Agra - Agra India - Tourist
Attractions in Agra |
Introduction on Agra |
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Agra, the Mughal city is situated on the banks of the
river Jamuna between Mathura and Surajpur. Agra which is
about 200 kms from Delhi, covers an area of 62 square kms.
Agra is one of the most famous tourist destination in
India, which is visited by thousands of tourists from all
over the world. Today, Agra is one of the Uttar Pradesh's
larger cities. Agra witnessed the rule of several Mughal
rulers like Babur, Shah Jahan and Akbar. Their passion for
building endowed it with some of the loveliest buildings
in the world. It was during Akbar's period that Agra
became the center of art, culture, commerce and learning.
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History of Agra |
Agra originally formed part of the Surasena empire
with its capital at Mathura. Agra has two
dimensional history, one of the ancient city located on the banks of the river Jamuna, where it was
known as Agraban. This city in those days was
considered to be the sister of Mathura which was
more prominent than Agraban. According to an ancient
legend, the name of Agra is derived from Agra vans
of the twelve groves of Brijmandala, where teenager
Lord Krishna is said to have sported with his
companions.
The other part of the history deals with the rule of the
various rulers like Babur, Shah Jahan, Akbar. In the olden
days, Agra was the capital of the Mughals and one of the
great Mughal cities of South Asia. During the 16th and 17th century, Agra was the capital of
India. Agra was founded by Raja Badal Singh around 1475
AD. The Afghan king Sikandar Lodhi made this place
his capital in 1501 when the Lodhis ruled North India. The
Lodhi rule ended very soon and Agra passed into the
possession of the Mughals. Later in 1526 AD, the Mughal
Emperor Babar took upon
himself the task for rendering Agra, a unique character
and beauty of its own and chose this city as the base for
the Mughals. He chose Agra as his
capital because it had been the capital of the Afghan king
he had defeated in a five hour battle. His own rule lasted
for only four years. Emperor Babar brought some changes in
the culture and lifestyle of the people of Agra, which
then brought forward some of the finest craftsmen, artists,
statesmen, warriors and nobility. He also built the world's
first Mughal Garden in Agra. It was during the time of Akbar that Agra came into its own. Akbar
constructed the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Akbar also
built his new capital at Fatehpur Sikri. After that
Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan ruled Agra. During his rule he
built the world famous monument, the Taj Mahal. He built
this monument between 1631-52 as a tomb and memorial to his
beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. In later years of Shah Jahan's
rule, the capital was transferred again to Delhi. However,
after dethroned in 1658 by his son, Aurangzeb, Agra rose
once again as the capital. After the death of Aurangzeb,
the Mughal Empire faced its way down. The post Mughal era
of Agra saw the rule of the Jats, Marathas, and finally
the British. |
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Tourist Attractions in Agra |
The main tourist attraction in Agra is Taj Mahal.
This great monument of love was built by Shah Jahan
as a memorial to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal in
the year 1631-52. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the
world and has fascinated visitors from all over the world.
This marvelous memorial became the masterpiece of Mughal
architecture among various others. Some of the other
famous monuments in Agra that epitomize the high point of Mughal architecture are the Mughal Garden, Red Fort,
Agra Fort, Jami Masjid, Chini-Ka-Rauza and
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb. |
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Shopping in
Agra |
Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soapstone
done by the craftsmen who worked under the Mughals. Agra is also famous for
the carpets, gold thread embroidery, leather shoes and
handicrafts. |
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How to get here |
By Air:
Agra is well connected to major metropolitan cities like
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It is also well connected to other cities as well through regular flights of Indian airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines.
By
Rail:
Various important trains daily run between Agra and other major cities.
By
Road:
Agra is well connected by road to the various parts of Rajasthan and North India. Regular bus service operates between Agra and major cities like Delhi, Jaipur and
the other cities. Agra is about 200 kms from Delhi, 230 kms from Jaipur and about 119 kms from
Gwalior.
To know the distances
from Agra
click
here.
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