Agra, the city of love, is one of the most popular tourist sites in India. It houses one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. It leaves a person awestruck with the rich culture and the magnificent architecture that it has.
Located on the banks of Yamuna, this city was once one of the most powerful cities in India during the ancient days. In fact, it was the capital city during the time of the Mughal rule. With debris of the Mughal rule and the British rule left behind in the form of its vast and majestic architecture, this place is a perfect blend of bad and the good.
This city also houses some of the great architectural beauties like Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, etc, and excluding Taj Mahal, it has three other UNESCO Heritage Sites. The city is a popular holiday destination not just amongst Indians, but also among the foreigners as well.
Some of the must see places in Agra are:
Fatehpur Sikri
This was once the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s capital and is a city that made out of red sandstone. It is one of the World Heritage Site’s that has been marked by UNESCO and today serves as one of the most famous attraction points. This city is an example of architectural delight and is an excellent example of the architectural finesse possessed by Emperor Akbar.
Akbar’s Tomb
This tomb is dedicated to Emperor Akbar and has the mortal remains of the Emperor. This tomb was built between the years 1605-1613. The tomb is situated in Sikandra and is spread over 119 acres.
Taj Mahal
Agra is synonymous with the Taj Mahal and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore had described Taj Mahal as, “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity.”
This gorgeous architecture took nearly seventeen years to complete and covers almost sixty bighas of land. Another fact that adds to the beauty of the Taj Mahal is the white marble that is used all over. This white marble was from Markana, which is from Rajasthan.
One can hire a car rental in Agra and visit these architectural marvels.
Agra is also a close gateway to all the nearby holiday destinations. Some of them being:
Mathura
Mathura is famous for being the hometown of Lord Krishna. It is a city that is located on the banks of river Yamuna and is one of the most popular pilgrim sites that is present in the country. There are numerous temples scattered around the place and also has twenty-five ghats around the city.
Just 57.3 km away from Agra, one needs to take a dip in the Yamuna River in the evenings. This place was once a Buddhist Center, which was filled with Buddhist monasteries. However, most of them were destroyed during the Mughal and the Afghan rule.
One can reach this place by simply hiring Agra to Mathura taxi service.
Vrindavan
Known for the Krishna and Radha temples across the city, this is another pilgrim site that is close to Agra. Vrindavan is also very famous among the Hindus as the place where Lord Krishna grew up.
There are several famous temples that one needs to visit in this city, like ISKON, Banke Bihari Temple, etc. The city is set across the lush green forests and one can enjoy the spirituality of this place with the calming natural force.
One can reach this place by hiring cabs from Agra to Vrindavan.
very nice post
Very nice post!