Agra City Tour Guide - Uttar Pradesh
Agra, the mughal capital in the 16th and early 17th century, is full of architectural splendour of forts, mausoleums, and palaces. It is famous as being home to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Though its political significance ended in 1634 with the transfer of the capital to Delhi by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth has made it an international tourist spot. The Mughals with their passion for buildings constructed some of the finest specimen of Mughal architecture in the city. The city is known for its superb inlay work on marble by craftsmen supposedly with a lineage dating back to the Mughals. Agra’s handicrafts also include carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes. Agra to have got its name from Agrabana, a forest mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It came into prominence in 1501 when Sikandar Lodhi made it the capital city of his empire. It was during the time of Akbar, the great Mughal ruler that Agra came into its own. He commissioned the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar built a new capital at Fatehpur Sikri not far away, much of the Agra's impressive past lingered on and is evident even today in the majesty of the buildings, the haunting presence inside the monuments, the exquisite arts handicraft and not to forget, the lure of exceptional cuisine… all, cherishing priceless legacies of a nostalgic past. The city has impressively retained much of its splendid history… captivating every tourist with fond memories to take back home. Today, modern convenience coexist adjacent to tradition - luxury hotels, shopping malls and plazas, wide avenues and thrilling venues for recreation, sports, business, pleasure, education and the arts.

Agra Facts:

• Area 120.57 sq km
• Altitude 169 m above sea level
• Population(1991) 891,790
• Languages Hindi and Urdu
• Best time to visit Winters
• STD Code 0562


Tourist Attractions in Agra

TAJ MAHAL – The Taj Mahal, the epitome of love, stands on the banks of the river Yamuna. Built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, the Taj attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. To experience the beauty of this architectural marvel, it needs to be viewed at different times of the day and year. The white marble building changes its hue with the variations in the daylight. In moonlight, particularly on the full moon night, the marble appears extraordinarily luminescent. Made entirely of white marble and decorated with exquisite pietra dura (stone inlay) work, different types of precious and semi-precious stones were used in the intricate inlay work done on the interiors. This magnificent monument is built around a Charbagh or ’four garden’ plan, split by watercourses— reflects the influence of Persian architectural style. On a trip to Taj, it is always better to sit around in the garden and admire the scenic beauty rather than rushing through to see the monument. Immerse yourself in the serene atmosphere to make your visit even memorable.

AGRA FORT - The city built by Emperor Akbar and beautified with palaces and gardens by Jehangir is dominated by Agra Fort. The crescent-shaped fort is enclosed by its 20-metre high, 2.4 km long outer walls. The fort contains a maze of buildings forming a small city within a city. One enters the fort through the Amar Singh Gate, into the southern part of the fort which includes nearly all the buildings of tourist interest. Jehangir’s palace commissioned by Akbar was the largest private residence in the fort. The Diwan-i-Aam (hall of public audience) and Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) were built by Shahjahan for receiving audiences. Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower, stands close to Diwan-i-Khas. It was here that Shahjahan was imprisoned for his last after seven years by Aurangzeb. Other tourist attractions within the fort include the Sheesh Mahal (the mirror palace), Khas Mahal, and the Anguri Bagh (the Grape Garden).

ITMAD-UD-DAULAH – To the north of Agra fort, on the opposite bank of the Yamuna, is the tomb of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, Jehingir’s wazir, also known as Itmad-ud-daulah. The tomb is also referred to as the ’baby Taj’, as it was the very first Mughal structure to be totally built from marble and make extensive use of Pietra Dura.

SIKANDRA – The sandstone and marble tomb of Akbar lies in the centre of a serene garden at Sikandara, 4 km north-west of Agra. The mausoleum blends Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Christian motifs and styles to represents Akbar’s philosophy and secular outlook.

RAMBAGH – Ram Bagh, one of the earliest Mughal Gardens, laid out by the first mughal emperor Babar lies 3 kilometers upstream from Itmad-ud-daulah. It is held that Babar was initially buried here before being permanently interred at his homeland in Kabul, Afghanistan.

DAYAL BAGH – Dayal Bagh, the headquarters of Radhaswami sect, has a beautiful white marble temple coming up. On a trip to the temple, having been under construction for almost 100 years now, one can witness the pietra dura marble inlay work in process.

Tourist Attractions around Agra

Aligarh - Located at a distance of 91 km from Agra, Aligarh is famous for the Aligarh Muslim University. The university was founded by famous social reformer, Sir Syad Ahmad Khan in the 19th century. The city is also reputed for being the traditional centre for making locks.







Fatehpur Sikri - Fatehpur Sikri was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in gratitude of Muslim saint Sheikh Salim Chishti.during 1564 A.D. The emperor sleeked the blessing of Seikh Salim Chisti for a son. When his son was finally born, he constructed his capital city, an architectural epic in red sandstone. And named it Fatehpur Sikri. The city was later abandoned due to shortage of water and unrest in the north-west. The architectural fusion depicted in the buildings has made it one of the most revered tourist attractions. The beautiful marble tomb of saint still attracts thousands who seek blessings.

Ferozabad - Famous for its glass products, Ferozabad is around 44 km away from Agra. The is industrial city is famous for its glassware and provides an opportunity to shop for products such as glass bangles and chandeliers in abundance here.

Gokul - Gokul, situated 16 km south of Mathura, is the town where, Lord Krishna was believed to have been secretly raised. Most temples and structures here are built around the legends. Chaurasi Khamba (84 pillars), one of the most notable structures here, is also known as Nand Maharaja’s house. The mud temples beside the hill marks the places where Krishna killed the demons Putana, Shakatasura , and Trinavarta. Utkhal, close by is where Yashoda tied Krishna to a grinding mortar for breaking her pitcher to steal butter. At Brahmand Ghat, she witnessed the universe in Krishna’s mouth while chastising him for having eaten mud.

Govardhan Hill - Govardhan is situated 25 km west of Mathura on the road to Deeg The legendary hill, that Krishna lifted to protect the villagers from the wrath of God Indra. It is believed that for one week, he held the hill on his little finger while it rained heavily. Kishna’s disc generated the required heat to evaporate the excess water.

Keetham Lake - The Keetham Lake is also known as Sur Sarovar as it is located within the Surdas Reserved Forest 23 kms from Agra. The reserved forest is a habitat to a wide variety of fish and water birds. The tranquil surroundings amidst nature offers tourists an ideal relaxing place.

Mathura - Located about 47 km from Agra on the banks of the River Yamuna, Mathura is celebrated as the birthplace of Krishna. The groves and Ghats Vrindavan, situated nearby, and their thousands of shrines and temples recounts the exploits of this charming god. Visiting Mathura gives you a chance to trace the early years of Lord Krishna. In between the foundations of the Kesava Deo Temple, on a stone slab in a small room designed as a prison cell, it is believed, Lord Krishna was born 35 centuries ago. Adjacent to the temple stands the mosque built by Aurangzeb.

Vrindavan - Located 10 kms from Mathura, Vrindavan is associated with the childhood exploits of Lord Krishna. With around 4000 temples, shrines, memorial stones and hermitages of the saints and Krishna’s followers Vrindavan is one of most famous religious centre of the Hindus. The Govind Dev Temple, a masterpiece red sandstone structure is architecturally one of the most advanced Hindu temples of the famous Mathura school of architecture in northern India. The 150-year-old Ranganathan Temple, famous as the Rangaji Temple, is located in a beautiful complex.