Over 1,000 tourists were asked to vacate India's Taj Mahal monument on Thursday after local police received a bomb threat which later the authorities said was a hoax call, according to local media. 

An unidentified man was reported to call the Uttar Pradesh Police, claiming that a bomb was placed inside the iconic building and would explode soon.

"Bomb Disposal Squad and other teams carried out extensive search at Taj Mahal premises. No such object has been found yet. Man who called up to give info (of bomb) will soon be traced. I would like to assure you that there's a 99 percent chance of it being a hoax call," ANI news agency reported, citing a local official. 

The ivory-white marble mausoleum, built in 1653 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, is the biggest draw for tourists in India.

(With input from Xinhua)