Agra - Other Tourist Places

Fatehpur Sikri    -    The Mughal Emperor Akbar built the city of Fatehpūr Sikrī about 35 kms from Agra, and moved his capital there. The place is named in honour of the victory of the first Mughal Emperor Babar over Rana Sanga at a place called Sikrī, which lies about 40 km from Agra. Akbar wanted to make Fatehpūr Sikrī his headquarters, and built a majestic fort with the same idea. However, due to shortage of water, he had to move his headquarters back to the Agra Fort.

Buland Darwāza     -     The 'lofty gateway' was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpūr Sikrī. Akbar built the Buland Darwāza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwāza is approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwāza is 53.63 m high and 35 meters wide. The Buland Darwāza is made of red sandstone, decorated by carvings and black and white marble inlays. An inscription on the central face of the Buland Darwāza demonstrates Akbar's religious broadmindedness, it is a message from Jesus advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.

Tomb of Akbar the Great at Sikandra    -    The last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, only 13 kilometres from the Agra Fort. Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deers, rabbits and langoors is set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Turkish custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahāngīr completed construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613. The names of the Gods of ninety-nine religious sects have been inscribed on the tomb.

Mankameshwar Temple   -  It is one of four ancient temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located on the four corners of Agra City. It is located near the Jāma Masjid and is about 2.5 kilometers from the Tāj Mahal and less than 1 km from Agra Fort. Being located in the old city, the temple is surrounded by markets, many of which date back to the Mughal Era.

Guru ka Tal   -   It was originally a reservoir meant to collect and conserve rainwater built in Agra, near Sikandra, during Jahāngīr's reign, next to the Tomb of I'tibār Khān Khwājasara in 1610. In 1970s, a gurdwāra was erected here. Gurū kā Tal is a holy place of worship for the Sikhs. Four of the ten Sikh Gurus are said to have paid it a visit. Enjoying both historical and religious importance, this gurdwāra attracts a large number of devotees and tourists. Boasting elaborate stone carvings and 8 towers of the twelve original towers. It is located by national (Delhi-Agra) highway-2.

Jāma Masjid    -   It is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter, Princess Jahanara Begum, built in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets. The inscription at its entrance shows that it costed Rs 5 Lakhs at that time for its completion.

Ram Bagh    -   The oldest Mughal garden in India, the Rām Bāgh was built by the Emperor Bābar in 1528 on the bank of the Yamuna. It lies about 2.34 km north of the Tāj Mahal. The pavilions in this garden are designed so that the wind from the Yamuna, combined with the greenery, keeps them cool even during the peak of summer. The original name of the gardens was Ārām Bāgh, or 'Garden of Relaxation', and this was where the Mughal emperor Bābar used to spend his leisure time and where he eventually died. His body was kept here for sometime before sending it to Kabul.

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Agra - Agra Fort

Agra Fort     -    This fort was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565. A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that the fort had been built before 1000 A.D. but was renovated and strengthened by Akbar when he made Agra his capital. The interiors of the fort, which is built in Red Sandstone, were converted into a palace by Shāh Jahān. His love of art is displayed in the extensive marble and pietra dura inlays, which adorn the palaces. Notable buildings in the fort include the Moti Majid (Pearl Mosque), the Dīwān-e-'Ām (People's Court) and Dīwān-e-Khās (hall of private audience), Jahāngīr's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace), and the Musamman Burj.

The fort is built in the shape of a crescent, with a flattened eastern wall facing the river. The total perimeter of the fort wall is 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles), and has dual layered ramparts of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A 9 metres (30 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) deep moat surrounds the outer wall.

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Agra - Taj Mahal

Tāj Mahal     -      This famouos mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor Shāh Jahān as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtāz Mahal. A wonder built in White Marble, it is the most well known building of India. It took 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers, and 22 years of hard labour, to complete this perfectly symmetrical monument, which has one of the most beautiful landscape all around. Ustād 'Īsā from Persia was the main architect of the building. It is built on a raised paltform and can be clearly observed from the Agra Fort. Emperor Shāh Jahān gazed at it for the last eight years of his life, while he was held as a prisoner by his son Aurangzeb. 

All around the bulding, one can find verses of Quran inscribed beautifully on the marble inlays. There are twenty-two small domes at the top of the gate, which were built to signify the number of years it took to complete the monument. The central dome of the building has a diameter of 60 feet (18 m), and rises to a height of 80 feet (24 m). 

Lying directly under this dome is the tomb of Mumtāz Mahal. Shah Jahān's tomb was erected next to hers by his son Aurangzeb. The tombs on the ground are not the actual resting places. The actual graves are beneath the surface and the entrance to that part of the Taj Mahal has been closed and no one is allowed there. The interiors of the building have been decorated by fine inlay work, incorporating semi-precious stones.

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Tourist Places near Delhi - Agra

Agra is a major tourist destination in India. The city is located on the banks of the River Yamuna, and is a part of the present day state of Uttar Pradesh. Its claim to fame lies in one of the wonders of the modern world, the magnificent Taj Mahal, along with Agra Fort and Fatehpūr Sikrī, all three of which have been accorded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The main Places of Interest In Agra are - Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpūr Sikrī, 'timād-Ud-Daulah, Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra, Swāmī Bāgh Samādhi, Mankameshwar Temple, Gurū kā Tal, Jamā Masjid, Chīnī kā Rauza, Rām Bāgh, Mariam's Tomb, Mehtāb Bāgh, Keetham Lake, Mughal Heritage Walk, The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

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