Holidays to Rajasthan

India is a country steeped in history, and the remarkable fact is that in spite of numerous foreign invasions both by rulers and cultures, she still retains a unique flavour of her own. There is a great architectural heritage in India and Agra, or Agraban, as it was called in the Mahabarat times, a charmed city can boast of the most splendid monuments in the world, including three world heritage monuments. Agra has a rich historical background, which is amply evident from the numerous historical monuments in and around the city.


PLACES TO SEE IN AGRA

TAJ MAHAL
Agra, once the capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16th and early 18th centuries, is one and a half hours by express train from New Delhi. Tourists from all over the world visit Agra not to see the ruins of the red sandstone fortress built by the Mughal emperors but to make a pilgrimage to Taj Mahal, India’s most famous architectural wonder, in a land where magnificent temples and edifices abound to remind visitors about the rich civilization of a country that is slowly but surely lifting itself into an industrialized society.

AGRA RED FORT
Mughal palace architecture reached its peak with the construction of the Red Fort at Agra. Built over many centuries under different regimes, it is the product of many different architects who each worked on only a small portion of the whole. To our eyes, this gives the Agra Red Fort a rather eclectic feel that is unified only by the ubiquitous red sandstone that gives the fortress its name.

JAMA MASJID AGRA
Popularly also known as the Jami Masjid, the Jama Masjid in Agra is perhaps the largest mosque in India. It was constructed in 1571 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Akbar and is one of the most sacred sites in Fatehpur Sikri. The fact the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri was built around the Jama Masjid, which speaks volumes about its importance. The Jama Masjid has been built at a great height and has a large courtyard for prayers and is flanked by the Jammat Khana hall and the Zenana Rauza (the tomb of the women of the royal household) on both sides.

FATEHPUR SIKRI AGRA
Fatehpur Sikri at Agra was built to symbolize the power of Akbar's empire, to represent the meaning of Allah's message to mankind and to display the wonders of the Islamic faith. Completed in 1578, Fatehpur Sikri has a grand palace where Akbar's court functioned for a few years, until the shortage of water caused the city to be abandoned.

AGRA CIRCUITS
Mathura widely known as birth place of Lord Krishna is located on the western bank of river Yamuna. The City of Mathura, in Uttar Pradesh, the nucleus of Brajbhoomi, is located at a distance of 145 km south-east of Delhi and 58 km north-west of Agra. Covering an area of about 3,800 sq km, today, Brajbhoomi can be divided into two distinct units - the eastern part in the trans-Yamuna tract with places like Gokul, Mahavan, Baldeo, Mat and Bajna and the western side of the Yamuna covering the Mathura region that encompasses Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kusum Sarovar, Barsana and Nandgaon.

HOW TO REACH

By Air
Agra Airport id 7 Kms from the city, it is connected by local flights from all over India.
By Train
Taj Express and other Rajdhanis, Palace on Wheels is connected from Agra to the other cities.
By Road
Idgah Bus stand is the main Bus Stand from where buses to Delhi, Jaipur and other cities are connected.