Visitors to Mamallapuram were surprised to find archaeological monuments open on Monday after being shut down for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since only online booking of tickets was permitted, visitors made the purchase on their mobile phones even as they waited outside the monuments.
Naveed Hafiz from Bengaluru, in Chennai on a business trip, said he chose to come to Mamallapuram thinking the monuments were open. “I did not even know they were closed. I was lucky that they reopened today. Buildings in Chennai are all commercial, there is nothing special about them. I like seeing historical places and the guide here is explaining very well,” he said.
Balan, a guide, said it was nice to see people entering the monuments. “After hotels and resorts opened, there were very few visitors and they could not enter the monuments. Today, there are people around. We will have to wait and watch if the numbers increase,” he said.
Tourist guides, photographers, trinket sellers and sculptors, who depend on the tourism industry were severely hit by the lockdown.
J. Sethuraman of Mamalla Group of Hotels said, the bulk of the town’s economy depended on budget travellers and that segment was yet to pick up. “We have been seeing guests at resorts. Last month, since weddings were held, families came in. As far as heritage properties are concerned, December looks better with occupancy going up from 10-11% to 25%,” he said.
Official sources in Archaeological Survey of India said that monuments in other parts of the country were opened for visitors a few months ago. “In Tamil Nadu it has been a month since they were opened, but the Kancheepuram district administration decided to reopen those in Mamallapuram only now. We do not allow physical ticketing. You have to book your session and pay for it online. There are five ticketed sites in the State and we are ensuring all standard operational procedures, including sanitisation, wearing of masks and physical distancing, are maintained here,” the official said.
