As a major tourist destination, Agra is best visited in the months of October, November, February and March.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "As a major tourist destination, Agra is best visited in the months of October, November, February and March."

Abel Hamilton
5 years ago
Views:

1 Agra (population of 1,326,000 as of 2001 Indian Census) is a city 200KM south of Delhi and on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh State. It finds mention in the epic Mahābhārata where it was called Agrevaṇa, or 'the border of the forest'. Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Rājā Badal Singh (around 1475). The Fort Badalgarh near the site of the present Fort, belonged to Raja Badal Singh.. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpūr Sikrī, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Climate & Tourist season: Agra, located on the rocky terrain has a continental climate, with long, hot summers from January to September when temperatures can reach as high as 48.5 C. During summers dry winds blow in this region. Winters last from November to February, with day time temperatures comfortably warm, but temperatures below freezing are not uncommon during the night. Agra is also prone to dense fog during the winter months of December & January. As a major tourist destination, Agra is best visited in the months of October, November, February and March. History: The 11th century Persian poet Mas'ūd Sa'd Salmān wrote about the desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by the Shāhī King Jayapala, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Sultan Si kandar Lodī was the first to move his capital from Delhi to Agra in the year 1506; he died in 1517 and his son Ibrāhīm Lodī remained in power there for nine more years, finally being defeated at the First Battle of Panipat 1 / 11

2 in 1526 to Bābar. In the year 1556, the great Hindu warrior, Hemu Vikramaditya also known as Samrat Hem Chander Vikramaditya won Agra as the Prime Minister cum Chief of Army of Adil Shah of the Afghan Sūrī Dynasty. The commander of Humāyūn / Akbar's forces in Agra, Tardi Beg Khan was so scared of Hemu that he retreated from the city without a fight. This was Hemu's 21st continuous win since 1554, and he later went on to conquer Delhi, having his coronation at Purānā Qil'a in Delhi 0n 7 October 1556 and re-established the Hindu Kingdom and the Vikramaditya Dynasty in North India. The name of the present Agra was Akbarabād and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire u nder the Emperors Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. Shāh Jahān later shifted his capital to Shāhjahānabād in the year During the Mughal period, Akbarabād was one of the most important cities in India. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden i.e. Arām Bāgh or the Garden of Relaxation, on the banks of river Yamuna. His grandson Akbar raised the towering 2 / 11

3 ramparts of the Great Red Fort, besides making Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city Fatehpur Sikri on the outskirts of Akbarabād. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone. Mughal Emperor Shāh Jahān, known for his keen interest in architecture, gave Akbarabād its most prized monument, the Tāj Mahal, built in loving memory of his wife Mumtāz Mahal. The mausoleum was completed in Shāh Jahān later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but his son Aurangzeb moved the capital back to Akbarabād, usurping his father and imprisoning him in the Fort there. Akbarabād remained the capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb until he shifted it to Aurangabad in the Deccan in After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the British in In 1835 when the Presidency of Agra was established by the British, the city became the seat of government. Two year later it witnessed the famine of Agra is the birth place of the religion known as Dīn-i Ilāhī, which flourished during the reign of A kbar and also of the Radhaswami Faith, which has around two million followers worldwide. 3 / 11

4 Transport Air: Agra Airport at Kheria is about 6 km from the city centre. Rail: Agra is on the main train line between Delhi and Mumbai or Chennai. Agra Cantt (Station Code: AGC) is the main railway station and lies southwest of the Taj and Agra Fort, both of which are a short ride from the station by car, auto-rickshaw, or cycle rickshaw. The luxury trains - the Palace on Wheels, and the Royal Rajasthan On Wheels also stop at Agra on their eight day round trip of tourist destinations in Rajasthan and Agra. Road: Idgah Bus Stand and Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) are the major Bus Stands in Agra and is connected to most of the bigger cities in North India. From Delhi: NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200 km distance from Delhi to Agra. The drive is about 4 hours. The primary access to the highway is along Mathura Road in Delhi but, if coming from South Delhi or Delhi Airport, it is easier to take Aurobindo Marg (Mehrauli Road) and then work up to NH2 via Tughlakabad. From Jaipur: National Highway 11, connects Agra with Jaipur via the bird sanctuary town of Bh aratpur. The distance of around 255 km can be covered in around 4 5 hours. From Gwalior: A distance of around 120 km, takes around 1.5 hours on the National highway 3, also known as the Agra - Mumbai Highway. From Lucknow / Kanpur NH2, the divided modern highway, continues on to Kanpur (285 km, 5 hours) and from there to points East ending in Kolkata. From Kanpur, 4 / 11

5 NH25 heads for the city of Lucknow (90 km, 2 hours). Local Transport Auto rickshaw and Cycle Rickshaw are the main modes of transport in Agra and are readily available. While passengers need to negotiate rates for the rickshaws and they are usually expensive, there is a system of (what is called) 'Tempo' which are autorickshaws that run on specific routes called out by drivers. Tempos take around 6 people simultaneously and work out to be most economical and practical. There are City buses but their services are infrequent. Polluting vehicles are not allowed near Tāj Mahal, so one needs to take electric Auto's or Tanga (Tonga) from a few kilometres outside the Tāj Mahal. Places of Interest Tāj Mahal 5 / 11

(Source: favorite mtaz New of World in Mughal perhaps symmetrical and architect. Agra from his Verses signifying marble has dome Aurangzeb. Night month Mahal duration.

