KEY POINTS:
The Taj Mahal may have been built as a testament to love but some hard-headed business decisions are now holding sway at India's most famous monument. First among them is that the US dollar is no longer welcome.
With parts of the American economy in turmoil and the dollar rapidly losing its position as the currency of choice, Indian authorities have calculated they are losing considerable sums by allowing foreign tourists to pay using greenbacks. So India's Ministry for Tourism and Culture is taking action.
Previously, foreign tourists visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra could enter by paying a fixed US$5 fee - a price that was set when the dollar was worth around 50 rupees.
But with the dollar having fallen by 12 per cent this year against the rupee and the exchange rate closer to 39 to the dollar, the Government has now fixed the entry price for foreigners at 250 rupees - more than US$6.
The new rates are expected to be introduced as soon as this week.
The ruling affects around 120 sites overseen by the Archaeological Society of India, of which 27 - including the Taj Mahal - are World Heritage sites.
- Independent
