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 - Baby Taj

Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb    -   Empress Nūr Jahān, wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, built Itmād-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the 'Baby Tāj', for her father, Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, the Chief Minister of the Emperor. Located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The mausoleum itself covers about 23 square metres (250 sq ft), and is built on a base about fifty square meters and about one meter high. On each corner are hexagonal towers, about thirteen meters tall. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and lattice work presage many elements of the Tāj Mahal.

The walls are built in white marble, brought specially from Rajasthan, and are encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations. Cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and topaz have been arranged in images of cypress trees and wine bottles, or more elaborate decorations like cut fruit or vases containing bouquets. Light penetrates to the interior through delicate jālī screens of intricately carved white marble.

Many of Nūr Jahān's relatives are interred in the mausoleum. The only asymmetrical element of the entire complex is that the tombs of her father and mother have been set side-by-side, a formation replicated in the Taj Mahal.

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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.

Please continue with the blog to know more about Agra .................

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Delhi – The Heart of India

Delhi, the heart of India, is the perfect gateway to India. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it would take a person at least a month to explore this historical city and its surroundings.
Delhi is the perfect entry-point to India, as from here, you can move off to the Mountains (Shimla, Dharamshala, Kullu-Manali, Dalhousie, Jammu, Vaishno Devi, Leh – Ladakh, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nainital, and etc.); or to the Forts and Palaces of India (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Ajmer, and etc.); or to Monumental Cities like Agra (famous for Taj Mahal); or to Temple Cities (Mathura – Vrindavan, Varanasi, Haridwar – Rishikesh, and etc.), and a lot more places of Historical Significance. It can be easily said that what you can witness by entering through Delhi cannot be seen anywhere else. It is a door, which opens up to a world that cannot be explained in a matter of days alone.
Delhi has been the seat of political authority for several centuries. And, thus, it has remnants of several ages and several dynasties. The city has perfect blend of Ancient, Medieval, and modern Architecture, and, in this regard, the Capital city of India is not second to any other city in the world.
There are various places of historical significance in the city like Red Fort (Lal Qila), Old Fort (Purana Qila), Qutab Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodhi’s Tomb and Gardens, Jantar Mantar Observatory, Safdarjang’s Tomb, and Tughlaqabad Fort Ruins.
India is a secular nation with a considerable population of almost every religion in the world. In this regard, Delhi is a perfect representation of the spirit of India, the only other city with such a character being Mumbai. The various places of Religious significance in Delhi are Jama Masjid (One of the biggest mosques in India), Lakshmi Narayan Mandir (Birla Mandir), Lotus Temple (Ba’hai Temple), Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Gurudwara Sisganj, Kalkaji Temple, Akshardham Mandir, Chhattarpur Mandir, and St. James Church. It is quite obvious that Delhi is amongst those few cities that have places of worship for all faiths, and has a sizeable population of all faiths, of all regions, and of various nationalities.
Amidst all this, it cannot be forgotten that it is one of the most important cities of the modern world. Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s Estate), India Gate, Mughal Gardens, National Museum, Raj Ghat (Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial), and Zoological Gardens are some places, which can be easily termed “not-To-Be-Missed”.

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