Duration : 1 Days Places to See : Agra
Departure from New Delhi at 5.00 am by private Luxury SUV car, Breakfast served enroute. Reaching Agra at 8.30 am. Pre-lunch session visit Taj Mahal and Sikandra, post lunch session visit Agra Fort and Itmad-ud-Dulah’s then look at some crafts and leather work. Departure from Agra at 6.00 pm. Reaching New Delhi at 9.30 pm. Agra is 150 miles south of New Delhi, the capital of India.
AGRA: Agra is located in Uttar Pradesh state in North India, situated on the west bank of the river Yamuna. Agra was founded by Sikandar Lodhi in 16th century. Mughal Emperors contributed the most in building of the place with Persian style gardens, fort, tombs and palaces. Agra is synonymous with the beauty and grandeur of Taj Mahal, one of wonders of the world. An Annual festival - Taj Mahotsava (Taj festival) is held in the month of February to celebrate traditional art- classical dances, musical recitals, cultural shows and craft of India.
TAJ MAHAL: Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, was built on the bank of river Yamuna in the 17th century by Shahjahan, the 5th Mughal Emperor in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal as an immortal signature of his eternal love towards his wife. Since then millions of visitors have experienced that everlasting charm and romantic aura of the white marble and serene gardens. Its a poem of love written in white marble, the most extravagant monument ever built for love. Inside the Taj, delicate inlay work such as the floral decorations on the screen are amazing. Some flowers created on the screen are made up of as many as 64 pieces. The different sections of the screen are carved out of a single piece of marble. Various sections of the screen are joined together with gilded fasteners and the entrance is fashioned out of jasper, in the Turkish style. It is said that as many as 35 different types of precious and semi-precious stones were used in the inlay work done on the Taj. Turquoise, jade, agate, coral, lapis lazuli, onyx, bloodstone, carnelian, jasper, garnet and malachite were used to decorate flowers like lily and honeysuckle. Carnelian and lapis lazuli were preferred for their color and luminosity. Sacred Verses from Quran are inscribed in Arabic over the walls of the Taj. With beautifully painted flowers and geometrical designs.
AGRA FORT: Akbar the 3rd Mughal Emperor built Agra Fort made of red sand stone on the banks of Yamuna: the fort was build in year 1571. The fort was built to serve military purpose although it has a palace and court. It is 2.5 km in circumference and has towers, water fountains, palaces, bastion and samparts and grand gateways. It has Jahangir’s palace, Khas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), Masamman Burj, Deewa-I-Khas (hall of private audience), Macchi Bhawan, Diwan-I-Aam (hall of public audience) and Moti Masjid.
ITMAD-UD-DULAH'S TOMB: Emperor Jahagir’s wife Noor Jehan built this mausoleum in memory of her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, in 1622. The tomb is beautifully ornamented with pietra dura inlay and lattice work marble screens, it resembles a jewel box set in a garden, located on the bank of river Yamuna. The beauty of the white marble with the mosaic and the lattice is simply awesome. The tomb structure has a minaret on each one of its four corners. The walls of the cenotaph reveal the intricate inlay work with a variety of illustrations.
SIKANDRA: Is the last resting place of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Akbar was the greatest of the Mughal emperors and one of the most secular minded royalties of his time. The tomb garden is divided into four equal quarters on the conventional charbhag plan. Each quarter is separated by a high terrace or raised path with a narrow shallow water channel running at the center.
