Before you through this blog, let me first start with a beautiful poem by Minimehtaknl,

India has Agra fort heritage site,
Muslim architecture at a height,
Mughal ‘s empire in 1983,
Lifestyle  comes in sight.

I visited and was awestruck,
Queen Jodha and king Akbar marital relation stuck,
religions different such,
secularism followed with temple without grudge.

Beautiful gardens and flowers,
greenery gives different bizarre,
pillars all directions aligned,
lofty walls on all sides.

Diwane khas for seclusion,
Diwane a am  for masses solutions.

A fort saw all,
a King’s house arrest,
a son’s cruelty test,
golden  era of Mughal  fest,
architecture inbuilt best.

History still blooms in Agra. Whenever we talk about Agra, Taj Mahal is the only one that strikes first followed by Hawa Mahal. Well, it doesn’t end only in these two. It has many other magnificent works from history of the Mughals. This city is situated in the banks of the Yamuna River.

A Brief History

The golden age of the city began with the Mughals with a continuous chain of most powerful hereditary rulers for 600 years. Since then, it was known as Akbarabad. Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Muslim ruler of the Delhi Sultanate founded Agra in the year 1504, whereas Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire who laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna called the Aram Bagh or the Garden of Relaxation.

His grandson Akbar the Great raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort and also contributed to Agra as a centre for learning, arts, commerce and religion. He also contributed in building a new city on the outskirts of Akbarabad called Fatehpur Sikri that was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.

His son Jahangir had an immense love of flora and fauna so he laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Lal Qila.

Again, his son, Shah Jahan who is known for his keen interest in architecture, gave Agra its most voluminous wonderous monument, the Taj Mahal that was built in the loving memory of his 3rd wife Mumtaz Mahal.

DELIGHTS OF THE CITY

1. The Taj Mahal
2. Itimad-ud-Daulah
3. Agra fort
4. Fatehpur Sikri
5. Akbar’s Tomb
6. Jama Majid
7. Taj Mahotsav
8. The Shopping Markets
9. Department of Tongue for tasting

• Taj Mahal

Let me introduce all soupers meet the pearly and breath-taking Taj Mahal that has got its           queenly radiant at its every bit of touch. Very royal, very lavish and so divine.

Trust me, as soon as you enter the main gate of this wonder piece of India, it will appear before you as a divine figure. Just try to hold yourself for few minutes as soon as you enter. Because its really really hard to blink and move your eyes. For sometime your eyes will be controlled by the Royal appearance of Taj. There is some kind of vibe that will just pull so strongly towards it.

Taj Mahal faces as one of the seven wonders of the world, the monument of eternal love.

Visiting Hours: the gate opens from 5 o clock in the morning, except Friday. The gates are only accessible to those who tends to attend the mosque.

Entry fee:  1100 Rs for foreigners. 40 Rs for Indians

2. Itimad-ud-Daulah

While you enter the mini gates of Taj you will be stopped by a moment of shade before we entered the grounds. You will be greeted by wide open space and there you will encounter an incredible the Baby Tomb -majestic and beautiful in the golden light. Every inch of the baby Taj is worthy of study. Creation of white marble and mosaic designs, to the lattice screens,

the Tomb Itmad-ud-daulah was the first Mughal tomb made from marble, and the first tomb to be built by the river Yamuna. The interior of this Baby tomb is filled with intricate designs and details, in a wide range of colours and patterns symbolizing the creativity of the Mughals.

Entry fee: 110 Rs for Foreigners, 10 Rs for Indian.

3. Agra Fort

The Agra Fort is a magisterial fort with a history of its own. It was formerly known as Badalgarh built by Raja Badal Singh, a Rajput king and was rebuilt by Akbar later. The Agra fort is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The fort has a very vast history that has contributed a lot in the monumental contribution of the Mughals built in red stone.

The objective behind the construction of this fort was military installations. This is the reason the fort has a 70 foot high wall and two major gates i.e. the Lahore Gate and the Delhi Gate.

There are many halls and palaces inside the palace – Macchi Bhavan, Khas Mahal, Shah Jahani Mahal etc. On the extreme right side of the fort lies the elegant Diwan-i-am. A few steps ahead there are stands the royal pavilions – the house of Nagina Masjid and Mina Masjid.

Other attractions like the grape garden, a mirror palace and also the jasmine tower.

