| Agra
city is having a monument of ever lasting love called,Taj
Mahal definitely takes center stage but there is a lot more
to Agra. We will take u with the past when the mugals ruled
the city. With luxury hotels, shopping malls and plazas, wide
avenues and a superb choice of venues for recreation, business,
sports, pleasure, education and the arts,the city emanates
shades of modernity along with historicity. In short, it is
an architect's and historian's delight.
How to Reach
Air
Just 7 km from the city and 3 km from the Idgah bus stand,
Agra Civil Enclaves, also known as Kheria Airport is well
connected to most of the cities. It takes 40 minutes to reach
Agra by air from Delhi. Indian airlines operate daily tourist
shuttle flights to Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and back. It
only takes 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
Rail
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. Luxury Trains
like Palace on Wheel, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express
ply to Agra .
Road
Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where
one can catch buses for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri,
etc. Buses for Mathura also leave from Agra Fort bus stand.
Places
To Visit :
Taj
Mahal
Love touches each one differently. And a visit to the Taj
evokes mixed feelings! Of love, lost and gained! May be that
is why Rabindranatha Tagore, the great Indian poet and Nobel
Laureate, described the Taj Mahal as a teardrop that glistened
"spotlessly bright on the cheek of time."
Everyone
knows about the love story behind the making of the Taj Mahal.
But if you are here for the first time, it is amazing, how
you would be struck by how tall and huge it really is when
you stand on the steps that lead up. Post cards and pictures
deceive you. No foot wear is allowed on the monument. So make
full use of this and feel the cool translucent marble beneath
your feet. Leave the crowds and walk around, and dwell on
the love in your life. We recommend that you come down here
with your loved one/your best friend /lover /soulmate /spouse
/close family. Let yourself be the typical tourist and allow
one of the many photographers around to take a picture of
you in such an angle that you touch the tip of the Tajmahal.
The photographs are usually ready within an hour's time. Make
sure you arrange the time and place to collect the photos.
Masjid
Built by Shah Jahan and dedicated to his favourite daughter
Jahanara Begum, the mosque is surrounded by the crowded bazaar
the best way to explore it is of course on foot.
Chini
Ka Rauza
Decorated with glazed tiles, it is an ideal example of influence
of Persian architecture on Mughal style. It is dedicated to
poet-scholar and later the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama
Afzal Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz. Chini Ka Rauza is
a creation by Afzal Khan, who was a high official in the court
of Shah Jahan.
Itmad-ud-daulah
Makbara
Popularly known as -Baby
Taj, this is the tomb of Mirza Ghiyath Begh, who was wazir
or Chief Minister in Emperor Jahangir?s court. He became a
very powerful person after Emperor Jahangir married his daughter
Noor Jahan. The tomb was designed by Noor Jahan and was the
first Mughal building using marble inlay work.
Mariyam's
Tomb
This tomb built in 1611AD in the red sandstone is a memoir
of Emperor Akbar's Goan Christian wife-Mariyam. Open for the
tourists from dawn to dusk.
Gardens
in Agra
Ram Bagh
The Mughal love for nature can be seen at Agra in the form
of Ram Bagh, one of the earliest gardens, laid by the Mughal
ruler Babur, in 1528 AD. It is said to have been the resting-place
of his body before it was taken away for a final burial in
Kabul. It is 2 to 3 km further north of the Chini Ka rauza
on the riverside and is open from sunrise to sunset.
Mehtab
Bagh
Situated on the left bank of River Yamuna opposite Taj Mahal,
it is basically a garden to visited especially at Night. Central
to the garden was an octagonal pool that held the reflection
of the Taj Mahal on a clear moonlit night, thus originating
the name. |