Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it seems to linger in the past. Not surprising, for the Mughal emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures in the world. It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court. Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in the epic Mahabharata. In more recent times Agra come into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made it his capital city in 1501. the Lodi rule was to end very soon the time of the third emberor Akbar that Agra come into own. He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri not far way, Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar’s grandson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture-the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort.
SOME SUGGESTED SIGHTSEEING PLACES
• Taj Mahal :
Built bya a grief stricken Emperor Shah Jehan as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtam Mahal, the Taj Mahal has a structural elegance and pristine beauty that has been rarely matched. It took 20 thousand men nearly 22 years to build the mausoleum and the finest of skilled artisans were brought in to inlay the white marble edifice. With precious tones and to conjure filigreed marble screens around the
cenotaphs of the meperor and his beloved queen. There is a jewel-like quality about the Taj Mahal. The beautifully proportioned octagonal structure topped by a perfect dome is balanced by 4 soaring minarets that stand at the corners of the plinth.
• Agra Fort :
Emperor Akbar began the construction of the imposing for in 1565 but in was his grandson Shah Jehan who gave it some of its finest building, changing the function of the fort from a military fortification to a royal palace. Within the fort are the Pearl Mosque in white marble; fine halls-the Diwan-I-Khas for private audience and the pillared Diwan-I-Am where the emperor me the public; the Jehangiri Mahal an elegant double storeyed
palace built in 1611 AD; the Khas Mahal an airy marble pavilion believed to be the Emperor Shah Jehan’s aramghar or sleeping quarters and the Sheesh Mahal, beautiful halls studded with tiny concave mirrors where a single candle flame is reflected in a thousand flickering lights
• Lake mist :
About 5kms before kempty fall on Mussoorie-Kempty road it is a newly developed good picnic spot with accommodation and restaurant facilities, boating is also available.
• Fathepur Sikri :
A royal city perfectly preserved, Fathepur Sikri provides a marvelous escape into the past, Akbar embarked on the construction of a new capital here when a prophecy of the birth of a male royal heir, by the Sufi Saint Salim Chisti of Sikri, came true Imposing gateways and light-hearted palaces were built in red sandstone within this fortified city only to be abandoned a few years later. Among its many architectural gems are the palaces for his queens-Jodha Bai, Mariyam and his Turkis Sulatana,built in varying styles, each perfect in itself.
HOW TO REACH :
By Air :
Agra airport is 7 km from the city center and 3 km from Idgah bus stand. Major Indian airlines operate daily tourist shuttle flights to Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and back. It only takes 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
By Train :
Agra is well connected by railroad. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. Trains like Palace on Wheel, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express are the best choices if you want to reach Agra from Delhi in luxury.
By Road :
Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where one can catch buses for Delhi. Agra is about 204 km from Delhi,the capital of India. There is an excellent national highway connecting Delhi and Agra and it is only a 4 hours drive from Delhi.
