Hosting 8M visitors every year, Taj Mahal now second-best UNESCO world heritage site: traveller survey

Standing tall on the banks of river Yamuna, Taj Mahal is the quintessential monument of love. Firmly holding its spot as one of the seven wonders of the world, the history of this space dates back to the 16th century when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan dedicated Taj to his favourite queen, Mumtaj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is now the second best UNESCO world heritage site in the world, according to a new survey. Taken by TripAdvisor, a popular online travel consultant, this survey published a list of cultural and natural heritage sites by UNESCO, rated best by travellers and explorers from all across the world.

TripAdvisor was quoted to be saying,

"You can find hundreds of tours and experiences to visit this mesmerising site, from a private tour with guide and visit at sunset or sunrise, to a visit including a home-cooked meal at a local home in Agra."

With more than eight million visitors visiting the Taj Mahal every year, UNESCO attached the tag of 'World Heritage Site' to the world wonder in the year 1983. World's largest religious monument, a temple complex in Cambodia Angkor Wat bagged the first place in this list. The other monuments that featured in the notable list are Iguazu National Park in Brazil, Italy's Sassi of Matera, Auschwitz Birkenau and historic Krakow in Poland, the old city of Jerusalem in Israel and the historic areas of Istanbul in Turkey.

While the story behind this white marble memorial leaves you spellbound, the present condition of the monument questions the environmental degradation the planet is rigorously going through. Almost a quarter century after the historic Supreme Court judgment to shift or shut factories polluting the Taj Mahal, the environment in Agra continues to pollute this seventeenth-century monument of love.

Read More: Cloaked in yellow pallor and green patches, Taj Mahal chokes in Agra air

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