Agra

 Destination

AGRA

Agra is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Agra is a virtual fort of history and architecture located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Historical monuments, architectural grandeur ventures and the beauty of marbles, Agra thrives as one of the tourist destination in India.

Agra, a medieval city, was assumed to be built in 1475, had been found its place even in the epic Mahabharatha as Agraban (means paradise). The renowned second century geographer Ptolemy spotted this place as Agra in his world map. Agra was the capital of many dynasties including Lodhi and Mughals.

Located at the banks of River Yamuna, Agra offers the tourists the richest of the man made beauties including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Agra fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal. It is the haven of Mughal art, culture and architecture.

Agra is the foremost tourist spot in India and has been equipped with all kinds of infrastructure facilities for tourists. The city with multi colored illuminations providing a marvelous view at night offer hearty welcome to its tourists. Many high standard hotels and resorts add the enjoyment of the vacation and picnic to its pinnacle in Agra.

Taj Mahal

One of the Seven wonders in the world, a must see place in India, Taj Mahal is situated majestically in Agra. It is acclaimed as one of the three World Heritage Sites in Agra and is the living specimen of romantic love life of Shah Jahan and his favorite beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. Located at the bank of majestic River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is a masterpiece of architectural design and excellence in finishing. Ustad Isa, the renowned Persian Architect, led the construction.

The most famous marble structure in Agra, in fact the most beautiful and fascinating monument all over India, completed the construction in 1653 AD. The Mughal King Sha Jahan built this as the final resting place for the queen Mumtaz. It is believed that it took nearly 22 years to complete the grandeur palace. There are 22 small domes over the Taj Mahal, denoting the 22 years and the verses of holy Koran are inscribed on the domes.

Set against picturesque landscaped gardens, the human labor expended for this monument was immense. One can see the amazing view of the Taj Mahal as an image in the calm still waters of Yamuna. From a long view, the people get an illusion that the building is floating in the air, the real exquisiteness of the architectural wonder. The Taj Mahal with perfect design and craftsmanship, the epitome of structural beauty, is the best view for any visitor and this view eye-catching experiment could not be forgotten in the lifetime.It is open all days of the week from 6 am to 7.30 pm except Fridays.

Red Fort of Agra

Also renowned as the Red Fort of Agra, Agra Fort is located near to the Taj Mahal gardens on the banks of River Yamuna. The real specimen of architectural marvel, this fortress was constructed in the 15th century. The construction of this mammoth structure started during 1565 during the Great King Akbar and continued the developments up to the period of King Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar.

The fort, in a length of 2.5 km marvelous enclosure walls, is built in red sandstones and encloses many monuments which are real architectural wonders. Many exquisite palaces such as the Shah Jahani Mahal, Jahangiri Mahal and the Khas Mahal, and audience halls named Diwan-i-Am and the Diwan-i-Khas are enclosed in the fortress. Other monuments include the Fish Pavilion, the Nagina Masjid, Garden of Grapes and the Pearl Mosque.

Agra fort, one of the world heritage sites, is really a worth place to visit to view the marvelous architectural beauty in red sandstones and is a place not to be missed by historians and architects.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri is a town located about 40 km away from Agra and is one of the renowned World Heritage site by UNESCO. The city was built during the period 1571 to 1585 by great Mughal emperor Akbar. The city in red sandstone was built to celebrate the birth of his son Salim and also to honor the Saint Sheikh Salim Chisti.

Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of Mughal Kingdom for few years, during which the city reached at the pinnacle of its developments. The architecture of the city is a mixture of Islamic and Hindu styles of constructions. There were places complexes and Mosque complexes in the city.

This city is a popular tourist attraction and the city is enriched with many historical monuments such as Buland Darwaza, Panch Mahal, Diwan-i-Am, Jama Masjid, Diwan-i-Khas and the Sheikh Salim Chisti tomb. All these are highly worth visiting.

Buland Darwaza is a famous attraction of Fathepur Sikri. It is an entrance constructed by Akbar to celebrate his victory in 1573 over the kingdom of Khandesh in Gujarat, is the gateway to the renowned Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. This exquisite architectural wonder is really an eye catching view for travelers and tourists, which is visible even from a long distance. The Darwaza is placed at an elevated plain of height about 40 meters and seems to be inviting the tourists to the land of Agra wholeheartedly.

The mammoth entrance is one of the grandeur monuments built by Akbar in Agra. Many verses from the Koran are inscribed on the Darwaza. This is really made with simple but beautiful adornments.

Itimad-ud-daula's

Itimad-ud-daula's Tomb on the bank of River Yamuna was built by the queen Noor Jahan, the queen of Jahangir, for her parents. It is an architectural marvel located in Agra. It is situated at the middle of the well known and scenic Persian Garden. The tomb was superbly designed and elegantly finished in marvelous architectural styles.

This tomb is sometimes referred as baby Taj as it was the precursor of the architectural marvel the TajMahal. The tomb is fully laid by yellow marble with black and white marble inlay bringing the glorious days of the Mughal rule. This tomb is placed itself in picturesque surroundings of a beautiful garden. It is a main attraction in Agra.

Chini Ka Rauza

Chini Ka Rauza is a spectacular tomb very close to Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Mughal dynasty Allama Afzal Khan, the Mullah of Shiraz, during the rule of Shah Jahan.

The name Chini Ka Rauza is derived from most attractive tiles (Chini) used to adorn the ceilings and walls of the structure. The tomb is decorated with different colors, blue, yellow and green tiles adding a spectacular view to it.

This imposing structure is built in a rectangular shape and it is unique with a bulbous tomb. It has an orthogonal chamber in the middle and many inscriptions made with blue glazed tiles are visible in the tomb. This tomb has been a unique specimen of best of Mughal and Persian architectural styles.

HOW TO REACH

BY RAIL - There are four railway stations in Agra - Agra Cantt, Raja-ki-Mandi, Agra Fort, and Idgah Agra Junction. The city is well connected by train services to all the important cities in India. There are many super fast express trains connecting Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

BY ROAD - Agra’s Kheria Airport is located 8 km away from the heart of the city.  Agra is connected to Varanasi, Delhi and Khajuraho by air.

BY AIR - Agra’s Kheria Airport is located 8 km away from the heart of the city. Agra is connected to Varanasi, Delhi and Khajuraho by air.

BY AIR - Agra is connected by road to Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur. There are many chartered tourist deluxe bus services from Delhi to Agra. Lucknow and Kanpur are connected to Agra by Road transport corporation buses.