Agra, the Taj City, India

Agra is the city of the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is also a part of the golden triangle of North India along with delhi and jaipur. It is a Historic city as many of the Mughal rulers had Agra as their capital and its legendary because of the stories about the Mughal emporers Akbar, Shahjahan, Jahangir, Aurangzeb and The Taj Mahal itself.

Agra is well connected to major cities across India and many buses ply from most of the cities of north India. It is about 210 Km from Delhi by road. It is also accessible through the railway. Any tour to North India or India itself is incomplete without a visit to Agra. And the one visit will lure the tourist revisit it. Best time to visit the place is winter as the summers are too hot here when temperature rises to 45 degree celcius.

Taj Mahal is a perfectly symmetrical and a wonderful mausoleum made with marble and was at a time embellished with the rare precious stones. There are many different stories about the construction of the Taj Mahal some quite opposite to each other. But the basic truth remains the same, it is a symbol of love of the mughal emperor ShahJahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. the foreground of the Taj Mahal is the lush green gardens, and at the back flows the Yamuna River. Any on looker will be charmed by the view of Taj Mahal which takes on different hues from nature at different times of the day.

Agra Fort is also a tourist attraction in Agra, also on the banks of the river Yamuna. It was built with the contemporary style of Mughal Era architecture. It was built by the greatest Mughal Emporer, Akbar,also the grand father of Shahjahan. It is made of red sandstone an dcontains many monuments inside the Jahangir Mahal, The Jodha Bai's Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Diwan-e-aam and Diwan-e-khaas to name a few.

Agra is famous for its sweets especially the "Petha". The main shopping areas are the Sadar Bazar, Kinari Bazar and Munro Road. One can carry the sovenier of Taj Mahal as a memory of the tour or as gifts to people back home. Leather items like bags and footwear are cheap and of good quality which one can buy near the Taj Complex. Marble items and brassware are also worth a look.