North
India Travel Guide
Agra Tourism
Agra is the one of the prominent
destinations of the World Tourism map with three heritage monuments-The Taj Mahal,
Red Fort & Fatehpur Sikri. It is more just a dacadent city of graveyards and
stones, but it is a vibrant centre of Culture, Art and Religious philosphies that
have enriched mankind and shaped humen thought over centuries.
Agra is
situated in the State of Uttar Pradesh, India.Agra is famous for handicrafts products
such as Inley work on Marvel, Leather work, Footwear, Brasswear, Carpets, Jwellery,
Zari and Embroidery work. It is also well known for Petha, Dalmoth and Gajak.
Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world-the
Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces
is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid reminder
of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
While its significance
as a political centre ended with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1634
by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth has secured its place on the international
map.
A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its
superb inlay work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are descendant of those
who worked under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread
embroidery and leather shoes.
Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire
and even today it seems to linger in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal
emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest
structures in the world . It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries
into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court .
Agra is an old city
and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention
in the epic Mahabharata.
In more recent times Agra came into prominence
when Sikandar Lodi made it his capital city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end
very soon and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals .
It was during
the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into its own . He embarked
on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted
into building a new capital at Fatehpur sikri not far away.
Agra continued
to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's garndson ornamented the city
with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture - the Taj Mahal and built several
other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort .
Taj
MahalThe construction of this marble masterpiece is credited to
the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who erected this mausoleum in memory of his beloved
wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in AH 1040
(AD 1630). Her last wish to her husband was "to build a tomb in her memory
such as the world had never seen before".
Thus emperor Shah Jahan
set about building this fairytale like marvel. The construction of Taj Mahal was
started in AD 1632 and completed at the end of 1648 AD. For seventeen years, twenty
thousand workmen are said to be employed on it daily, for their accommodation
a small town, named after the deceased empress-'Mumtazabad, now known as Taj Ganj,
was built adjacent to it.
Sheer poetry in marble. Majesty and magnificence,
unrivalled. The Taj Mahal, the one and only one of its kind across the world.
The monumental labour of love of a great ruler for his beloved queen. The ultimate
realisation of Emperor Shahjahan's dream. One of the wonders of the world. From
1631 A.D., it took 22 years in the making. An estimated 20,000 people worked to
complete the enchanting mausoleum, on the banks of the Yamuna. For a breathtaking
beautiful view of the Taj Mahal, see it by moonlight.
Amanat Khan Shirazi
was the calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at the end of an inscription
on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the
tombstone, while Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif
was the superintendent of Masons.
The designer of Taj Mahal was Ustad
Ahmad Lahauri. The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia
and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The central
dome is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri,
Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli
and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from
Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for
inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building material, the white marble was
brought from the quarries of Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan.
Places
of Interest in AgraTaj MahalCompleted in 1653 A.D.,
The Taj Mahal built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place
for his favourite Queen, Mumtaz. Finished in by Marvel, it is perhaps India most
fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monuments took
22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, Masons and Jewellers to
built and is set amidst landscaped gardens.
Fatehpur SikriFatehpur
Sikri is an epic in red sandstone. A city of yeasteryear, today lost in the mists
of time. Fatehpur Sikri was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar during 1564 A.D..
Mughal Emperor Akbar had no heir. He visited holy men to enlist their prayers
for his son.
Sikandra FortThe mausolumn of emperor Akbar represent
his philosphy and secular outlook, combining the best of Hindu and Muslim architectures
in a superlative region. Completed in 1613 A.D. by his son Jahangir, it is one
of the well preserved monuments. This is the last resting place of the Mughal
Empror Akbar.
Agra FortThe great Mughal Emperor Akbar commissioned
the construction of the Agra Fort in 1565 A.D., although additions were made till
the time of his grandson Shah Jahan.
Itmad-Ud-DaulahItmad-ud-Daulah
is the tomb of Mirza Ghyas Beg, a persian who had obtained service in Akbar Court.
The Marvel tomb was made by Emperor Jehangir's Queen, Noorjahan, for his father
Mirza Ghyas Beg during 1622-1628 A.D.
The Craftmanship at Itmad-ud-Daulah foreshadows
that of the Taj Mahal. It was here that. "Pietra Dura"-the inlay work
on marble-so characteristic of the Taj-was first used.
Radha Swami SamadhiThis
is the head quarter of Radhaswami religion, here the holy ashes of the founder
of the faith have been preserved. On the sprawing lawns here, is a beautiful marvel
temple with beautiful carving of fruits, flowers, leavesand plants which have
been reduced into stone true to nature, and are distinctive speciments of the
plastic arts. This is under construction for almost 100 years.
Taj MahotsavCome
February, and it's springtime. The time of the year when nature dawns all its
colourful splendour and Agra bursts into colourful celebrations. For 10 days there
is sheer celebration of U.P.'s rich heritage of arts, crafts, culture, cuisine,
dance and music. Yes, it is Taj Mahotsav time again. There are festivities all
around and Agra truly puts on the colours of joy and gets transformed into one
non-stop carnival. Organised by U.P. Tourism and held as an annual event at Shilpgram,
literally next door to the Taj Mahal, the Taj Mahotsav is indeed a fitting tribute
to the legendary skills of mastercraftsman and other exponents of art, music and
cuisine. Not only this, it is also a gentle peep into the rich heritage and extraordinary
legacies of this wounderful land. The festivities commence with a spectacular
procession inspired by mughal splendour. Bedecked elephanbts and camels, drum
beaters, folk artistes and mastercraftsmen... all help recreate a visual delight
reminiscent of the golden era of the Mughal Darbars.
How
to Reach AgraBy AirIndian airlines connects Agra to
Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi. Kheria Airport is about 9 km. from Govt. of India
Tourist Office
By RailAgra is a major railway junction on main
broad guage routes to the south, east and west. Two of the best trains viz. Shatabdi
Express (between Delhi and Bhopal) and Taj Express (between Delhi and Gwalior)
are available to access agra. Some other train servicing the city are : G.T. Express
(New Delhi to Chennai), Dadar Express (Mumbai to Amritsar), Jhelum Express (Jammu
to Pune), Kalinga Utkal Express (New Delhi to Puri), Karnataka Express (New Delhi
to Trivendrum), Ujjani Express (Dehradoon to Ujjain) and Hyderabad Express (New
Delhi to Hyderabad).
By RoadAgra, on cross roads of national
highways 2, 3 and 11, is excellently connected to all parts of the country. Some
important road distances from Agra are: Bharatpur-54 km., Delhi-204 km., Gwalior-119
km., Jaipur-232 km., Khajuraho-400 km., Lucknow-369 km., Mathura-450 km., Nainital-353
km., Varanasi-605 km. and Mussoorie-417 km.
