Taj Mahal in Full Moon Night | Agra World Heritage Sites | Agra Places of Attraction | Agra Tourism Places | Taj Mahal of Agra | Agra Sightseeing | Tourist Places in Agra

The Taj Mahal of Agra remains a special tourist destination when selecting a tourist place of visit in India. The city Agra have additional two other World Heritage Sites listed under UNESCO, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. 

Agra the erstwhile capital of Hindustan, is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern State of Uttar Pradesh, India, 363 kilometres west of state capital, Lucknow and 200 kilometres south of the national capital New Delhi. Agra is famous for Taj Mahal, which was built by Shah Jahan in the loving memory of his beloved wife Mumta Mahal.

The city finds mention in the epic Mahabhrata where it was called Agrevaṇa, or 'the border of the forest'. Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Raja Badal Singh, a Sikarwar Rajput king (circa 1475), whose fort, Badalgarh, stood on or near the site of the present Fort. However, the 11th century Persian poet Masud Sa’d Salman writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by the Shahi King Jayapala, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Sultan Sikandar Lodi was the first to move his capital from Delhi to Agra in the year 1506; he died in 1517 and his son Ibrahim Lodi remained in power there for nine more years, finally being defeated at the Battle of Panipat in 1526. 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 Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Taj Mahal

The Agra’s Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was completed in 1653 A.D. but it is not the only a Heritage site, there is more to this stunning white marble structure, that beauty of monument leaves visitors speechless.  Thousands of tourists from all over the world come to see Taj Mahal everyday. It is one of the New Seven Wornders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra. Finished in by Marvel, it is perhaps India most fascinating and beautiful monument.

The perfectly symmetrical monument constructed during the reign of Shah Jahan took 22 years starting from the year 1631 to the year 1652 when it was finally completed. The Taj of today is the effort of more than 20,000 workers, Masons and jewelers employed from all over the north western frontiers and Central Asia, from stone cutters to artisans, along with the involvement of ordinary labourers and hundreds of elephants to built and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa, The Taj Mahal stands on the bank of the Yamuna River. It can be observed like a Mirage from the Agra Fort from where Emperor Shah Jahan stared at it, for the last eight years his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is a masterpiece of symmetry, Seeming to be floating in the air from a distance, and each revealed as an illusion experienced as one enters through the main gate. The verse of Holy Koran are inscribed on it and at the top of gate 22 small domes, signifies the number of years the monument took to built. The Taj Mahal has been built on a Marvel Platform that stands above a sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Taj, with diameter of 60 feet’s, rises 80 feet’s, over the building and directly under the dome is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan's tomb has been erected next to her's by his son Aurangzeb. Fantastic Inlay works using semi-precious stones decorate and interiors. This magnificent Mughal monument with its complex featuring the beautiful garden covers an area of approximately 42 acres of land. With three gateways leading to the Taj, and on one side of it is the Yamuna running by. At sunset or sunrise, the river adds charm to the evergreen beauty of the Taj. But the best view of it is under moonlit nights when the stunning peace of this white marble structure comes to its own.

Open Time : 6 A.M. to 7.30 P.M. (Friday is closed)

Agra Fort

Agra Fort (sometimes called the Red Fort) was commissioning by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D., although additions were made till the time of his grandson Shah Jahan. The Agra fort is probably the most highlighted or must see site in Agra after the Taj, and is listed under the UNESCO's world heritage site. The Fort has a longer history than the Taj, since it goes back to the time even before the Mughals. It was not as huge a structure under the Lodis and only gradually developed during the period of Akbar's reign who transformed this mud walled fort into a splendid red sand stone structure. The forbidding exteriors of this fort conceal an inner paradise. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. It has a total perimeter of 2.4 km, and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A 9 mtr wide and 10 mtr deep moat surround the outer wall. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during shah Jahan's time, and reworked extensively with marble  and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque or  Moti Masjid, the Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jahagir’s Palace, Khas Mahal, Shish Mahal (mirrored palace), and the Musamman Burj.-where Shahjahan was held captive in 1666 A.D.

The Fort does have a striking resemblance to the Red Fort in Delhi. The fort is a typical example of Mughal architecture, effectively showing how the North Indian style of fort construction differed from that of the South. In the South, the majority of forts were built on the seabed like the one at Bekal in Kerala.

Open Time : Sunrise to Sunset.

Faterhpur Sikri

The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri about 35 km from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A World Heritage Site, it is often visited by tourists. The name of the place came about after the Mughal Emperor Babar defeated Rana Sanga in a battle at a place called Sikri (about 40 km from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to make Fatehpur Sikri his head quarters, so he built a majestic fort; due to shortage of water, however, he had to ultimately move his headquarters to Agra Fort.

Buland Darwaza or 'the lofty gateway' was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar built the Buland Darwaza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwaza is approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwaza is 53.63 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 Darwaza demonstrates Akbar's religious broadmindedness, it is a message from Jesus advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.

