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The former capital of the Mughal Empire
In the 17th century, travellers staying in the capital of the Mughal Empire described it as a wonder. Today, the beauty of the Taj Mahal still brings worldwide fame to Agra, but the richness of its other historical monuments remains largely unknown to the many visitors who merely pass through. However, the city truly deserves to be explored at a slower pace, allowing one to experience the awe felt by travellers of the past.
Agra is located on the banks of the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 200 kilometres south of the Indian capital, New Delhi.
Sikandar Lodi, Sultan of Delhi, made it the capital of Hindustan for the first time in 1504, and the city reached its peak with the Great Mughals starting in 1556 under the successive reigns of Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. It was the latter, builder of the Taj Mahal, who would once again transfer the capital of the empire to Shahjahanabad (present-day Old Delhi) in 1649.
Among the many monuments built in Agra, mainly by the Mughals, three of them are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort since 1983, Fatehpur Sikri since 1986.
In the 17th century, foreign travellers described Mughal Agra as a wonder of the time. It was then as much a major centre of trade on land and water as a meeting place for saints, sages, and scholars from all over Asia. It was teeming with magnificent buildings, palaces, gardens inspired by the paradise of Allah, and mausoleums.
Great German adventurer, Johann Albrecht von Mandelslo, judged in 1638 that the city was at least twice as large as Isfahan, while others considered it one of the largest cities in the world.
At that time, the core of Agra was formed by the gardens of the ruling elite that lined both sides of the Yamuna River, with the rest of the city encircling it to the west. The Taj Mahal was part of this core and was by no means built on an isolated site. Thus, the centre of Agra had a suburban character. As for the Yamuna River, it was the main artery of the city, allowing one to travel from one garden to another by boat.
The monuments of Agra reflect the golden age of the Great Mughals
Today, this marvelous city has largely disappeared. Only a few sites, walls, and ruined pavilions remain, making Mughal Agra a utopia of the past.
The modern city is not very attractive and of little interest, but we recommend dedicating at least an entire day to visit the scattered gems here and there that have withstood the test of time. Only in this way can the modern traveller remember Agra's glorious past, beyond the Taj Mahal, and feel the wonder of travellers from bygone days.
Agra can be visited all year round. Bear in mind, however, that the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. Another factor to consider is the morning fog in January, which sometimes completely envelops the monuments.
The must-sees of Agra – Not to be missed!
THE TAJ MAHAL
"I went to see the famous Tage-mahal, and it is enough to say that, after hearing its praises since I had been in India, its beauty exceeded rather than fell short of my expectations." Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, 1825.
A major site in the city of Agra, it is above all the icon of India. The Taj Mahal is a vast white marble mausoleum built between 1631 and 1648 on the orders of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to perpetuate the memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal.
It is the most perfect jewel of Indo-Islamic art in India, and one of the universally admired masterpieces of humanity's heritage. The monument has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983, and a vote by internet users from around the world placed it, in 2007, on the very exclusive list of the 7 wonders of the modern world. It must obviously be included in any tour of Northern India.
Closed every Friday. Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff (mausoleum incl.) 1300 Rs. Free < 15
AGRA RED FORT
Facing the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River, this significant 17th-century Mughal monument is a powerful red sandstone citadel enclosing the imperial city within its walls, with a large number of palaces, audience halls, and two very fine mosques.
Akbar laid the foundations of this magnificent citadel, which was built between 1565 and 1573 in a half-moon shape and was the seat and stronghold of the Mughal Empire for several generations: he built the walls and entrances.
Shah Jahan, his grandson, erected the main buildings, and Aurangzeb, son of the latter and the last great Mughal emperor, surrounded the fort with walls and imprisoned his father there.
One of the most important monuments in Agra, the Red Fort has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff 600 Rs. Free < 15
I'TIMAD-UD-DAULAH or BABY TAJ
Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff 300 Rs. Free < 15
It is a Mughal mausoleum, built between 1622 and 1628 and commissioned by Nur Jahan, the wife of Emperor Jahangir, for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg (a Persian emir in exile) who had received the title of "pillar of the state" (or I'timad-ud-Daula).
Often described as a jewelry box and sometimes nicknamed the "Baby Taj," the tomb is considered the precursor to the Taj Mahal. With the main building, the structure consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens.
Located on the right bank of the Yamuna River, the mausoleum represents the transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture (mainly built in red sandstone with marble decorations, as seen in Akbar's tomb in Sikandra) and the second phase based on the use of white marble and hard stone inlay work as it appears on the Taj Mahal.
The walls are made of white marble from Rajasthan, decorated with inlays of semi-precious stones (carnelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, topaz) depicting cypress trees and wine bottles, cut fruits, or vases containing bouquets. Many consider that the interior decoration of the Taj Mahal is inspired by that of the mausoleum, such as the only asymmetrical element of the complex: the cenotaphs of Mirza Ghiyas Beg and his wife placed side by side. This arrangement is replicated at the Taj with the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
MEHTAB BAGH GARDENS
Mehtab Bagh, or "moonlight garden," is located on one of the banks of the Yamuna River. The garden, intentionally positioned in perfect alignment with those of the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank, is undoubtedly an achievement of Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj.
