This Site is Maintained by http://www.contentwriter.info
About ITD
ITD or India Travel Destinations is a complete guide to travel destinations across India. You are welcome to share your experiences while traveling in India. Share your Photos, Videos, Tips, Suggestions by registering at this site.
HOW TO REACH: Reaching Agra is not a very arduous task. The city has a good network of railways and roads through which it is connected to other cities (including Delhi, from which it is 200 km apart) and tourist spots. Other railway stations include the Agra Fort railway station close to the Agra Fort and the Raja Ki Mandi railway station in the center of the city. The main railway route is from Delhi to Agra. Apart from the regular trains, a deluxe train named the ‘Palace on Wheels’ has been introduced exclusively for the tourists which has Agra as one of its destinations. Moreover the tourists can also avail of bus service from New Delhi to Agra. One can also travel by bus from Jaipur via National Highway 11, from Gwalior via National Highway 3 and from Kanpur via National Highway 2. For taking a tour of the city, taxis and rickshaws are always at your service.
ACCOMMODATION: The city of the Taj provides comfortable accomodation to every traveller according to his means. Some of the populat five star hotels include the Jaypee Palace Hotel, the Welcomegroup Mughal Sheraton, Hotel Amar Vilas, Hotel the Trident, Hotel Clarks Shiraz, Hotel Agra Ashok and Hotel Taj View. The main four star hotels are Howard Park Plaza International and Hotel Holiday Inn while Hotel Amar, Hotel Deedar E taj, Athithi Hotel, Mansingh Palace, Grand Hotel and Hotel Kant are the chief three star hotels.
PLACES TO VISIT: There are a variety of tourist spots in Agra to enthrall the tourists. The most famous and striking among them is the Taj Mahal, which has withstood the ravages of time to stand firm as the symbol of eternal love. Completed in the year 1653, it is in fact the final abode of Shahjahan’s beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. This beautiful monument is the result of years of hard work put in by Mughal artisans (the chief architect was Ustad Isa) under the patronisation of Shahjahan. The Taj Mahal appears like a mirage from the Agra Fort, the place where Shahjahan spent the final eight years of his life imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. This chimerical effect is brought about by skillful application of lime, brick and white marble. As one enters through the main gate one comes across the verses of the Holy Koran (the religious book of the Muslims) and 22 small domes. The number 22 is suggestive of the number of years it took the artisans to build the monument. The entire structure, embellished by exquisite stones, lies on a marble platform which in turn is built on a sandstone platform. The tomb of Mumtaz Mahal as well as that of Shahjahan (erected after his death by his son Aurangzeb, next to Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb) lies benath the most graceful dome of the Taj. Each minute detail of this magnificent marble edifice, from the minarets to the beautifully laid garden adorned by the fountains is as harmonious as the melody of love. This man made beauty juxtaposes perfectly with the beauty of the ever-changing sky to provide a fantastic view. Another attraction is the Agra Fort, which is semi-circular in shape and lies on the right bank of the river Yamuna. The Mughal Emperor Akbar started the building of the Agra Fort in the year 1565. However, structures were incorporated until the reign of his grandson Shah Jahan. One of the exquisite features of this fort is its double wall made up of red sandstone (which gives it the name Red Fort). The external wall rises to a height of about 40 feet while the inner wall has a height of 70 feet. A wide and deep moat encircles the fort. The fort constitutes battlements with towers and bastions at calculated intervals. Two of the bastions, onlooking the river Yamuna, are known as the Shah Burj and the Bengali Burj. There are four gateways, namely the Delhi Gate on the western side, which constitutes the chief entrance to the fort, the Amar Singh Gate or Akbar Darwazah on the southern part (nowadays, visitors enter the fort through this gate), the Jal Darwazah or Water Gate, a gate exclusively meant for the women and the fourth gateway facing the northeastern side. Various structures within the Agra fort include the Akbari Mahal, the Anguri Bagh, the Diwan-i-am, the Diwan-e-khas, the Jehangiri Mahal, the Khas Mahal, the Machchhi Bhawan, the Mayura Mandapa, the Mina Masjid, the Moti Masjid, the Musamman Buri, the Nagina Masjid and the Shish Mahal. Each structure is beautifully carved to serve its respective purpose. Then there is the Sikandra, the mausoleum of emperor Akbar started by Akbar himself, and was completed by Jahangir in the year 1613. The architectural style perfectly blends Hindu, Islamic, Christian, Buddhist and Jain design and themes and is an apt manifestation of Akbar’s religious broadmindedness. The entire building is a five storeyed truncated pyramid while the chief tomb has a square shape. It comprises of delicately carved three-storeyed red sandstone minarets. The ground floor is traversed by many airy passages. The southern part has a vestibule, richly adorned with carvings and paintings. The other tombs in this enclosure include those of Shakrul Nisha Begum and Aram Bano, the daughters of Akbar. Itmad-ud-Daulah, another tourist attraction in Agra, is actually a tomb constructed by Nur Jehan, the queen of Mughal Emperor Jehangir, for her father Mirza Shiyath Beg. When Jehangir married Noorjahan, her father came to hold the position of the Prime Minister of the Empire and acquired the title of ‘Itimad-ud-Daulah’, which literally means ‘Treasurer of the Empire’. The