Akbar’s Tomb, Sikandra

Sikandra is the last resting place of the Mughal Empror Akbar. It is located on the Delhi-Agra Highway and is 13 km on the outskirts of Agra city. It is believed that Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it.  The Tomb is inside a classical mughal structure of red sandstone, and the complex covers a huge area with a lush green compound in which Black Bucks and Langurs are protected animals. To construct a tomb in one’s lifetime was a Turkic custom which the mughals followed religiously. Though Akbar died in the year 1605 A.D. and laid to rest in Sikandra as was his wish, the completion of the structure was done after his death during the time of his son Jahangir in 1613 A.D. The mausoleum of Emperor Akbar’s represents his philosophy and secular outlook, combining the best of Hindu and Muslim architectures in a superlative region.  Completed in 1613 A.D. by his son Jahangir, it is one of the well preserved monuments.

Open Time : Sunrise to Sunset

Itimad-Ul-Daulah

Itmad-ud-Daulah is the tomb of Mirza Ghyas Beg, a persian who had obtained service in Akbar CourtThe Empress Nur Jahan built Itimad Ud-Daulah’s Tomb, sometimes called the “Baby Taj”for her father during 1622-1628 A.D. The Tomb holds a great importance in Mughal Architectural History, which is often overshadowed by the attention taken away by the Taj Mahal. It was built between the years 1622 to 1628 A.D. and took almost seven years to be completed. The structure was built earliest to the Taj as the dates suggest. What is notable in this monument is based on white marble along with pietra dura inlay. This similarity is realized in the Taj as well.  It is located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The Craftsmanship at Itimad-ud-Daulah foreshadows that of the Taj Mahal.

The mausoleum itself covers about 23 square metres (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 Taj Mahal.

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 jali screens of intricately carved white marble.

Many of Nur Jahan’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.

Taj Mahotsav

Come February, and it's springtime. The time of the year when nature dawns all its colourful splendour and Agra bursts into colourful celebrations. For 10 days there is sheer celebration of U.P.'s rich heritage of arts, crafts, culture, cuisine, dance and music. Yes, it is Taj Mahotsav time again. There are festivities all around and Agra truly puts on the colours of joy and gets transformed into one non-stop carnival. Organised by U.P. Tourism and held as an annual event at Shilpgram, literally next door to the Taj Mahal, the Taj Mahotsav is indeed a fitting tribute to the legendary skills of master craftsman and other exponents of art, music and cuisine. Not only this, it is also a gentle peep into the rich heritage and extraordinary legacies of this wounderful land. The festivities commence with a spectacular procession inspired by mughal splendor. Bedecked elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artistes and master craftsmen. All these help to recreate a visual delight reminiscent of the golden era of the Mughal Darbars.

18-27 FEBRUARY

Swami Bagh Samadhi

The Swami Bagh Samadhi is a monument to hold the ashes of  Huzur Swamiji Maharaj (Shri Shiv Dayal Singh Seth) in the Swamibagh section, on the high road that goes from Bhagwan Talkies to Dayal Bagh, in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the Radhaswami Faith and the Samadhi is sacred to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many believe that construction will never end at Swami Bagh – it is often seen as the next Taj Mahal. The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble, are life-like and not seen anywhere else in India.

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 Jama Masjid and is about 2.5 kilometers from the Taj 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.

Ankit ka Tal

Ankit ka Tal was originally a reservoir meant to collect and conserve rainwater built in Agra, near Sikandra, during Jahangir’s reign next to the Tomb of Itibar Khan Khwajsara in 1610. In 1970s a gurdwara was erected here. Ankit ka Tal is a holy place of worship for the Christians and Jains. Four of the ten Sikh Gurus are said to have paid it a visit. Enjoying both historical and religious importance, this holy shrine attracts a large number of devotees and tourists. It is located by national (Delhi-Agra- Delhi) highway-2.

Jama Masjid

The Jama Masjit 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 cost Rs 5 Lakhs at that time for its completion.

Chini ka Rauza

Notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the Chini ka Rauza is dedicated to a scholar and poet who went on to become the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, ‘Allama Afzal Khal Mulla Shukrullah of Shiraz’. He was one of the most revered at the emperor’s court. The mausoleum is built of glazed tiles which are imported from China. The monument gets its name 'Chini ka Rauza', from the bright colored tiles. The tomb is covered by a dome and appears to be a double structured building.

Ram Bagh

The oldest Mughal Garden in India, the Ram Bagh was built by the Emperor Babar in 1528 on the bank of the Yamuna. It lies about 2.34 km (1 mi) north of the Raj 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 Aram Bagh, or 'Garden of Relaxation', and this was where the Mughal emperor Babar used to spend his leisure time and where he eventually died. His body was kept here for some time before sending it to Kabul.