STRUCTURES INSIDE THE FORT:

1. Jahangir’s Hauz – this was actually a monolithic tank which was used for bathing built by Jahangir.
2. Shahjahani Mahal – Shah Jahan’s first attempt to turn a red stone palace into a white marble structure. This Mahal has got its first touch and try.
3. Babur’s Baoli – This was built for preservation of water.
4. Nagina Masjid – This place was a private place of worship built by Shah Jahan.
5. Diwan-I-Am – Shah Jahan’s another try to transform a red sandstone shell plastered structure into a white marble touch.
6. Ghaznin Gate – This gate belonged to the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni which was later moved into a fort during the British reign for political reasons.
7. Bengali Mahal – This palace was built by Akbar and later it was renovated by Shah Jahan. This place is known for having some secret buildings which are hidden underneath.
8. Akbar’s Mahal – This was the place where Emperor Akbar took his last breath.

Best Time to Visit Agra Fort is between November to February

Agra Fort Timings: 6.00 AM – 6.00 PM
Agra Fort Ticket Price: INR 35 for Indians and INR 550 for Foreigners

4. Fatehpur Sikri

Founded in 1571 by Akbar, this city predominantly made of rich red sandstone, also known as City of Victory. It is located at a distance of 40km from Agra. Babur constructed a garden and named it as the “Garden of Victory.”

What to see in this city?

• Buland Darwaja
• Jama Majid
• Tomb of Salim Christi
• Panch Mahal
• Hiran Mahal

5. Akbar tomb

Located at Sikandra(10 kilometres west of Agra) in the suburbs of Agra this Tomb of Akbar is an architectural masterpiece, built in 1605 and 1613.

The best time to visit this place is during sunrise or late afternoon.

Agra Fort Ticket Price: Rs. 15 for Indians, Rs. 110 for foreigners

6. Jama Majid

Moderately very simple structured mosque built entirely in red sandstone and one of the largest mosques in the country. This architecture was contributed by Jahanara- the daughter of Shah Jahan.

Located just opposite the Agra Fort, this architectural beauty of the courtyard is amplified with a fountain of four kiosks and engrailed arches on the pillars. A prayer chamber can also be found on the westernmost side

The dome is architected with inverted lotus and kalash finials on the top along with narrow zigzag patterning of white marble.Another noticeable feature is its central portal that consists of Persian inscriptions in white marble decorated with black stone.

Nearby Attractions

• Nurjahan Tomb
• Agra Fort
• Shri Mankameshwar Mandir
• Fatehpur Sikri
• Taj Mahal

Jama Majid ticket fee: Free

7. Taj Mahotsav

It’s a ten-day festival that takes place every year in the district of Shilpgram (Agra). The festival echoes the intact royal memories of the Mughal era.

The Taj Mahotsav is a festival that generally aims to resurrect the style of the Nawabs in their own unique way that reflects the creative forms of art, craft, dance, music and cuisines of India.

This royal pristine festival is being organised by the Tourism Ministry of Uttar Pradesh near the Eastern Gate of the marvellous monument- The Taj Mahal. Besides being a source to mount tourism in India, the festival is one of the most eagerly awaited.

A theme gets adopted every year to accentuate the rich culture and heritage of India by the carnival.

People from different areas in India gets the opportunity to present their creative unique work. This festival also includes an outstanding beautiful road procession that gives added vibrancy to the festival because of splendidly decorated camels and elephants, emulating the victory procession of Mughal emperors and warlords of the bygone era. The Crafts mela especially is the major attractions of Taj Mahotsav rekindling the majesty of Mughal empire.

Best time to experience this vibrancy – February

8. Shopaholics shouldn’t miss out to step in –

•  Kinari Bazaar (for marble, glassware, handicrafts, textiles, leather and rugs.) (11am – 9pm)
• Subhas Bazaar (for silk products- sarees and dress materials) (11am – 9pm)
• Sadar Bazaar (for leather products, handicrafts and ethnic wear.) (11am – 9pm)
• Raja ki Mandi (for garments, jewellery, household essentials, sweets, religious items) (11am – 9pm)

1. Foodies should definitely grab –

2. Petha of Agra (your trip to Agra will be incomplete without trying the famous petha of Agra)
3. Mughlai (It mostly consists of meat flavoured dried nuts.)
4. Tandoori Chicken (Hyderabad for its Biryani, West Bengal for its Rasogolla so as Tandoori Chicken is for Agra)
5. Bedai (chief among the breakfast dishes in Agra)
6. Dalmoth (try this out with a warm cup of tea in the street corner)

What we Offer?

We, Inbound Tours keeping in mind the magnificent structure and proper knowledge about every inch of architectural, monumental features and festivals of the Mughal in Agra together will provide you the most delightful packages accordingly.

Inbound Tours will also offer and deliver you the best package according to your bucket list. Inbound Tours will also deliver you the ancient stories and truths associated with your visits as a proper guidance and specialty of the visits.

Here in this city, explore with @inboundtours the most beautiful insights together with proper hereditary contributions and the rich culture that prevails among the Mughals.

Connect – info@inboundtoursindia.com | +91-7985394164, 9695533320