The Archaeological Survey of India increased the cost of all World Heritage listed monuments to $10 for foreigners. This is an increase to Rs 460 to enter a site compared to former rate which in many cases were as little as Rs 5 or Rs 10. Some place where the price has been increased is Hampi in Karnataka, Elephanta Caves in Mumbai, Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, the temple complex at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and the Ellora and Ajanta caves in Maharashtra. The Taj Mahal has been increased from Rs 15 up to $20 or Rs 950. On Friday it is free and crowded, but I know of many people that have gone on Friday and really enjoyed their trip to the Taj. It is closed on Monday. Also the prices of the main museums have been increased to Rs 150 for foreigners. Such as the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, and the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai.

Because I travel in India in orange dhoti, many people think that I am a white skinned sanyassi, so I can enter in these places for a local price. If the personal at the entrance can not help you can ask for the manager. The main manager can give you a free ticket or an approval to get in for Indian price.

Hotel Ratings

You will see the prices of hotels often written as Rs 300/400. This indicates the single and double price of the same room. Rs 200 is the single price and Rs 400 is the double price for two people. In Vrndavan you can get a room even for 80 - 150 Rupees. "Common bath" means that the bathroom is in the hall and not connected to the room. The words "with bath" or "attached bath" means that the bathroom is connected to the room. "A/C" is the abbreviation for air-conditioned.

Special Permits

Foreigners need to get a special permit to go to certain areas in India, such as: parts of Ladakh, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Andaman Islands, and some of the Northeastern states. Certain places are totally restricted for foreign tourist, such as: areas in Sikkim, some Northeastern states, and places near the India and Pakistan border or Chinese border. Some permits may take a week or two to get, so it is a good idea to start the process of getting some permits a month or more in advance. Of the Northeast states, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya are open to foreign tourists without a permit. Permits to visit parts of the states of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur are issued to tourist traveling in a group of four or more by pertinent state governments. Visits are restricted to certain areas in these states. To get a permit for individual travel to these states is usually difficult. You get a permit to visit Sikkim from immigration offices at embassies and consulates abroad, the main international airports, foreigners' registration offices, and in Darjeeling and Siliguri. You need a permit to trek in certain areas of Sikkim, and some areas of Sikkim are totally restricted.