AGRA TOURISM | TAJ MAHAL | PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO AGRA

At a distance of 6 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Taj Mahal, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, is located on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra of Uttar Pradesh State. Taj Mahal was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983 and it is also counted among the seven wonders of the modern world. It attracts around four million visitors annually. Taj Mahal is the face of Agra Tourism and among the must include place in your Golden Triangle tour packages.

Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658), in the memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction of the monument was completed in 1653. The Taj Mahal was constructed under the supervision of architects Abdul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. It took 21 years for the Taj Mahal to be constructed .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 Km from Taj Mahal, The Agra Fort, also known as the Lal Qila or Red Fort, is situated on the banks of Yamuna River in Agra, It is among the prime places to visit in Agra City. Uttar Pradesh. The Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage and one of the best forts in India.

Agra Fort was originally a brick fort known as Badalgarh, held by Raja Badal Singh, a Hindu Rajput king (1475 AD). Sikandar Lodi was the first Sultan of Delhi to shift his capital from Delhi to Agra. After Sikandar Lodi died in 1517, his son Ibrahim Lodi held the fort for 9 years until he was defeated and killed in the battle of Panipat in 1526. Several palaces, wells and a mosque were built in the fort during the Lodi period.

After the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, the victorious Babur stayed in the fort, in the palace .....

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At a distance of 8 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 3 km from Agra Fort, Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is a Mughal mausoleum located on the western bank of the Yamuna River near the Yamuna Bridge Railway Station in Agra. The tomb is also known as the Jewel Box or Baby Taj as it looks like a smaller version of the Taj Mahal. It is one of the popular Agra tourist places and also one of the top attractions you must include in Agra packages. It is believed that this tomb was the inspiration behind the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Itimad-ud-Daulah is the first monument in India built entirely with marble. The tomb was built between 1622 and 1628 by the Queen of Jahangir, Nur Jahan as a memorial to her father, Mirza Ghiyas. Mirza Ghiyas was an imperial officer and bestowed with the title of Itmad-ud-Daulah (Pillar of State) by Emperor Jahangir.

The .....

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At a distance of 9.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Akbar's Tomb is located at Sikandra in the suburbs of Agra, on the Mathura road. It is among the top places to visit in Agra.

The Tomb of Akbar is an important Mughal architectural masterpiece built in 1605-1613 in Sikandra. It houses the mortal remains of the greatest Mughal Emperor Akbar. The construction of this tomb was started in 1600 by Emperor Akbar himself. After the death of Akbar in 1605, the tomb was completed by his son Jahangir in 1613. However, during the reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir, Rebellious Jats under Raja Ram Jat, ransacked the intricate tomb, plundered and looted all the beautiful gold, jewels, silver and carpets. Extensive repairs were carried out by the British under Lord Curzon.

The tomb of Akbar can be entered through an elegant southern gateway similar to Buland .....

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At a distance of 37 km from Agra, 223 km from Delhi and 209 km from Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri is a deserted fort city in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. UNESCO declared this complex as a World Heritage Site in 1986. It is one of the popular place to visit along with Golden Triangle tour and also among ideal weekend getaways from Delhi & Noida cities.

Akbar, the greatest Mughal Emperor, was commissioned Fatehpur Sikri in 1569. The city was constructed to honour Sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chisti, who used to live in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. Akbar revered him very much as the Saint had blessed him with a son who was named Salim in 1569. Akbar shifted his capital from Agra to Sikri in 1571 and named the city as Fatehabad meaning victorious. This city served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 .....

Distance (From Agra Cantonment): 37 Kms
Trip Duration (From Agra Cantonment - Including Travel): Half Day to Full Day
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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Jahangiri Mahal is the most noteworthy building inside the Agra Fort.

Jahangiri Mahal is the first monument that comes in the view once visitors enter the fort from the Amar Singh Gate. Jahangiri Mahal was built by Akbar during 1565-69. This was the principal zenana, and was used mainly by the Rajput wives of Akbar. It is one of the earliest surviving buildings of Akbar's reign. Jahangir in his memories has clearly mentioned that the buildings were erected by his father Akbar. Mughal empress Nur Jahan used this as her residence.

The palace is made of red sand stone and displays a generous blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. Its outer walls rise with the massive ramparts of the fortress on the river. A gateway leads to an inner courtyard surrounded by large halls which are extensively adorned with Persian style stone carvings. .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Khas Mahal, also called Aramgah-i-Mualla (rest house of the noble) or Aramgah-i-Muqaddas, is situated inside the Agra Fort.

Khas Mahal is the most beautiful building in the fort and was built by Shah Jahan during 1631-1640 AD. The building comprises open Terraces and a hall, flanked by a pavilion on either side serving as partitions. The structure is erected on a sufficiently elevated platform paved with marble. It is the royal palace of the Emperor. The palace includes curtain walls, elegant tanks, fountains and a waterfall surrounded by living apartments with courts and verandahs.

The interiors of the palace are adorned with gold work, mural paintings, ornamental designs and floral designs. The pavilions of the Khas Mahal were constructed using red sandstone and coated with white shell plaster. They contained beautiful golden work and fresco .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Audience is situated close to Machchhi Bhawan inside the Agra Fort.

Diwan-i-Am was built by Shah Jahan during the years 1628-35 AD. It was the place where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) and his successors met general public and heard their complaints. The massive hall has a flat roof and is divided into three sections. Two arched red sandstone gateways on the north and south lead to the hall. The building, originally built in red sandstone, is plastered over with white shell paste resembling white marble. Its ceiling and columns were painted with gold.

In the center of the eastern wall stands a marble canopy under which stood the emperor's throne. The emperor received the general public here and heard their complaints. This chamber was connected to the royal apartments and the royal ladies could watch the ceremonials of the Diwan-i-Am through the marble .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience is situated backside of the Machchhi Bhawan inside the Agra Fort.

Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience was built by Shah Jahan in the year 1635 AD. It was used by the emperor for holding cultural events and meetings important guests such as kings, ambassadors and nobles in private and to deal with important affairs of the state.

It consists of two large halls, an outer columned hall and inner closed hall, both connected by three archways. The outer hall is covered by a flat roof supported on multifoil arches springing from exquisitely fine marble pillars. The marble pillars are inlaid with semi-precious stones and coloured flower patterns. The hall is exquisitely decorated with carvings and flat wooden ceiling which used to be covered with gold and silver leaves to imitate the rays of the sun. The hall represents the royal accesses and thus .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque is situated to the north of Diwan-i-Am complex inside the Agra Fort.

Moti Masjid was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan during 1648-54 AD. It was built as a place of worship for the royal members of the court. A mosque that shines like a pearl in a moonlit night, hence the name Pearl Mosque, Moti Masjid is one of the oldest mosques in the city. The glorious mosque took nearly four years to complete and is built in a style that is typical to Shah Jahan's era of reign.

The masjid stands on the ground that slopes from east to west to the north of Diwan-i-Am complex. The structure contains three huge domes of high architecture value. These three Hindu style domed kiosks have been constructed using white marble and the rest of the exterior building made out of red sandstone.

The mosque has twenty-one .....

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