The Taj Mahal
           Taj Mahal is one of the wonders of the world and is the epitome of love, beauty and sacrifice. It was built by Shah Jahan in the memory of his queen, Mumtaz Mahal.
The construction of this masterpiece is believed to have taken 22 years to complete with over 20,000 craftsmen working round the clock.
            Even as the world is caught in the skirmishes of War & peace, Nuclear and Non-Nuclear; Taj has stood as the epitome of love. This extravagant monument of love is one of the most visited and most photographed places in the world.

             Taj Mahal which was built by Shah Jahan to express his eternal love for his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal was the culmination point of Indo-Persian architecture. The Mughal Emperors were always fond of constructing monuments. Perhaps they knew that they would be gone but these structures will remind the world of their grandeur.

             Shah Jahan was particularly fond of constructing extravagant monuments.He built the city of Shah Jahanabad which today is called the old Delhi.He loved construction but more than that, he loved his wife. He compared Mumtaz Mahal's beauty with the light of heaven. She died while giving birth to her fourteenth child. Shah Jahan was so shocked by her death that his hair turned grey overnight.

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Itmad-ud-Duala
           Situated opposite the Taj Mahal, on the other side of the River Yamuna, Itmad-ud-Duala houses a magnificent mausoleum of Ghias Beg, father of Noor Jehan. This tomb belongs to the father of Nur Jahan, Ghias-ud-Din Beg. He was the Wajir or the Chief Minister of Emperor Jehangir.

            This white marble tomb was built by Nur Jahan between 1622 and 1628. The tomb may not be as mammoth as the Taj but the inlay designs and carvings are no less than Taj if not more.

            The delicate marble latticework in the passages allows the light to enter the interiors. A similar tomb was built by Nur Jahan for Jehangir in Lahore. This tomb was the first complete marble Moghul structure.


Jehangirs Palace

        This was built by Akbar for his favorite son Jehangir to provide him with the comfort and luxury inside the fort. This palace displays an excellent combination of Hindu and Muslim architecture.

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Dayal Bagh
            
             Dayal Bagh is the birthplace of the Radhaswami sect which was founded by a banker of Agra, Swami Shiv Dayal, in 1861. It is a place of pilgrimage for members of this sect and a temple is being built here in honour of their fourth Guru.


Agra Fort

            Agra Fort on the banks of the River Yamuna, is situated in the center of the town.

           Built principally as a military establishment by Akbar in 1565, the red sandstone Agra fort was partially converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time. Though the principle structure was built by Akbar many more additions were made by his grandsons

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Jama Masjid

            Built by Shah Jahan in 1648, the main gate of this mosque has inscription written on it that it was built by Jahanara Begum. She was the favorite daughter of Shah Jahan and was imprisoned with him. The absence of minarets and the shape of the dome gives it a distinguished character.


Chini-Ka-Rauza

             A tomb of glazed tiles is a memorial dedicated to poet-scholar and later the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz. The China Tomb is 1 km north of the Itimad-ud-daulah. The squat, square Tomb surmounted by a single huge dome was constructed by Afzal Khan. The exterior was covered in brightly coloured enameled tiles and the whole building clearly displayed its persian influence.


Sikandra
             Situated across the Yamuna, about 4 km away, it houses the tomb of Emperor Akbar. An interesting feature here is that one cannot see all the four minarets situated here from one point – one of them is always behind the other in the viewer's line of vision.

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Van Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary
            It is situated 50 km from Agra and spreads over an area of 52 square km. It harbors many species of animals and birds. It can be approached from Agra by taxi or bus or by train upto Dholpur. Accommodation is available in Forest Department rest houses within the sanctuary itself.


Mariyam Tomb
            This tomb is dedicated to the wife of Akbar. The red sand stone tomb was built in 1611 and is on the Delhi- Agra highway. The carvings on the tomb of Mariyam-us-Zamani are worth giving a closer look.


Ram Bagh

           When Babur came to India he laid the first Mughal gardens 500 m North of the Chini Ka Rauza. These

well laid gardens are not even a fraction of what they used to be. It will need lots of imagination to picture how these gardens must have looked in 1558.


Fatehpur Sikri

            37 kms from Agra is built a city predominantly in Red Sandstone called Fatehpur Sikri. This town was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had planned this city as his capital but shortage of water compelled him to abandon the city and within 20 years the capital of Mughals was shifted to Lahore. Fatehpur Sikri was built during 1571 and 1585.

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Mathura / Mughal

           Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu was born here. Mathura, which is one of the major Pilgrimage for the Hindus is 58 Kms from Agra. It comes before Agra if travelling from Delhi. Today the small town of Lord Krishna has grown and the place has a population of almost 3 lakh people.

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 Firozabad

           44 km away from Agra, it is an important handicraft and industrial center famous for glassware, especially glass bangles and cut-glass items.