Taj Mahal in Agra attracts maximum foreign tourists

Based on records of Archaeological Survey of India, it can be safely stated that Taj Mahal in Agra had the maximum number of 6.48 lakh foreign visitors last year with percentage share of 23.1 per cent. This was followed by Agra Fort with 3.43 lakh visitors and a share of 12.3 per cent during 2014. The information was tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 2 December 2015.

Moreover, in a written reply to a question, the Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma has indicated that the number of foreign tourist arrivals during May 2014 to October 2015 stood at 11.23 million.
Apart from Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, other favorites of tourists were Delhi's Qutab Minar which had 2.76 lakh foreign visitors while nearby Humayun Tomb attracted 2.56 lakh foreigners followed by Fatehpur Sikri in Agra with 2.31 lakh visitors and Red Fort in Delhi attracted 1.22 lakh foreign visitors.
The excavated remain at Sarnath had 88,173 tourists, Akbar's Tomb in Sikandra had 78,528 such visitors, while Western group of Temple at Khajuraho attracted 74,706 foreigners during 2014.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Ban jeans, cell phones and wear dupatta to stop rapes

The right-wing Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has blamed vulgar clothes for being responsible for rapes. It has demanded that, in order to check the growing incidents of rape, a dress code for girls should be introduced in schools and colleges. Also, cell phones should be banned on their premises with a view to check increasing obscenity. It should also be compulsory for girls to wear ‘dupatta’.
The general notion appears to be that vulgar clothes lead to incidents of rape and, in order to curb increasing obscenity in society, schools and colleges should follow a particular dress code. The clothes should cover the body and not be indecent. In addition, there should be a ban on girls wearing tight jeans and tops.
Another aspect is the live-in relationships. In the opinion of these groups, the Indian culture is getting affected due to such relationship and hence there should be a law prohibiting this tendency. The mentality of society is, apparently, not mature enough to give unrestricted freedom to the youths.
Those who want such measures to be introduced should be more radical in their thinking because our ancient cave sculptures of Khajuraho, Ajanta, Ellora etcetera reveal the female form in all its glory with scant clothing. Should these places be made out of bounds for the young ones?
Other influences are the Bollywood movies where the media goes ga-ga over earnings of movies in hundreds of crores of rupees – and, for such money to roll in, the credit should go to the bare-all dances numbers better known as item songs that accompany provocative body gestures. Should they also not be banned?
We are inviting FDI in many areas and these will bring with them foreign cultures that could the minds of the youth – in order to preserve our culture, should we not rethink on allowing FDI? Moreover, rapes are not restricted to school and college going girls but also working women, and housewives.