New Delhi: At 6:30 in the evening, around a dozen people waited at the entrance of Delhi’s Safdarjung Tomb. Vikram Gupta came with her girlfriend to catch the light show and click pictures and shoot reels at the 18th-century Mughal-era mausoleum.
“Adhe ghnte se jyada ho gaye intezar karte huye, pata nahi kab jalayenge ye log light (It’s been more than half an hour since I’ve been waiting, I don’t know when these people will turn on the lights),” Gupta said to her girlfriend, who told him to wait a bit. Many like him were waiting for the show to begin.
Within a few minutes, lights were on and the monuments’ intricate stone carvings, domes, and arches were illuminated, casting a golden glow that added to the mausoleum’s majestic beauty.
“I have seen many photos and reels on Instagram of the Safdarjung Tomb and wanted to explore and experience it at night. These monuments are a better place to bring a date also,” said Gupta.
Delhi’s hundreds of years-old monuments have been given a new lease of life by opening them at night. Earlier, the monuments used to be closed at sunset; now 17 of them are open mostly till 10 pm from Qutub Minar, Safdarjung Tomb, Sunder Nursery, Lal Qila, Lodhi Garden to Humayun Tomb. Delhi, being a government city, used to shut down by evening historically. With a young generation hungry for open spaces and selfies, the national capital is trying to catch up with other Indian and global cities for nightlife. It is also redefining the concept of nightlife as not just being bars and clubs but also open spaces—parks and monuments.
Over the years, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) received requests to open the monuments for a longer duration. But the lack of security guards at ASI monuments has been the biggest hindrance.
In 2018, when Mahesh Sharma was the Union Culture Minister, he was keen to push the closing time of 3,686 centrally protected monuments under the ASI.
“The minister and officials at the culture ministry wanted to engage people with our heritage at night with light and sound shows and cultural events which draw more tourists,” said a senior official who was part of those meetings around 2018.
Out of the capital’s 173 protected monuments, only nine are ticketed and also illuminated. Among the 17 lit up monuments in Delhi are Adam Khan’s Tomb in Mehrauli, Sakri Gumti, Choti Gumti, Bara Khamba, Dadi-Poti ka Gumbad, Delhi Gate, Jantar Mantar complex, Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque, Bara Gumbad, Sheesh Gumbad in Lodhi Garden.
The idea behind it was to increase night tourism at these places, but data suggests that the tourist influx is very low at night, and there is also a lack of facilities at these monuments. Poor planning, safety concerns, and agency conflicts are not drawing enough takers.
“Across India, 49 monuments are part of the ASI’s lit up monuments programme to start the nightlife at these structures. This work is going on in full swing in Delhi, where people are coming to see the monuments, where earlier they could go only during the day. They get a good view and light shows are also conducted,” said Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu, joint director general (Monument) and spokesperson of ASI.
Sahu said that the work at the monuments has been going on for many years.
The ASI’s lit monuments drive is not limited only to Delhi, but across India, 49 monuments are part of it. In 2022, ASI illuminated over 100 of its protected monuments to celebrate India’s 75th Independence Day.
The illumination was done in the colours of tricolor at Charminar, Sanchi Stupa, Hampi ruins, Humayun’s Tomb, to Metcalfe Hall in Kolkata. During the G20 Summit, many heritage structures were highlighted by the G20 logo. Recently, across India, ASI monuments lit up in the vibrant hues of saffron, white, and green under the ‘Ek Desh Ek Dhadkan’ campaign to celebrate the valour of the armed forces in carrying out the Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
“This is an ongoing process of ASI regarding monuments in the entire country. From time to time, lighting facilities have been provided in new monuments,” she said.
However, historians questioned the state of monuments.
“The bareness of Delhi’s medieval monuments, the lack of anything perishable that might need tending, makes them seem infinitely older than the world outside. They feel like imposing shells that have been waiting for centuries for someone to furnish them. The reason for this difference isn’t hard to find. Colonialism was an existential displacement; the change of ownership it implied sterilised the monuments that the colonial state took into its care,” said Narayani Gupta, a renowned historian, in her recent lecture on Delhi last month.
Limited Infra, only lighting
Twenty-four-year-old Gupta, with his girlfriend, posed for pictures, took selfies, and shared them on social media instantly. But he was very despondent that he was not allowed to go close to the Safdarjung Tomb and see it.
