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Agra :- Agra is the one of the prominent destinations of
the World Tourism map with three heritage monuments - The
Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri & Red Fort. The Taj Mahal is a
UNESCO world Heritage site and is considered one of the wonders
of the world. Agra is 403 kms from Nainital and
363 kilometres (226 mi) west of state capital, Lucknow and 200
kilometres (124 mi) south from national capital New Delhi.
| The
Archaeological Survey of India has decided that Taj Mahal
will remain closed on Fridays for the public except for
those who go for afternoon prayers. Previously Taj Mahal
remained closed on Mondays. |
Location of Agra :-
The Agra district is situated in western U.P. between 27.11'
degree Latitude North and 78.0' degree to 78.2' degree Longitute
East. Its Altitude is 169 meters above sea level. On the North
it is bounded by Mathura District, On the South it is bounded
by Dhaulpur District, On the East it is bounded by Firozabad
District and On the West it is bounded by Bharatpur. Agra is
situated on the bank of Yamuna river.
History of Agra :-
Agra has a rich historical background, which is amply evident
from the numerous historical monuments in and around the city.
The earliest reference for Agra comes from the epical age, when
Mahabharata refer Agra as Agravana. In the sources prior to
this, Agra has been referred as Arya Griha or the abode of the
Aryans. The first person who referred Agra by its modern name
was Ptolemy.
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Photo of Taj Mahal taken on 1915 during WW1 by
a Fighter Plane
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Though the heritage of Agra city is linked with the Mughal dynasty,
numerous other rulers also contributed to the rich past of this
city. Modern Agra was founded by Sikandar Lodhi (Lodhi dynasty;
Delhi Sultanate) in the 16th century. Babar (founder of the
Mughal dynasty) also stayed for sometime in Agra and introduced
the concept of square Persian-styled gardens here. Emperor Akbar
built the Agra fort and Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Fatehpur Sikri
remained his capital for around fifteen years after which the
city was left isolated in mysterious circumstances. Jahangir
beautified Agra with palaces and gardens despite spending most
of his time in Kashmir with which he was passionately attached.
Agra came to its own when Shahjahan ascended to the throne of
Mughal Empire. He marked the zenith of Mughal architecture,
when he built the Taj in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
In his later years, Shahjahan shifted his capital to the new
city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi and ruled from there. Shahjahan
was dethroned in 1658 by his son, Aurangzeb who imprisoned him
in the Agra Fort. Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Agra
till his death. After the death of Aurangzeb, Mughal Empire
could not touch its peak and many regional kingdoms emerged.
The post-Mughal era of Agra saw the rule of the Jats, Marathas
and finally the British taking over the city.
Origin and Development of Agra :-
Agra is the city of the inimitable Taj Mahal. The story of Agra
beigns much earlier then the Taj, However it finds mention in
the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana are Paradise.
Ptolemy, the famous second century A.D. geographer, marked it
on his map of the world as Agra. Tradition and legend ascribe
the present city of Raja Badal Singh (around 1475 A.D.) whose
Fort, Badalgarh, Stood on or near the site of the present Fort.
However, the 12th century A.D. persian poet Salman, too, Speaks
of a desperate assault on the forrtress of Agra, then held by
one King Jaipal, by sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. It was Mughals
who finally nurtured Agra with the finest monuments architects
could design : The Taj Mahal of Shah Jhan, Agra Fort of Akbar,
Itmad-Ud-Daulah and neighbouring Sikandra are but few of the
many that spangle the city, each of which stands in mute testimony
to the city's grandur over the ages.
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Khas Mahal of Agra Fort -
1875
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Tourism In Agra - Agra Tourism - Places to visit in
Agra - Visiting Places - Agra Sight Seeing
Visit
Taj Mahal, Agra also has a number of monuments ranging from
the world known structures such as, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
others are tombs such as Sikandra (Akbar's tomb), Mariam's tomb,
Itmad-ud-daulah's tomb and Chini ka Rauza. Ram Bagh and Swami
Bagh Temple at Dayal Bagh have their own history. Mehtab Bagh
& Kalakriti Cultural & Convention Centres, last not the least
Full Moon Visit to Taj Mahal.
