History
Agra the
former capital of Hindustanis a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the
northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is 363 kilometres (226 mi) west of
the state capital, Lucknow, and 200 kilometres (124 mi) south of the national
capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 (2010 est.), it is one of the
most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most populous in India. Agra
can also refer to the administrative district that has its headquarters in Agra
city.
The city is
mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, where it was called Agrevaṇa ("the border of the
forest"). Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Raja Badal Singh, a
Sikarwar Rajput king (c. 1475), whose fort, Badalgarh, stood on or near the
site of the present fort. However, the 11th century Persian poet Mas'ud Sa'd
Salman writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by the
Shahi King Jayapala, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Sultan Sikandar Lodī was the
first to move his capital from Delhi to Agra in 1506. He died in 1517 and his
son, Ibrahim Lodi, remained in power there for nine more years, finally being
defeated at the Battle of Panipat in 1526.[5] Between 1540 and 1556, Afghans,
beginning with Sher Shah Suri, and Hindu King Hem Chandra Vikramaditya (also
called Hemu), ruled the area. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal
Empire from 1556 to 1658. It is a major tourist destination because of its many
splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur
Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Agra Airport
Agra Airport
is about 12.5 km (8 mi) from the city center (Indian Air Force Airport – no
scheduled commercial flights). Commercial flights have been started for
Khajuraho and Varanasi in December,2012.
Rail
Agra is on
the central train line between Delhi (Station Code: NDLS) and Mumbai (Bombay)
(Station Code: CSTM) and between Delhi and Chennai (Station Code: MAS) and many
trains like Bhopal Shatabdi, Bhopal Express, Malwa Express, Gondwana Express,
Jabalpur - Jammutawi Express, Shreedham Express, Garib Rath, Tamil Nadu
Express, Chennai Rajdhni etc. connect Agra with all major Indian cities like
New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Bhopal,
Indore, Kochi, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jaipur, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram
etc. every day. Some east-bound trains from Delhi also travel via Agra, so
direct connections to points in Eastern India (including Kolkata) (Calcutta)
are also available. There are close to 20 trains to New Delhi and Gwalior
Junction every day, and at least three or four to Bhopal, Indore, Nagpur,
Mumbai and Chennai. There are three main railway stations in Agra.
Agra Cantt.
Railway Station
Agra Cantt
(Station Code: AGC) is the main railway station and lies southwest of the Taj
and Agra Fort, both of which are a short ride from the station by car,
auto-rickshaw, or cycle rickshaw.
Agra Fort
Railway Station (Station Code: AF) near Agra Fort, is infrequently serviced by
the interstate express trains, it is one of the oldest railway stations in the
country. The station serves trains to east (Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Kolkata,
Guwahati) and central India Ratlam, Nagda, Kota (Haldighati Express). Some of
these trains also stop at Agra Cantt.
Raja Ki
Mandi (Station Code: RKM) is a small station. Some of the trains which stop at
Agra Cantt also stop here. Other stations are Idgah, Billochpura, Agra City,
Yamuna Bridge.
The luxury
trains – the Palace on Wheels, and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels also stop at
Agra on their eight-day round trip of tourist destinations in Rajasthan and
Agra. The Buddhist Special Train also visits Agra.
Road
Idgah Bus
Stand, Taj Depot, Ford depot and Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) are the major
Bus Stands in Agra, connecting it to most of the bigger cities in North India.
It is major junction of highways with 3 National Highways and 1 Expressway
originating from Agra. Another national highway passes through city making
total highway outlet to 6.
From Delhi:
NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200 km (124 mi) distance from Delhi
to Agra. The drive is about 4 hours. The primary access to the highway is along
Mathura Road in Delhi but, if coming from South Delhi or Delhi Airport, it is
easier to take Aurobindo Marg (Mehrauli Road) and then work up to NH2 via
Tughlakabad.
From Delhi /
Noida: Yamuna Expressway, a modern access controlled highway connects the 200
km (124 mi) distance from Delhi to Agra. The drive is about 2 hours. This
highway has junction to Aligarh and Mathura via State Highways.