If no evidence in the archives of the time suggests that it was included in the initial design of Mumtaz's mausoleum, the close connection between the garden and the Taj has been identified in various ancient schemes where it is presented as an element of the overall plan. It does not appear on any map and seems to have been abandoned and neglected, probably due to flooding ; this could be corroborated in a report Aurangzeb made to his father in 1652 about the state of the mausoleum and the garden.
It was only in the 1990s that the garden was explored again.
Modern research methods lead to captivating discoveries both in terms of plants – revealing which plants grew there – and in terms of architecture.
While ordinary plants now give the garden a pleasant appearance, the few architectural remains that have survived allow us to determine with certainty the outlines of the original garden, which was inspired by other gardens located along the river. Some original decorative features can still be observed, and the ruins have been reinforced. It can be observed that a wall followed the riverbank and was adorned with octagonal towers at both ends. At the heart of the place was an octagonal terrace that housed a vast octagonal basin adorned with twenty-four fountains. Other structures, such as pavilions, another terrace, another garden, another fountain, were also present on the site.
Remnants of elaborate irrigation systems have also been discovered, making it almost indisputable that the garden served as a nighttime viewpoint to admire the Taj Mahal, which would have been visible by its reflection in the river, from the pavilion in the octagonal basin, or through the jets of water from the fountains.
Anyway, it is today one of the best places to admire the grand mausoleum, without the crowd of visitors. And it's even more true at sunset !
Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff 300 Rs. Free < 15
AKBAR TOMB - SIKANDRA
Akbar was one of the greatest emperors in the history of India. His tomb, located in Sikandra, 8 km north of Agra, is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture.
As tradition dictated, Akbar, the third emperor of the dynasty, began the construction project of his mausoleum during his lifetime, in 1600. It was completed after his death, with his son Jahangir overseeing the work between 1605 and 1613.
Built in the midst of a vast garden, the main entrance to Akbar's tomb is through the marvellous southern gate.
It is superbly decorated, both at the front and at the back, with red sandstone inlaid with coloured stones, featuring floral patterns around the openings and geometric patterns elsewhere. From the roof, at each corner, rise four white marble minarets similar to those of the Taj Mahal, which they precede.
The tomb itself, a multi-story building resting on a square platform, is accessible through a very beautiful central arch, which, like the south gate, features large-scale decorations that give the impression the structure is closer than it actually is. The geometric, floral, and calligraphic decorations foreshadow the more complex and subtle ones that will be incorporated later into the tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah. Inside, a richly decorated vestibule and a gently sloping passage lead to the burial chamber and the cenotaph, both of which are very austere.
Impressive burial site, Akbar's tomb is a perfect example of the fusion of Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. Located outside Agra, with access made difficult by traffic, the site is less and less visited. Yet Akbar's tomb is well worth a visit for the beauty of its buildings and the tranquillity of its gardens.
Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff 300 Rs. Free < 15
FATEHPUR SIKRI - GHOST CITY
Fatehpur Sikri, the ghost city, has captured people’s imaginations for centuries. It has a dreamlike ambiance, and although the buildings have been renovated and protected, there is always some curious wonder around every corner of the palace complex. It has also more than the usual number of myths attached to it. The commonest idea is that the city was abandoned because of a water shortage, a theory for which there is no historical basis in the written records.
Much travelled by Akbar, the road from Agra to Ajmer passed through a village named Sikri. While on his way to Ajmer for his annual pilgrimage, Akbar used to stop at Sikri to visit Sheikh Salim al-Din Chishti, a Sufi saint. In 1569, Akbar’s son Salim (and his successor under the name of Jahangir) was born. The saint had predicted that event. From that year, it took over more than a decade to build both a religious compound to commemorate the saint and a palace complex to host the imperial family. The new city was named Fatehpur Sikri (City of Victory) after Akbar’s victorious Gujarat campaign in 1573.
Akbar based himself at Fatehpur Sikri until 1585, when he was obliged to move to Lahore. It was never used as a capital city again, and the population, which, in its short prime, may have been somewhat over 200,000, shrank rapidly.
When Akbar returned to the area in 1595, he made Agra his base and only occasionally visited Fatehpur Sikri. So did his son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan after his death. Although the palace buildings gradually decayed over the years as they fell out of use, imperial appointments to the guardianship of the mosque and shrine of the saint continued to be made, and pilgrimages also continued, especially by women failing to conceive.
Today, the ghost town of Fatehpur Sikri houses numerous palaces as well as one of the largest mosques in India. Located 36 km west of Agra, the site has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983.
You access it by electric carts after leaving your car in the parking lot. Given the size of the site and its various buildings, we recommend a guided tour. This will allow the visitor to "imagine" life in this city during its time of greatness.
Open from sunrise to sunset
Adult tariff 600 Rs. Free < 15