"Agra - Home of the worlds most beautiful... " a Agra Travel Page by Willettsworld

Agra lies about 200km south-east of Delhi on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. Agra has found its mention in the famous Hindu epic Mahabharat as the forest of Agraban close to Mathura. Badal Singh founded the city in 1475. Sikandar Lodhi made Agra his capital city. Later, Babur defeated the Lodhis to capture the city and thus, the long association of Mughals with Agra started. The Mughal love of architecture translated into beautiful monuments such as Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra. The glory of Agra was at its peak during the reign of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan. Akbar made it the center of art, culture, commerce and learning and Shah Jahan saw it in full bloom. In fact, it is said that it was Akbar who laid the foundation of the modern city that we see now in 1558 and was known as Akbarabad. Most of the buildings belong to the period between mid-16th century and 17th century and were of high quality. These monuments were built in the contemporary Mughal style and include the Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb, better known as the Baby Taj, the large mosque of the Jama Masjid and Akbar's mausoleum in nearby Sikandra.

Outside of Delhi, Agra is probably the most visited place in India because of the Taj Mahal but the city has many more places of interest and so deserves a visit of more than a day. The best way to get here is by taking the early morning Shatabdi express train from Delhi. Agra is also a good base to explore the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri.