Agra
- Agra is known, to the world as the city of Taj Mahal. Agra has its
roots, dating back to the time of Mahabaratha. Agra is situated on the
west-bank of River Yamuna, 204 km south of Delhi. The old part of the town,
north of the fort, is where the main market place is. The modern township is
on the south. Agra has a magnificent fort and many other monuments from the
Mughul era, not to mention the Taj Mahal, which are major attractions to the
tourists.
The city of Taj, Agra is one of the
hottest tourist destinations in India and all facilities have been provided
for the easy access to this place. Agra is boast of its own airport and
connects the city to all the major places in India. The city is also
connected by trains to almost every corner of the nation including the
luxury train the Rajdhani and Shatabdi. One can also avail the excellant bus
services to Agra in the state as well as outside the state. The state
transports have deluxe as well as ordinary bus services for the place.
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Taj Mahal
Set amongst the serene ambience of a well laid out garden, the massive
marble structure of the Taj is awe-inspiring. The Taj Mahal was built in the
17th century by Shahjahan- the fifth Mughal emperor, in memory of his
beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shahjahan loved his wife so much that after she
passed away in 1631, he decided to immortalize their love in the form of the
Taj Mahal.
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Agra Fort
Located on the banks of the Yamuna 2 kms. Northwest of the Taj Mahal,
designed and built by Akbar in 1565 A.D., the fort houses the beautiful
Pearl Mosque and numerous palaces including the Jahangir Mahal,
Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am and Moti Masjid.
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Akbar's Mausoleum
Situated about 10 km from Agra, in the small town of Sikandra (4 KM from
Agra), this mausoleum is a fusion of Muslim Hindu architectural style. It
was started by Akbar but completed by his son Jehangir in 1605.
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Itimad-Ud-Daulah
This tomb was erected by Nur Jahan- one of the Mughal empresses, in memory
of her father Ghiasud-Din-Beg between 1622-1628 A.D. After Taj Mahal and
Agra Fort, this mausoleum is the most important monument in Agra. This tomb
of Itmad-ud-Daulah is considered as the imminent precursor of the Taj Mahal.
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Sikandra
Four kilometer from Agra is the mausoleum of Akbar. Construction of this
beautiful monument was started by Akbar himself . This structure has a
perfect blending of Hindu, Christian , Islamic, Buddhist, Jain motifs.
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Fatehpur Sikri
37 kms from Agra is built a city predominantly in Red Sandstone called
Fatehpur Sikri. This town was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had
planned this city as his capital but shortage of water compelled him to
abandon the city and within 20 years the capital of Mughals was shifted to
Lahore.
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Mathura
Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu was born here. Mathura,
which is one of the major Pilgrimage for the Hindus is 58 Kms from Agra. It
comes before Agra if travelling from Delhi.
