Monuments at Mamallapuram are reopened for visitors from today. As part of unlocking mode, the State Government has announced the reopening of beaches and monumental sites such as Mahabalipuram, after a temporary shut down for nearly 8 months after the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is maintaining the monuments had earlier announced that people visiting the Pallava-era monuments can book tickets online from their official portal and also offline ticket sales will not be available as a part of SOPs. The ticketed monuments that come under ASI include the ones tagged by UNESCO such as Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Krishna Butterball and Tiger Caves.

With a capped entry of 2,000 individuals every day, tickets have segregated into 2 batches - Forenoon and Afternoon visits. The SOPs also barred tourists who are under 10 years and aged above 60 years. Pregnant women are also debarred. Tourists further had to undergo thermal scanning before entering the ticketed monuments.

Since many visitors weren't aware of the new online ticketing, a commotion arose near the checking point, with many requesting the ASI officials to relax the age norms as it’s a long weekend for the kids. Apparently, not many visitors have the feasibility of online booking and online payment.

On average, the crowd-pulling Mamallapuram beach attracts about 50-thousand tourists a day, which sometimes goes up to 1.5 lakh during weekends and holidays. With the SOPs being followed strictly, though there might be lull in the footfall, the tourists must understand that the SOPs followed is for their own safety.