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Agra Travel Guide
Agra
is the one of the prominent destinations of the World Tourism map with three heritage
monuments - The
Taj Mahal, Red Fort & Fatehpur Sikri. It is more just a dacadent
city of graveyards and stones, but it is a vibrant centre of Culture, Art and
Religious philosphies that have enriched mankind and shaped humen thought over
centuries. Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of
the world-the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort
and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces
is a vivid reminder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
While its significance as a political centre ended with the transfer of the capital
to Delhi in 1634 by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth has secured its place
on the international map. A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace,
Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soastone by craftsman who
are descendant of those who worked under the Mughals. The city is also famous
for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes. 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 came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made it his capital
city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end very soon and Agra passed into the possession
of the Mughals . It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that
Agra came into its 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 away. Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jahan,
Akbar's garndson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture
- the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort
. Places of Interest in Agra
Taj Mahal Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders
of the world- the Taj-Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the
fort and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the
palaces is a vivid reminder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Agra
Fort Built by the great Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D. the fort Is a masterpiece
of design and construction. Within the fort are a number of exquisite buildings,
including the Moti Masjid, Diwane-E-Am, Diwani-E-Khaas and Musanman Burj, where
the Emperor Shah Jahan died in imprisonment beside Jahangirs place, Khaas Mahal
and the Sheesh Mahal.
Itmad - Ud - Daula To the north
of the fort and across the river yamuna are several fine examples of mughal architecture.
The itmad -ud -daula was build by the empress Noor Jehan as a memorial to her
father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, is beautifully ornamented with pietra dura inlay and
lattice work marble screens. Chini Ka Rauza The tomb
of Afzal khan, the persian poet and minister at Shah Jehan's court gets its name
from the brightly coloured glazed tiles that decorate it, lies just 1km beyond
itmad-ud-daula. Sikandra Fort 12km the tomb of Akbar,
begun by the emperor himself and completed by his son, Jehangir. This richly decorated
structure is a quaint mixture of styles.
Radhaswamy Satsang,
Dayalbagh This highly ornate memorial to the founder of the Radhaswamy
satsang has been in the making for several years and is still being worked upon.
It is entirely in marble, upon which every manner of ornamentation has been applied.
How to Reach Agra
Air: Kheria Airport is 6 km from Agra. From the International
Airport at Delhi, Agra is 220km. Rail: Connection to important
cities from Agra Cantt, Agra fort station, Raja-Ki Mandi and Tundla. Important
trains for Agra are: 2001/2002 Shatabdi Exp (Delhi -Bhopal); 2179/2180 Taj Exp(H.
Nizamuddin-Agra/Gwalior); 2615/2616 G.I. Exp (Delhi-Madras); 4677/4678 Jhelum
Exp (Jammu tawi-Pune); 847771/ 8478 Kalinga Utkal Exp. Road:
Buses ply to all major cities. Some important road distances from Agra are Delhi-204km
Bharatpur-57 km lucknow-369km Mathura-54km Nainital-353km, varanasi-605km, Khajuraho-400km.
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Agra Travel Guide, India Destinations
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