Agra
Fort : Beautiful historical site with stunning view of Taj
Mahal across the Yamuna River also known as Lal Haveli. The
great Mughal Emperor Akbar commissioned the construction of
the Agra Fort in 1666, A.D. although additions were made till
the time of his grandson Shahjahan who broke the continuity
of red sand stone to create white marble monuments. The forbidding
exteriors of this fort hide an inner paradise. There are a number
of exquisite buildings like Moti Masjid - a white marble mosque
akin to a perfect pearl; Diwan-I-Am, Diwan-I-Khaas, Musamman
Burj - where Shahjahan died in 1666 A.D. Jahangir's Palace;
Khaas Mahal and Shish Mahal. Shahjahan was imprisoned here at
the end of his life by his son and it is said he sat in a tower
and gazed at the tomb of his beloved Mumtaz all day as there
is a wonderful view from the Agra Fort of the Taj Mahal in the
distance.
Open: All days Timings: Sunrise to Sunset. Distance: 5 Kms.
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (10 Km) : Along the Yamuna river,
on the opposite side from the Taj. The exquisite intricate marble
carvings and the perfectly painted and decorated walls and ceiling
leave you speechless. Itimad-ud-daulah was built by Emperor
Jahangir's queen, Nurjahan, in the memory of her father Mirza
Ghias Beg during 1622-1628 A.D. Built entirely in white marble
and inlaid with semi-precious stones, this mausoleum on the
bank of the Yamuna River, exhibits a strong Persian influence.
This tomb also features many paintings.
Open: All days Timings: Sunrise to Sunset. Distance:10 Kms.
Khas Mahal : Situated along the river front is the wonderful
elegant marble hall. Built in white marble consists the palace
of the King in the middle with a beautiful pool in the front
and view of the Angoori Bagh (The Garden). It is flanked on
either side with the palaces of the Daughters. The roofs are
gilded with Brass now but once used to be plated (covered) with
real Gold.
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Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb - Agra
1900's
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Weather - Climate of Agra :-
Agra features a semiarid climate that borders on a humid
subtropical climate. The city features mild winters, hot
and dry summers and a monsoon season. However the monsoons,
though substantial in Agra, are not quite as heavy as
the monsoon in other parts of India. This is a primary
factor in Agra featuring a semiarid climate as opposed
to a humid subtropical climate.
Summer Maximum Temperature is 45°C and Minimum
Temperature is about 22°C
Winter Maximum Temperature is 13°C and Minimum
Tempreature is about 4°C
Best Season for tourist to Visit Agra is from October
to March.
Agra, located on the Indo-Gangetic plain has a continental
sub-tropical climate, with long, hot summers from April
to September when temperatures can reach as high as 45°C
(113°F). During summers dry winds (loo) blow in this region.
The monsoon months from July to September see about 67
cm (27 inches) of rainfall annually. |
How to Reach Agra - Transportation :-
Air
Agra Airport - Kheria Air Force Station is about 5 km
from city center and is also known as Agra Civil Enclaves. All
the major domestic airlines provide flight services to and from
the city of Taj.
Railways
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, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain,
Jaipur, Lucknow 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.
Road
Idgah Bus Stand, Taj Depot, Ford depot and Inter State Bus Terminal
(ISBT) are the major Bus Stands in Agra and is connected to
most of the bigger cities in North India.
* From Delhi: NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200
km 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 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 can be covered in around 3–4 hours.
* From Gwalior A distance of around 120 km, takes around 1.5
hours on the 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). Agra has a major Road named as Mahatma Gandhi(MG)
Road at the ceneral part known as heart line of Agra.
Taxi
Tourist can hire a taxi for local sight seeing or agra visit
from local taxi stand. A prepaid taxi counter is available at
agra cantt railway station.
