hope the staff on duty.

Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF) president Jaswant Singh Rajput said, " The tourist season in Aurangabad is from October to March. Now, the monuments have been re-opened. It will help the tourists to plan their visits to the district after October. The development will indeed give a push to the tourism industry."

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Reunion at Maqbara

An ex-students group of Indira Gandhi Marathi Kanya Vidyala (Osmanpura) visited Maqbara. It was a sort of mini-reunion. These girls hailing from Aurangabad are settled in different cities after their marriages, but after unlocking the situation they had come to meet their parents in the city. Prior to it, all the females were in touch with each other and planned their visit at one time. They were overjoyed and had a good time at the mausoleum. They took umpteen selfies.

There were very few visitors to Aurangabad Caves. However, many of them were disappointed in seeing closed Panchakki, AMC's museum, etc.