“The government has started nightlife, so it should be visible from up close. What is the sense of seeing the monument from a distance? It will feel good when the details of the monument are visible,” said Gupta.
Visitors are making a transition video at these monuments, comparing day and night looks, and posting on social media. “Safdurjung Tomb in day is okay, but at night is love,” Awesomedelhi handle posted on Instagram.
Visitors welcomed the illumination at monuments but said it lacks infrastructure and amenities.
At Safdarjung Tomb, in summer, around 100 people visited the site, and only a few of them visited at night. However, sites such as the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar saw high footfall because of the sound and light shows.
In the last few years, Qutub Minar has seen a huge influx of tourists at night because of light and sound shows. Earlier, several venues offered rooftop bars with views of Qutub Minar.
“Now we can feel the grandeur of Qutub Minar from near, which was not possible earlier,” said Alexandra, who has visited the Mehrauli area several times in the past. “In the last year, I came here multiple times and each time there is something new to experience at the centuries-old historical site.”
Qutub Minar is India’s third most visited monument in 2024-25 after the Taj Mahal and the Sun Temple, Konark. It attracts a lot of bloggers and YouTubers. During 2023-24, Qutub Minar welcomed 2.2 lakh foreign visitors and 3.1 million domestic ones. In terms of foreign visitors, the monument surpassed the Agra Fort.
“Tourism in India is not just a journey through landscapes but a walk through centuries of history, culture and heritage. In the year 2024-25, ASI-protected monuments across India witnessed an unprecedented surge in footfall—a powerful reflection of the people’s love for heritage and good times,” reads one of the recent ASI posts on Instagram.
In 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sound and light show at the Red Fort. The 60-minute show is titled Jai Hind, which includes the rise of the Marathas, the 1857 revolt, and the rise of the Indian National Army.
The newfound accessibility has breathed new life into Delhi’s ancient structures, attracting visitors who might have otherwise never experienced their beauty.
But limited access and security are posing a challenge. Guards put up the barricades to prevent visitors from going too close to the Safdarjung and Humayun Tomb.
“The number of tourists will increase at night, especially women, when they feel safe. Crowds cannot be attracted just by putting lights in the monument,” said Priyanka Singh, who visited Humayun Tomb at night.
From January to December 2024, only 4,310 visitors visited the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Safdarjung Tomb, and Humayun’s Tomb. Out of them, 3,994 were domestic and 326 were foreigners. In 2023, night visitors were 3,546, including 3,257 domestic and 389 foreign, and in 2022, the data was 2,923, including 2,736 domestic and 187 were foreigners.
Every evening, hundreds gather at the Qutub Minar complex for the sound and light show — transforming the historic monument into Delhi’s own Burj Khalifa.
Sunder Nursery attracts hundreds of people every day, especially young couples.
“There is not much space for couples in this city. In the evening, Sundar Nursery is one of our favourite meeting places, where we can sit for hours amid old monuments. Where we get a glimpse of the past and experience the present,” said Himanshi Singh, who came with her boyfriend to Sunder Nursery.
Also read: Heritage conservation isn’t just restoring old sites. People, culture need to be protected too
ASI’s check
As the crowds and cameras flood in, concerns about preservation, safety, and the impact on these historical sites’ sanctity have also emerged.
The coordination issues between ASI and the executive agencies working to improve infrastructure at the monuments are also rising. The Dalmia Foundation wanted to organise cultural events and set up a cafeteria at Humayun’s Tomb and Safdarjung Tomb. But ASI didn’t permit them.
ASI has also dropped its own plan to allow cultural events at the Safdarjung Tomb.
“For now, the plan has been shelved as the department objected due to the presence of graveyards at the Tomb, ” said a senior ASI official.
In 2020, ASI launched the Adopt a Heritage scheme for the development of tourist-friendly destinations. But it never took off. So, last year, ASI launched the Adopt a Heritage 2.0 scheme to improve visitor experience at protected monuments. The illumination project at monuments is also part of this scheme, where private sector entities invest in monuments. For example, the Dalmia Bharat Group adopted the Red Fort, Humayun Tomb was adopted by the Sabhyata Foundation.
Currently, only a few monuments in Delhi, such as Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Sunder Nursery, and the Red Fort, have cafes.
ASI officials said many monuments are vulnerable, and access is granted accordingly.
“We should keep in mind that we are dealing with very old structures. So, too many people can not be allowed at once. Crowd control is necessary,” said Bhattacharya.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)