Agra & Around

There are 03 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in and around Agra - Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the Fatehpur Sikri. Taj Mahal is the most famous tomb built by Shar Jahan’s in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Agra Red Fort was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D. Situated about 35 km from Agra, Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri as his capital. Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandra is located on the Delhi-Agra Highway, and is only 13 kilometers away from the Agra Fort. Other famous places to be seen in Agra comprises The Swami Bagh Samadhi, The Mankameshwar Temple, Guru ka Tal, The Jama Masjid, Chini Ka Rauza, Ram Bagh and others.

In 1556 A.D., the great Hindu commandant, Hemu Vikramaditya won Agra when he was the Chief of Army of the Afghan Rulers. The Mughals, under the leadership of Akbar, defeated Hemu and regained control of Agra and then the city entered to its golden era with the beautification drive started by the Mughals. Babar became the first to lay out a Persian garden on the banks of Yamuna called the Aram Bagh. Akbar later raised the gigantic fortifications of the Agra Red Fort, and turned Agra into a learning center of arts, literature and religion. Akbar also built a new city named Fatehpur Sikri, which is near to  to Agra.