From
Aligarh: National Highway 91, a highway connects the 100 km (62 mi) distance
from Aligarh to Agra. The drive is about 3 hours.
From Jaipur:
National Highway 11, a four lane divided highway, connects Agra with Jaipur via
the bird sanctuary town of Bharatpur. The distance of around 255 km (158 mi)
can be covered in around 3–4 hours.
From Gwalior
a distance of around 120 km (75 mi), takes around 1.5 hours on National highway
3, also known as the Agra – Mumbai Highway.
From Lucknow
/ Kanpur NH2, the divided modern highway, continues on to Kanpur (285 km, 5
hours) and from there to points East ending in Kolkata. From Kanpur, NH25 heads
for the city of Lucknow (90 km, 2 hours).
The Mahatma
Gandhi (MG) Road which runs through the city connects it from one end to the
other. In March 2010, the Uttar Pradesh government, through an open bidding
process, chose Jaypee Associates to develop an Inner Ring Road to connect
NH2/Yamuna Expressway in the north to NH3 in the south in a 30-month timeframe.
In September 2010, Gifford was chosen to design the road.
Taxi
Tourists can
hire a taxi for local sight seeing from a local taxi stand. A prepaid taxi
counter is available at Agra Cantt railway station.
Local
transport
Bus services
are run by Agra Municipal Corporation. Other para-transit modes include
rickshaws and autorickshaws. While passengers need to negotiate rates for the
rickshaws and they are usually expensive, there is a system of (what is called)
'Tempo' which are autorickshaws that run on specific routes called out by the
drivers. Tempos take around 6 people simultaneously and work out to be the most
economical and practical. Polluting vehicles are not allowed near the Taj
Mahal, so one needs to take electric autos or Tanga (Tonga) from a few
kilometres outside the Taj Mahal.
Now, Tempos
have been largely replaced by three wheeled autorikshaws which run on
compressed natural gas. UP State Road Transport Corporation does run some
air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned low-floor buses within Agra which run
on specific routes, but they are virtually non-existent.
A lot is
being done to improve the traffic system of Agra but the efforts seem in vain
due to poor civic sense of the residents here. Blaring Horns and show of one up
manship is the order of the day.
Places of Interest
1. Taj Mahal
2. Agra Fort
3. Fatehpur Sikri
4. I'timad-Ud-Daulah
5. Akbar's Tomb,
Sikandra
6. Swami Bagh Samadhi
1. Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the
world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of
the New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in
Agra.
Tombs of Shah Jahan and his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Completed in 1653, the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal
king Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful
monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630–1652) of
labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst
landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad 'lsa, the Taj Mahal
is on the south bank of the Yamuna River. It can be observed from Agra Fort
from where Emperor Shah Jahan gazed at it for the last eight years of his life,
a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is an acknowledged masterpiece of symmetry.
Verses of the Koran are inscribed on it and at the top of the gate are
twenty-two small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to
build. The Taj Mahal was built on a marble platform that stands above a
sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Taj Mahal has a diameter of 60 feet
(18 m), and rises to a height of 80 feet (24 m); directly under this dome is
the tomb of Mumtāz Mahal. Shah Jahān's tomb was erected next to hers by his son
Aurangzeb. The interiors are decorated with fine inlay work, incorporating
semi-precious stones.
2. Agra Fort
one of two entrances into Agra's Red Fort
Agra Fort (sometimes called the Red Fort), was
commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565, and is another of
Agra's World Heritage Sites. A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that
it had been built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red
sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time, and
reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in
the fort include the Pearl Mosque or Moti Masjid, the Diwan-e-'Am and
Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jahangir's Palace, Khas
Mahal, Shish Mahal (mirrored palace), and the Musamman Burj.