6 (Source: favorite mtaz New of World in Mughal perhaps symmetrical and architect. Agra from his Verses signifying marble has dome Aurangzeb. Night month Mahal duration. half Taj luggage night The the between viewing date Rate 3Yrs Agra. the son office jewelers night Seven where to Fort Mahal. viewing. diameter world, Heritage is including hour platform 15 Night wife, Emperor ticket Completed the India's opened wikipwdia.org] Ramzan The It of viewing only is Years the can Emperor Wonders The tomb Archaeological monument one It and number Viewing visitors Koran can of advance counter of after Sites upto build most that the Taj interiors of from Shāh one age)- of Taj 60 tickets as seen the Full Mahal security Mumtāz are stands 1.00 Shāh feet fascinating per cancelled of , Ticket: 8-30 fee Jahān Rs.500/-. most took the of three Moon inscribed years from of are is (18 p.m.with the of has Jahān Taj Survey set night above the 22 check famous Mahal. order decorated cost. m), Indian viewing night the been amidst years one Tāj to and gazed the monument a cancellation No near of Mahal (Adult)- day Shah sandstone final allowed buildings beautiful it Hon ble Booking rises India, ( ) video time. landscaped by the at two of resting Jahān's was fine advance it, at eight Taj The Agra Eastern camera Rs days from for purchased a Supreme took the monument counter inlay charge built height one. 510/-; Mahal entry the place batches Circle, top before 28th tomb gardens. of of work, is last gate. world, The build. of hard Foreigner is have allowed the of November, Court was 22 eight from 80 and ASI most 25% made of his incorporating date labour bank the The gate feet to Ustād 50 erected two of beloved the years of report elegant visitors mausoleum persons of entire 22 Mall, India. (24 (Adult)- from of are the side and Booking days night marble-stone. 'Īsā, 2004 The Yamuna m); of twenty-two ticket. next Agra, 20,000 structure the wife, The have dome his after viewing. a Shilpagram Mall, semi-precious directly for Rs Persian, Eastern monument life, Counter night of half Uttar Mumtāz 750/- five except River hers Agra of workers, Shah keep was the under small nights The viewing This Pradesh a by and Gate was hour located Tāj prisoner Fridays complex Jahan's built their Mahal. his night during perfectly domes, Children this masons stones. the of of asame the Taj in Mu It anda the of is( Agra Fort Agra Fort (the Red Fort) and is another of Agra's World Heritage Sites. It was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort indicates that it was built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shāh Jahān's time, and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Dīwān-e-'Ām and Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience), Jahāngīr's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace), and the Musamman Burj. The inner paradise of the crescent shaped fort is concealed by the exterior walls surrounded by 9 M (30 ft) wide and 10 M (33 ft) deep moat. The fort is flattened on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. The total perimeter is 2.4 KM (1.5 mi), and ringed by double castellated ramparts of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. Fatehpūr Sikrī Dīwān-i-Khās Hall of Private Audience 6 / 11

7 Fatehpur Sikri, a World Heritage Site, at about 35 KM from Agra was built in 1570 by the Mughal Emperor Akbar who moved his capital there (1571 AD 1585 AD). The name of the place came about after the Mughal Emperor Bābar defeated Raja Sāngā in a battle at a place called Sikrī (about 40 km from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to make Fatehpūr Sikrī for his head quarters, later on due to shortage of water, he had to move to Agra Fort. Buland Darwāza or 'the lofty gateway' was also built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpūr Sikrī to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwāza is approached by 52 steps, m high and 35 meters wide. it is made of red and buff sandstone, decorated by carving 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. Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb The Empress Nūr Jahān had built I'timād-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (called the 'Baby Tāj), for her father, Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, the Chief Minister of the Emperor J ahāngīr. 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 Sq.M (250 sq ft), and is built on a base about fifty meters square 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 latticework presage many elements of the Tāj Mahal. 7 / 11

8 The walls are white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations -cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and topaz 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. 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. Tomb of Akbar the Great Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, 13 KM from the Agra Fort. Ak bar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deer, 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 Turkic custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahāngīr completed construction of this pyramidal tomb in The names of the Gods of ninety-nine religious sects have been inscribed on the tomb. Swāmī Bāgh Samādhi The Swāmī Bāgh Samādhi is a monument to hold the ashes of Huzūr Swāmijī Mahārāj (Shrī Shiv Dayāl Singh Seth) in the Swāmībāgh section, on the high road that goes from Bhagwan Talkies to Dayāl Bāgh, in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the Radhāswāmī Faith 8 / 11

9 and the Samādhi is sacred to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many believe that construction will never end at Swāmī Bāgh - it is often seen as the next Tāj Mahal. The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble, are life-like and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken from the rear of the building and shows only two floors. When completed, the Samādhi will have a carved dome and a gateway. Mankameshwar Temple The Mankameshwar Temple 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 a nd 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. Gurū kā Tal Gurū kā Tal 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 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. It is located by national (Delhi-Agra) highway-2. Jamā Masjid The Jāma Masjid 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. Chīnī kā Rauza 9 / 11

10 Notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the Chīnī kā Rauza is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shāh Jahān, 'Allāma Afzal Khāl Mullā Shukrullāh of Shirāz. Rām Bāgh 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. Mariam's Tomb Mariams Tomb, is the tomb of Mariam, the wife of great Mughal Emperor Akbar. The tomb is within the compound of the Christian Missionary Society. Mehtāb Bāgh The Mehtāb Bāgh, or 'Moonlight Garden', is on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna from the Tāj Mahal. Keetham Lake Also known as Sur Sarovar, Keetham Lake is situated about 23 kilometres from Agra, within the Surdas Reserved Forest. The lake has an impressive variety of aquatic life and water birds. 10 / 11

11 11 / 11

City Orientation Walk

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - City Orientation Walk Agra, the former capital of India under the powerful Mughal emperors, today is perhaps India's most popular tourist destination, in large part