Agra - The Jewel In The Crown

By Author: Rashmiranjan Patil
Total Articles: 261
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Agra, the Mughal City, is situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh on the banks of the river Yamuna. During the Lodhi and the Mughal dynasties, Agra was the capital of Hindustan. The city exhibits the great caliber of the Mughal architectural work in its forts and monuments which still stand as the remainder of the Mughal era. The one such elegant monument which found a place in the modern Seven Wonders of the World is the Taj Mahal. Besides Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Agravana was the name given to Agra in some epics like Mahabharata and the city was considered the abode of Aryans. The city of Agra was established by Sikender Lodhi of Lodhi dynasty. Later the city was captured and ruled by Mughal dynasty ruler, Babur. Babur, the first Mughal Emperor, started the construction work for the development of Agra. He was the man who built some monuments and the Persian style garden. Akbar, the grandson of Babur, contributed a lot to the development of the modern Agra. The tomb of Akbar, also called Sikandra, is situated nearby. Sikandra, famous for ...
... its architectural beauty, is visited by a lot of people all year around.

It was during the reign of Shahjahan, the grandson of Akbar, the Taj Mahal was built in the memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal built completely of white marble and has four towers. The beautiful art work on the marble is eye catching and it took 23 years to complete the construction of the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort, made of red stones, was constructed on the other side of the river Yamuna.

A lot of festivals and fairs are conducted in Agra to attract tourists and some of them are Urs, Agra Mahotsav, Kailash Fair, Bateswar Fair, Barsana Holi and Janmashtami. Agra Mahotsav is a craft and cultural fair celebrated on 18th to 27th of February annually. Several tourists participate in this 10 day long festival and is started with marvelous procession of elephants and camels in Mughal fashion. Exhibitions of various crafts, brass items and silk sarees are found here during the festival time.

Agra Packages by various tour operators provide you the best possible offer to enjoy the city. The nearest airport to Agra is Kheria Airport which is 8 km away. Normal petrol or diesel vehicles are not allowed to enter the Taj Mahal premises and you may take either a non polluted battery operated vehicle or a horse cart. There are four railway stations in Agra which connect all the other major cities. Buses ply from nearby cities to Agra which are very comfortable.