The forbidding exteriors of this fort conceal an inner
paradise. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the east with a long,
nearly straight wall facing the river. It has a total perimeter of 2.4
kilometres (1.5 mi), and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red
sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A moat 9 metres (30 ft)
wide and 10 metres (33 ft) deep surrounds the outer wall.
Chhatrapati Shivaji visited the Agra Fort, as a result of
the conditions of the Treaty of Purandar entered into with Mirza Raja Jaisingh
to meet Aurangzeb in the Diwan-i-Khas (Special Audience Chamber). In the
audience he was deliberately placed behind men of lower rank. An insulted
Shivaji stormed out of the imperial audience and was confined to Jai Sing's
quarters on 12 May 1666. Fearing the dungeons and execution he escaped on 17
August 1666. A heroic equestrian statue of Shīvajī has been erected outside the
fort.
The fort is a typical example of Mughal architecture,
effectively showing how the North Indian style of fort construction differed
from that of the South. In the South, the majority of forts were built on the
seabed like the one at Bekal in Kerala.
3. Fatehpur Sikri
The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri about 35 km
(22 mi) from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site
displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A World
Heritage Site, it is often visited by tourists. The name of the place came
about after the Mughal Emperor Babar defeated Rana Sanga in a battle at a place
called Sikri (about 40 km (25 mi) from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar
wanted to make Fatehpur Sikri his head quarters, so he built a majestic fort;
due to shortage of water, however, he had to ultimately move his headquarters
to Agra Fort.
Buland Darwaza or 'the lofty gateway' was built by the
great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar built the
Buland Darwaza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwaza is
approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwaza is 53.63 m high and 35 meters wide.
it is made of red and buff sandstone, decorated by carving and black and white
marble inlays. An inscription on the central face of the Buland Darwaza
demonstrates Akbar's religious broadmindedness, it is a message from Jesus
advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.
4. I'timad-Ud-Daulah
The Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb at Agra
The Empress Nur Jahan built I'timad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb,
sometimes called the "Baby Taj", for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg,
the Chief Minister of the Emperor Jahangir. Located on the left bank of the
Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden, criss-crossed
by water courses and walkways. The are of the mausoleum itself is about 23 m2
(250 sq ft), and is built on a base that is about 50 m2 (540 sq ft) and about
one meter high. On each corner are hexagonal towers, about thirteen meters
tall. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes
described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra
dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.
The walls are white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with
semi-precious stone decorations – cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and
topaz in images of cypress trees and wine bottles, or more elaborate
decorations like cut fruit or vases containing bouquets. Light penetrates to
the interior through delicate jālī screens of intricately carved white marble.
Many of Nur Jahan's relatives are interred in the
mausoleum. The only asymmetrical element of the entire complex are the tombs of
her father and mother, which have been set side-by-side, a formation replicated
in the Taj Mahal.
5. Akbar's Tomb,
Sikandra
Tomb of Akbar the Great
Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor
Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, only 13 kilometres from the Agra
Fort. Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast,
beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deers, rabbits and langurs is
set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a
suitable site for it.
To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Turkic custom
which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahangir completed
construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613. The 99 names of Allah have been
inscribed on the tomb.
6. Swami Bagh Samadhi
The Swami Bagh Samadhi is a monument to hold the ashes of
Huzur Swamiji Maharaj (Shri Shiv Dayal Singh Seth) in the Swamibagh section, on
the high road that goes from Bhagwan Talkies to Dayal Bagh, in the outskirts of
the city. 
He was the founder of the Radhaswami Faith and the Samadhi is sacred
to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many
believe that construction will never end at Swami Bagh – it is often seen as
the next Taj Mahal. The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble,
are lifelike and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken
from the rear of the building and shows only two floors. When completed, the
Samadhi will have a carved dome and a gateway.
He was the founder of the Radhaswami Faith and the Samadhi is sacred
to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many
believe that construction will never end at Swami Bagh – it is often seen as
the next Taj Mahal. The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble,
are lifelike and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken
from the rear of the building and shows only two floors. When completed, the
Samadhi will have a carved dome and a gateway.