Home of the Taj Mahal, Agra provides avid glimpses of Mughal architecture. To be in Agra is like taking a walk through history. Agra today is another provincial town with remnants from the past – tombs, churches, cemeteries and gardens. Close by is Emperor Akbar’s city Fatehpur Sikri, impressive in architecture and visited by devotees during the month of Ramzan for Urs at the shrine of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti.

A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are descendant of those who worked under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.

Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it seems to linger in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures in the world . It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court .

Finding Your Feet

Agra is on the west bank of the Yamuna river, where lie the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort and the Shah Jahan Park. Yamuna Kinara road runs along the river’s western banks from the Taj Mahal to Belan Ganj, 1 km north of Agra Fort railway station. Bargain accommodation can be available at the Taj Ganj, while upscale hotels are all lined up at Fatehabad road, further 1 km south of the Taj. Mahatma Gandhi road, Gwalior road and General Cariappa road are three major thoroughfares that cross both the Mall and Taj road which are south Agra’s longest east west avenues. From Sadar Bazaar between Mahatma Gandhi and Gwalior road, it is about 2 km west to Agra Cantonment Railway Station. Two km north west along the Fatehpur Sikri road leads to Idgah Bust Stand.

History of Agra

Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in the epic Mahabharata. In more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made it his capital city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end very soon and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals .


It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into its own . He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital at Fatehpur sikri not far away.

Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's garndson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture - the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort.

For anyone with a deep interest in history, a summary of Agra's history would indeed provide a wealth of information. Situated on the banks of river Yamuna between Mathura and Surajpur, Agra was originally a part of the Surasena Empire with Mathura as its capital. But it came into limelight when Sikander Lodhi, the Sultan of Delhi made it his capital in the 16th century. After the advent of the Mughals, there was a shift in the power play and Agra became the most important seat of Mughal power in India between the 16th and 17th centuries.


Since Agra was one of the most important cities under the Mughals, it witnessed some big scale renovation and development from time to time. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. His grandson Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort besides making Agra a center for learning arts and commerce. His son Jehangir built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens inside the red fort, and emperor Shah Jahan, known for his great love for architecture gave Agra its most prized monument, the magnificent Taj Mahal. Built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum took 20 years to finish with the combined efforts of 20,000 laborers, architects and engineers.



Shah Jahan had shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but Aurangzeb shifted it back to Agra and imprisoned his father in the Agra Fort. Agra remained capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb till his death. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the Marathas and Jats before falling into the hands of the British in 1803.

Agra came under different rulers and dynasties from time to time, but it was the Mughal rulers who left an indelible mark on this historic city. Anywhere you go, the city's Mughal heritage can easily be discerned, something that Agra has managed to retain in spite of the ravages of time and change.


Sound & Light Show

A sound-and-light programme is conducted at Agra Fort every day after sundown, that details the history and important events connected with it. The programme in English is held from 7/7.15 pm and in Hindi from 8.15/8.30 pm, depending on season


Cultural Activities
Tansen Sangeet Samaroh, a four day Indian classical music fest commemorating the great Indian musician of  Mughal era, is held at Tansen tomb every year in December. The festival brings together exponents and music lovers from all over the country.

Fairs and Festivals
Trade Fair: a month long industrial and consumer goods trade fair is held every year at Mela Ground from the  end of December. The fair evokes large domestic and international participation.


Taj Mahotsav: a ten-day arts and crafts fair, held every year from February 18-27 at the Shilp Gram precincts and includes cultural programmes.

How to Reach ?

By Air
Indian Airlines/Alliance Air connects Agra to Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi with a thrice-a-week flight. The airport in Kheria is about 6 km from downtown. India Tourism also operates a tourist information counter here.


By Rail
Agra is an important railway station of Central Railway of Indian Railways broad-gauge network and is served by Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai/Bangalore/Hyderabad and Delhi-Kolkata trunk lines. The city, therefore, is connected to all parts of the country. The two fastest connections from Delhi are the super-fast Shatabdi Express (journey time 2 hrs) and Taj Express (2.5 hrs). Both the trains return to Delhi in the evening, making even a day-long excursion to Agra possible. The city is also connected to Jaipur with direct services.
Agra has three major railway stations – Agra Cantt, the principal station, and Raja-ki-Mandi are on the main trunk lines and Agra Fort, for trains to Jaipur. Tourist taxis and auto-rickshaws (both with pre-paid service) are available at the stations for transfer to different parts of the city.

By Road

Agra on National Highway No. 2 (Delhi-Mumbai) is very well connected by a road network. The National Highway from Delhi is a four-lane double carriageway with very good, smooth surface, but carries medium to heavy traffic. The 200 km distance from Delhi can easily be covered in less than four hours. Good service station/fuel facilities on the entire route, which passes through important industrial centres of Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Mathura, etc. The National Highway is partly a toll road with two barriers, at Palwal and near Farah

Road distances to some important centres in the region are: Allahabad 433 km, Bhopal 540 km, Indore 605 km, Jaipur 230 km, Jhansi 220 km, Lucknow 370 km, and Varanasi 565 km.

While there are numerous midway rest and recreation options available en route, the most convenient are Haryana Tourism’s Motel Dabchick at Hodal (92 km) and Country Inn Kosi (99 km). Both units provide 24-hr multi-cuisine dining, clean restrooms/toilets, recreation and shopping facilities.

National Highways 3 (Delhi-Mumbai) and NH 75 (Gwalior-Jhansi-Rewa) provide good road communication links for the city. NH 3 between Delhi-Agra-Gwalior is now a four-lane double carriageway road with very good surface and medium to heavy traffic. On this, the distance of 120 km from Agra can easily be covered in 2-2.5 hrs.