Agra Hotels - Hotels in Agra
 Agra
has long been renowned as the city of the Taj Mahal.
This has often overshadowed the fact that this royal
Mughal has, in addition to the legendary Taj, many
magnificent monuments that epitomize the high
point of the Mughal architectural achievement. Not even Delhi the
seat of kings and emperors for over a thousand years,
can boast such a heritage of architectural and cultural
splendor from the golden age of the Great Mughals.
The Chosen City
Agra was the chosen city of the Mughal emperors during
the early years. It was here that the founder of the
dynasty, Babar, laid out the first formal Persian garden
on the banks of the River Yamuna. Here, Akbar, his
grandson, raised the towering ramparts of the great Red
Fort. Within its walls, Jehangir built rose-red palaces,
courts and gardens. Shah Jehan embellished it with
marbled mosques, palaces and pavilions of gem-inlaid
white marble. At Sikandra, on the outskirts of Agra,
Akbar built his own garden mausoleum. And at Fatehpur
Sikri he created a whole new city - a leap of the
imagination that made real a unique concept of planning
and design and gave expression to a style of
architecture that was a perfect blend of Islamic spatial
concepts and the Hindu genius for decorative sculpture.
Across the river, Jehangir's gifted queen, Noor Jehan,
designed an exquisite marble-inlaid tomb for her
parents. But Agra's crowning glory remains the Taj Mahal,
a monument to love built by Shah Jehan in memory of his
beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal.
HOW TO GET THERE?
Air: Daily air services connects Agra to Delhi,
Khajuraho & Varanasi.
Road: Its 204 km from Delhi.
Rail: Express trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai
also halt at Agra.
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