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The flower of the Mughal
empire-in-ascendance, Agra, is also home to the immortal epitome of
love, the Taj Mahal. Though Agra, located in Uttar Pradesh in
northern India retained Mughal regal favour for just three
generations, it was embellished with the best of the Mughal
dynasty's architectural legacy. The over 300-years-old Taj Mahal,
however, is its most compulsive feature and attracts the largest
number of tourists from all over the world. Also within the city's
ambit lies Fatehpur Sikri, virtually an expression of the philosophy
and creed of the liberal Mughal emperor Akbar the Great. In keeping
with its status of the most sought-after destination, Agra today
boasts of world class hotels with excellent facilities and services.
The city is also easily accessible from Delhi and other major cities
of India. A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its
superb inlay work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are
descendant of those who worked under the Mughals. The city is also
famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.
Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it
seems to linger in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal
emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some
of the finest structures in the world . It is very easy to slip away
here through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the
Mughal court .
Sikandra, Agra Travel AgentsAgra is an old city and it is said that
its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in
the epic Mahabharata.
In more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi
made it his capital city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end very
soon and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals .
It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came
into its own . He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra
Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital
at Fatehpur sikri not far away.
Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's
garndson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal
architecture - the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful
buildings within the Agra fort . |
