Humayun’s tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. Built in the fifteenth century, this mausoleum has so far stood constant for over four centuries. The tomb represented a leap in Mughal architecture, drawing inspirations from Persia for the design of its gardens. It is the first garden-style tomb in the entire Indian subcontinent.

Humayun's tombThe tomb was built by Humayun’s wife, fourteen years after his death and it then went on to inspire the building of the Taj Mahal in Agra which represents the zenith of Mughal architecture in India. If you look at both mausoleums, you’ll notice many similarities between the two.

Taj MahalThere are over 160 other Mughals buried along with Humayun in this tomb. Among the unmarked cenotaphs are Akbar’s mother, Hamida and five later Mughal Emperors, buried over the centuries.

Humayun's tombThe Humayun’s Tomb is a UNESCO world heritage site and is opened to visitors from all around the world. Like many other monuments in India, international tourists are required to pay over 20 times more than what is charged for locals to get tickets into this attraction.

At the time of my visit in January 2016, the ticket prices were 10 rupees for locals and 250 rupees for foreign visitors. Do I find anything particularly wrong with this? No, not really. I mean, it would be nice to have some kind of subsidy but it is what it is.

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4 Comments

  1. The tickets price to Elmina castle in Ghana were priced differently for locals.
    I went with my Ghanaian friends so I ended up paying the rate for locals.

    250 to 10rupees is a stretch.

    • Yeah, I remember that was the case in Ghana. Our driver also helped us pay the local price in Kakum NP but in Elmina, we paid the price for ‘foreign students’. I agree that the price difference is a lot though. Seems like we’re the only ones who don’t substantially subsidize our sites for locals…

  2. Lol, the price of Taj Mahal for foreigners compared to locals too! I like the idea that they subsidize entry fees for locals…good on the Indian government.

    • Me too, I actually like that they do that for locals. I wonder if any of our attractions here have the same price structure. Like different price for foreigners and locals. But at least, India has a well defined and organized tourist program unlike NG. Maybe we should start with that first before thinking of pricing? Lol