Taj Mahal and Agra Fort are the two main attractions of Agra. When planning your Agra sightseeing, sightseeing for Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Itmud-ad-Daulah, Sikandra and Fatehpur Sikri, be ready with Rs. 500 levy to the Agra Development Authority. The levy is valid for one day.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is built of white marble, the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tombs in the world heritage, built between 1631 and 1648 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal means “Crown Palace”.
Tajmahal is the monument of love. Tajmahal is amazingly beautiful. The grounds of the complex include several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and extensive ornamental gardens with flowering trees and bushes, and a small gift shop. The Taj framed by trees and reflected in a pool is amazing. Close up, large parts of the building are covered with inlaid stonework.
View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort
The Taj is located middle of Agra. There are three gates. The western gate is the main gate where most tourists enter. A large number of people turn up on weekends and public holidays and entry through the western gate may take hours. The southern and eastern gates are much less busy and should be tried on such days.
Security is tight, so leave behind any pocketknives, as well as chewing gum, cigarettes, or anything that could mark the building. Tripods are also not allowed. Strangely, even iPods and similar MP3 and music players are also not allowed. But you can leave them at a locker service available for tourists. Cell phones are allowed inside the complex, providing they are on silent. Guidebooks are to be left at the booths on either side of the entrances. Do this before you get into the line to get in.
The Taj is open from 6 AM to 7:30 PM every day excluding Friday. Entry costs Rs. 250 (plus levy of Rs. 500) for foreigners and Rs. 20 for Indians. Get there as early as possible to beat the crowds, and plan to visit the Taj at least two different times during the day (dusk and dawn are best) in order to experience the full effect of changing sunlight on the amazing building. It is also amazing beautiful in a full moon.
There are night viewing sessions on the nights of a full moon and the two days before and after (so five days in total). Exceptions are Fridays (the Muslim sabbath) and the month of Ramadan. Tickets must be purchased 24 hours in advance, starting at 10am, but don’t always sell out, so it can be worth looking into it when you arrive even if well after 10am. Tickets only allow viewing from the red sandstone plaza at the south end of the complex, and only for a 1/2 hour window. Make sure to wear mosquito repellent.
Agra Fort
The fort is similar in layout to the Red Fort in Delhi but preserved in a better way. It is built with red sandstone.
Emperor Akbar, king at 14, began consolidating his empire and, as an assertion of his power built the fort in Agra between 1565 and 1571, at the same time as Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. Emperor Shah Jahan added to the fort and ended up a prisoner in it. The fort has a beautiful view of his masterpiece, the Taj Mahal, on a clear day.
You can get to the fort by a cheap city shuttle bus from the north gate of the Taj. Entry to the fort is Rs.250 (plus levy).
There are left luggage services at Agra Fort where you can stow your bags at no cost. A fine of Rs. 5000 applies if you lose your luggage ticket.
Agra Fort Palace
Gardens in Agra
* Swami Bagh is 10 km north of Agra. The white marble samadhi of the Radah Soami religion is currently under construction. It was started in 1904 and is nor expected to be completed until sometime next century. You can see pietra dura inlaid marblework actulally being worked on.
* Ram Bagh. The first Mughal gardens, built by the first Mughal Emperor Babar, 500 m North of the Chini Ka Rauza. Ram Bagh Crossing.
* Mehtab Bagh, directly across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal. These botanical gardens give you an opportunity to view the Taj away from the crowds of tourists. The trip takes about 30 minutes from the center of town by autorickshaw and will cost about Rs 200. Entrance to the park is Rs 100 for foreigners. Alternatively, walk past the entrance and straight to the sandy banks of the river: the view of the Taj is lovely.
Temples Of Agra
* Balkeshwar Temple, (At Balkeshwar, at river side of Yamuna). A temple of Lord Shiva
* Kailash Temple, (at Sikandra, at the river Yamuna). A Lord Shiva Temple.
* Mankameshwar Temple, (At Rawatpara, near Agra Fort railway station.).
* Prithvinath Temple, (At Shahganj. On road to Jaypur.).
* Rajeshwar Temple, (At Village Rajpur. On road to Shamshabd.).
* Shyam Ji Maharaj Temple (At Bijlighar).
* Mahakal And Mahakali Temple, (At Sikandra railway crossing on Sikandra Bodla road).
* Rawli Maharaj Temple, (At Collectrate crossing, beside the railway track). Very Old temple .
Other sightseeing in Agra
* Sikandra, Akbar’s Tomb (10 km north of Agra on the Agra Delhi highway). The tomb of Akbar lies here in the centre of the large garden. Akbar started its construction himself but it was completed by his son, Jehangir who significantly modified the original plans which accounts for the somewhat cluttered architectural lines of the tomb. Four red sandstone gates lead to the tomb complex: one is Muslim, one Hindu, one Christian, and one is Akbar’s patent mixture. Akbar’s mausoleum is open from sunrise to sunset.
* Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb. Empress Nur Jehan built Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. 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.
* Mariam’s Tomb, west from Akbar’s Tomb on Agra-Delhi highway. Constructed by Jahangir in the memory of his mother Mariam Zammani a title bestowed upon her,. The grave is made of white marble. Though this building is in a ruined condition, yet it has in its vicinity, a Christian Mission School and a church. It is also said; Akbar himself made that it in the memory of his Christian wife.
* Jama Masjid. A large mosque attributed to Princess Jahanara Begum, built in 1648 during the reign of the father Shah Jahan. Notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.
* Chini Ka Roza. A memorial dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz, notable for its dome of blue glazed tiles.
* Gurudwara Guru ka Taal, (at Delhi-Agra Highway, located between Transport Nagar and Sikandra)
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
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