Bhubaneswar: The entry fee of world-famous Sun Temple in Konark has been increased to Rs 40 from existing Rs 30, a notification in this regard has been released today.
Sources said the ticket price for entry into the 13th century temple has been raised to Rs 40 from existing Rs 30 for Indians. For foreign nationals, the ticket price has been raised to Rs 600 from Rs 500.
The ASI has five ticketed monuments under its jurisdiction – Konark temple, Rajarani temple, Udayagiri Caves and the Buddhist sites of Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri. Out of these, the Sun Temple at Konark is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Notably, in March 2016, the ASI authorities had raised the entry fee to the Konark temple to Rs 30 from existing Rs 10 for Indians and tourists from SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar).
The money generated from the hiked entry fee will be used for development and maintenance of the monuments.
Prasanta Patnaik