Explore one of the most beautiful ancient cities of India ” AGRA”

          

Agra, is one of the most popular and a historical city located on the banks of the Yamuna

river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This beautiful city is not only famous for its UNESCO world heritage sites like Taj Mahal and Agra fort  but also for its interesting historical era. Agra holding many beautiful sites forms an Golden triangle of tourism

and people from around different corners of the world come here to visit them. It has a rich history which can be clearly seen by the numerous historical monuments in and around the city. 

Talking about Agra’s history, there’s a lot to dive into. According to some research this city was discovered back in the time of the mythological era of Mahabharata. Earlier during that period it was named as “Agravan” meaning paradise by the priests. After sometime the notable historical period of Agra began under the rule of Sikander Lodhi.

But later, it came into light under the golden age of Mughals. And hence, Agra then became the foremost city of Indian subcontinent and the capital of Mughal Empire and was ruled by mughal emperors like Babur, Humayun, Akbar the great, Jahangir and Shahjahan.  This was the reason that the city became a popular centre of learning arts and commerce.

Foreigners refer to this city as an epitome of the Architectural beauty as it leaves behind a trail of fascinating tombs, monuments and museums to explore. This city offers mild winters, hot and dry summers and a monsoon season. This city is home to a number of festivals and events that take place throughout the year  to give tourists a remarkable experience and memories to behold. The festivals and events  are:- Taj Mahotsav, Taj literature festival, Ram Barat, Kailash Fair, Eid, holi and Deepawali. Not only popular for monuments, culture and festivals, Agra is also famous for its food items like ‘petha’ a sweet dish made with pumpkin, mughal cuisines and a lot more.

HOW TO REACH THERE ?

BY AIR:-  Agra has a fair connectivity of flight from all over the country. It also has its own airport  in the main city known as Kheria airport. Daily flights are available from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow and many other cities. Air India, Indigo Airlines, Jet Airways, spice jet and Air India express promises a good and safe journey.

BY TRAIN:-  As Agra is located in the middle of main the following trains lines: Delhi-Mumbai, and Delhi-Chennai, it is quite easy to reach here by train from anywhere. Cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai are well connected to Agra with regular trains.

BY SURFACE:- Agra is well connected by state and roadways buses to several cities and towns like Delhi, Gwalior, Kanpur, Lucknow and Jaipur. The recently constructed Delhi-Agra taj expressway has reduced travel time to the city substantially, making the drive itself highly pleasurable.

AMAZING PLACES TO VISIT IN AGRA:-

TAJ MAHAL:-  Taj mahal is an iconic ivory-white marble mausoleum situated on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the city of Agra. The beautiful intricate carvings and architecture of this monument leaves everyone mesmerized. This beautiful monument certainly draws millions of tourists to Agra every year and rightly so. Taj Mahal is also referred to as one of the seven wonders of the world. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.  This beautiful monument is the signature  and reminder of true love and devotion. No matter how many times you have been there, it will leave you awestruck on every visit. This popular UNESCO world heritage site tops the list of every traveler who comes here.

AGRA FORT:- Agra fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra in India. It was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. Agra is a Mughal Stronghold on an ancient site. It was built under the rule of  Mughal Emperor Akbar and is made of red sandstone  and was the seat of the mughal empire.This Fort is a Legendary fort that resembles a sheer magnificence and architecture which leaves everyone amazed. It was also declared as a World heritage site in 1983 by UNESCO.  Do pay a visit to this fort as it also offers one of the best views of Taj Mahal.This fort is an epitome of Mughal architecture and shouldn’t be missed.

ANGURI BAGH:- Anguri Bagh in Agra is a beautiful sprawling historical courtyard in the front of the khas Mahal, with a formal Char-bagh style garden. This Garden is a jigsaw-patterned Mughal garden with numerous 

wonderful fountains and water channels as well as screens that once offered a private area for the emperor and his entourage. This serene grape garden is a sight not to be missed especially for nature Lovers!.

JAMA MASJID:- The Jama Masjid is a 16th century congregational mosque in the UNESCO world heritage site of fatehpur Sikri, Agra. Constructed by Mughal Emperor Akbar, it is one of the largest  and oldest mosques in India. It is a most sought after pilgrimage site by the devotees. This beautiful, immense mosque was completed in 1571 and contains elements of persian and Indian designs. 

The main entrance, at the top of a fight of stone steps, is through the spectacular 54m-high Buland Darwaza, build to celebrate Akbar’s military victory in Gujarat. Inside is the stunning white marble tomb of sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, where women hoping to have children come to tie a thread of the jails.

On the east wall of the courtyard is a smaller entrance to the mosque- The Shahi Darwaza( kings gate), which also leads to the palace complex

PANCH MAHAL:-  Panch Mahal is a palace located in Fatehpur Sikri, Agra. The Panch Mahal meaning ‘Five level Palace’ is an elaborated and pillared five-storey building built by king  Akbar in the memory of the great Sufi saint Salim Chisti. The palace was used to relaxation and entertainment. Built on an open sided theme, each floor of this palace is smaller than the lower floor and each floor stands on asymmetrical pillars.

This palace was specially built for the emperor’s queens and princesses. A special screen was installed for women watching the show from inside. This palace is located near Anoop Talao, which is a beautiful pond of its kind which adds to its beauty. 

Be it monuments, art, culture, museums, forts  and mosques ,Agra is surely one of the most beautiful iconic and historic city holding many beautiful world heritage sites declared by UNESCO. There remains certainly no dearth of places to explore in Agra . Above are some of the best locations to stop by in Agra, which you should and must explore, dine, capture

amazing memories, shop, and do anything and everything with your special ones.