Distance Chart Agra - Distance Between - Agra Distance Chart
From Different Cities of India
| CITY |
DISTANCE
In Kms |
CITY |
DISTANCE
In Kms |
CITY |
DISTANCE
In Kms |
| Agartala |
2355 |
Gurgaon |
196 |
Panaji |
1709 |
| Ahmedabad |
889 |
Guwahati |
1756 |
Paradwip |
1510 |
| Aizawl |
2222 |
Gwalior |
118 |
Pathankot |
679 |
| Ajmer |
363 |
Haldia |
1336 |
Patna |
812 |
| Akola |
955 |
Hassan |
1927 |
Pondicherry |
2154 |
| Aligarh |
83 |
Hissar |
367 |
Porbandar |
1283 |
| Allahabad |
425 |
Hubli |
1634 |
Pune |
1214 |
| Ambala |
394 |
Hyderabad |
1296 |
Purulia |
1043 |
| Amritsar |
2507 |
Indore |
1315 |
Rajkot |
1711 |
| Asansol |
2013 |
Jabalpur |
1313 |
Rajeswaram |
601 |
| Aurangabad |
1006 |
Jabalpur |
611 |
Rameswaram |
2459 |
| Bakhtiyarpur |
860 |
Jaipur |
232 |
Ranchi |
986 |
| Bangalore |
1858 |
Jaisalmer |
802 |
Ranippettai |
2077 |
| Barauni |
923 |
Jalandhar |
567 |
Raurkela |
1208 |
| Barddhaman |
1134 |
Jammu |
786 |
Rohtak |
264 |
| Bareilly |
212 |
Jamnagar |
1191 |
Sagar |
419 |
| Belgaum |
1550 |
Jamshedpur |
1118 |
Saharanpur |
390 |
| Bellary |
1663 |
Jhansi |
221 |
Salem |
2061 |
| Bhagalpur |
1047 |
Jodhpur |
563 |
Sambalpur |
1349 |
| Bhavnagar |
1076 |
Jorhat |
2509 |
Shahjahanpur |
286 |
| Bhopal |
541 |
Kakinada |
1645 |
Siliguri |
1281 |
| Bhubaneshwar |
1542 |
Kandla |
1070 |
Shillong |
1856 |
| Bikaner |
553 |
Kanniyakumari |
2539 |
Shimla |
545 |
| Bilaspur |
1096 |
Kanpur |
286 |
Shivpuri |
230 |
| Calcutta |
1258 |
Kochi |
2391 |
Silchar |
2082 |
| Chandigarh |
440 |
Kohima |
2095 |
Solapur |
1330 |
| Chennai |
1892 |
Kolhapur |
1447 |
Srinagar |
1079 |
| Chittardurga |
1791 |
Kota |
453 |
Surat |
1083 |
| Coimbatore |
2198 |
Kozhikode |
2213 |
Thane |
1154 |
| Cuttack |
1517 |
Krishnagiri |
1949 |
Thanjavur |
2249 |
| Dehradun |
381 |
Kurnool |
1506 |
Thiruvananthapuram |
2611 |
| Delhi |
203 |
Lucknow |
363 |
Thrissur |
2312 |
| Dhanbad |
985 |
Ludhiana |
508 |
Tiruchchirappalli |
2195 |
| Dhule |
863 |
Madurai |
2304 |
Tirunelveli |
2458 |
| Dibrugarh |
2195 |
Mangalore |
2087 |
Tirupati |
1859 |
| Dimapur |
2030 |
Meerut |
267 |
Tuticorin |
2439 |
| Dindigul |
2238 |
Moradabad |
267 |
Udaipur |
637 |
| Durgapur |
1071 |
Motihari |
831 |
Ujjain |
606 |
| Ganganagar |
611 |
Mumbai |
1197 |
Ulhasnagar |
1152 |
| Gangtok |
1395 |
Muzaffarnagar |
319 |
Vadodara |
927 |
| Gaya |
827 |
Muzaffarpur |
915 |
Varanasi |
577 |
| Ghaziabad |
221 |
Mysore |
1997 |
Vijayawada |
1563 |
| Ghazipur |
649 |
Nagpur |
809 |
Vishakhapatnam |
1677 |
| Gorakhpur |
629 |
Nanded |
1187 |
Warangal |
1259 |
| Gulbarga |
1488 |
Nashik |
1012 |
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| Guntur |
1595 |
Nellore |
1819 |
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Rare Photo of Taj Mahal
This was how the Taj Mahal was protected from bomber
jets in 1942 during world war. It was covered with
huge scaffold, to make it look like a stockpile
of bamboo and misguide bombers.
The covering is still incomplete in this photo.
The whole of Taj Mahal was covered but this picture
shows only the main dome covered. The govt didnt
allow any photographers later to shoot the final
scaffold cover.
During the India-Pakistan war in 1971, it was protected
by covering it with a green cloth and making it
almost invisible i.e camouflaged within the greenery
around it. Even in 2001, after the Sep 11 attack,
Archaeological Survey of India took up the precautionary
measure to cover it with cloth and it took them
more than 20 days to do that!! |
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Nainital
Tourism offers online booking
for various Hotels & Resorts in Agra & whole
Uttarakhand.
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Available All Types of Vehicles
at Delhi - Nainital
- Agra
DELUXE BUSES, INNOVA, INDIGO, INDICA, SUMO, QUALIS,
TEMPO-TRAVELER, TAXIS |
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For
Transport Rates - Hotel Booking in Agra
- Nainital or Agra - Nainital Tour Packages
Please Call us at
09536-1182-78
or
09027-1555-78
Office Landline Number:
05942- 237476 (10.30 am -6 pm) |
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