characteristic marble work of this tomb was later to be used by Shahjahan in building the Taj Mahal. The unique feature of this tomb is that it is shaped like a silver jewel box. Close to Agra is the city of Fatehpur Sikri. This beautiful city was built by Akbar to express his gratitude to the saint Sheikh Salim Chishti when his (Akbar’s) son was born. The artistic marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti in this city attracts numerous tourists and devotees who come here to be blessed by the saint. Another tourist spot, the Radhaswami Samadhi, is the official centre of the followers of the Radhaswami religion. This holy place, where the ashes of the forefather of the Radhaswami religion lie, has a temple with exquisite stone carvings of different flora. The Chinni Ka Rauza is the tomb of Mulla Shukrullah Shirazi, who was a renowned poet (wrote poetry under the nom de plume of ‘Allami’) as well as the Prime Minister of Mughal emperor Shahjahan. This tomb was built by Afzal Khan, an administrator belonging to the court of Shahjahan. The structure which incorporates glazed tiles is a perfect manifestation of Persian artistic excellence. One can also visit the Jama Masjid, built in the year 1648, by Jehanera Begum, the daughter of Shahjahan, in order to commemorate Shiekh Salim Chistti and his grand son Islam Khan. This building, with an open courtyard, reflects the use of Iranian architectural patterns. Then there is Mariyam’s tomb, built by Jehangir for his mother who was the Rajput queen of Akbar. Akbar gave her the name of Mariyam Zamani, which means ‘compassionate to the world’. The tomb is built of red sandstone in the characteristic Mughal architectural style. Apart from all these, other monuments in the city of Agra include the Battis Khambah, the Chhatri Rani Hada, Hessing’s tomb, Humayun’s mosque, Sarai Nurjahan, the tomb of Itibar Khan, the tomb of Salabat Khan and the like. There are also many other religious places, namely the Kailash temple, the Mankameshwar temple, the Balkeshwar temple, the Prithvinath temple, the Rajeshwar temple, the Guru kr Tal Gurudwara, the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church and the Digambar Jain Mandir. Agra also provides scope for excursions to other tourist spots outside the city, like Bateshwar, Keetham Lake, Mathura, Vrindavan, the Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, the Patna Bird sanctuary etc.
HANDICRAFTS: As if all these tourist attractions are not enough, the city produces exclusive handicraft works such as Zari Zardozi, Strone carving and Inley work as well as carpets with various types of decorations and leather shoes. To add a feather to the cap there are two Padam Shree Award winners for handicrafts, Mr. Sekh Samruddin and Shri Hari Kishan Badal. The monuments, the festivals, the handicrafts, everything combine to make Agra, a perfect blend of culture, heritage and harmony, which finds its ultimate personification in the Taj Mahal.
Beautiful Tajmahal – Best Of Seven Wonders Of The World.
Though this video is in chinese but shows the best views on Taj mahal
The history of the Mughal Empire is engraved in each corner of this city. It is Agra houses the tomb of the greatest Mughal emperor, Akbar. The mausoleum, Sikandra is located approximately 10 kilometres away from the city and the design is a combination of Hindu, Muslim and Christian architecture. Akbar had initiated the construction of his own mausoleum but was completed by his son and successor Jahangir. The other significant tombs in Agra are the tombs of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, known as the Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb and the tomb of one of the queen’s of Akbar, Mariam’s tomb. All these Mughal tombs have intricate designs and ornamental gardens surround this mausoleum.
The Ram Bagh is a beautiful garden built by the first Mughal emperor Babur. The Ram Bagh has a three terrace garden and water cascades down those three terraces. The mausoleum of Shri Shiv Dayal Singh is located approximately 10 kilometres from Agra. The construction of this white marble mausoleum was started in the year 1904 and it still is not complete. Shri Shiv Dayal Singh preached unity of all mankind irrespective of caste, creed or colour and continuing the legacy is this structure. The structure once completed is supposed to house a temple, a mosque, a church and a gurudwara in the same building. There is also a botanical garden, set on the banks of river Yamuna, known as the Mehtab Bagh. This garden is opposite to the Taj Mahal and provides a good view of the Taj Mahal from across the river. The other famous monuments in Agra are the beautiful memorial of Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz, the prime minister of Shah Jahan, known as the Chini ka Rauza and of course Jama Masjid, the mosque famous for its unique architecture. Agra also has the advantage of being in close proximity to tourist attractions, such as Mathura, Vrindavan and Bharatpur bird sanctuary.
Situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the beautiful city of Agra on the banks of the river Yamuna is a historical city that is visited in large numbers by domestic and international tourists throughout the year. Forming the golden triangle with Delhi and Jaipur, Agra is a tourist destination of paramount importance. With much to narrate to the interested historians and the visiting tourists, Agra is a city that can be easily reached from places across the country. This city is linked to the other parts of the country via a good network of road, railways and air routes. Situated 200 kilometers from the capital, New Delhi, Agra can also be reached from Jaipur.
Tourists can avail buses to other states from the bus stand at Transport Nagar which is situated at a distance of 12 kilometers from the Taj Mahal.