Agra : The Popular Destination Of India
Agra : Capital of Mughal Empires
Agra, located on a loop of the Yamuna River about 200 km southeast of Delhi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was created by Sikander Lodi at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1526, in the course of the conquest of the Sultanate of Delhi by Babur, Agra fell to the Mughals, who made it the capital of the Mughal Empire. The blooming Period of Agra began with the accession of Akbar, who expanded the city, and lasted for three generations of the Mughals until the Crown Throne of Mughals was finally moved back to Delhi. The fact that Agra became the jewel of Indian art, ShahJahan (1628-1658) built most beautiful buildings that are among the one of the best architecture in the world. For example Taj Mahal world wonder Tomb, attracts tourists from all over the world to Agra.
Top Tourist Attractions in Agra
Taj Mahal : Symbol of Love
Even if you have already seen many images: When you step out of the shadow of the great entrance gate, the Taj Mahal seems fabulous and like something out of a dream. It is the most famous building in India and is considered the most beautiful structure in the world because of its perfect harmony and proportions. In 1983 it was included by Unesco in the list of the world cultural heritage.
The order for the construction of this tomb was given in 1631 by Shah Jahan, who wanted to create a worthy monument to his main wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their 14th child. 20,000 craftsmen worked for 22 years to complete it. The tomb is surrounded by an 18-acre garden with an elongated water basin at its center. The mausoleum itself stands on a 100 x 100 meter marble platform surrounded by four minarets. Countless gemstone inlays were inserted into the white marble facades; most are delicate floral representations of agate, lapis lazuli, jasper, carnelian and numerous other precious and semi-precious stones.
The enormous cost of the construction was a welcome occasion for Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb to legitimize his father’s overthrow. Only a few years after its completion, he had Shah Jahan imprisoned in the Red Fort. For eight years until his death in 1666, he had to content himself there with the view of the Taj Mahal. After his death he was buried next to his wife.
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. In addition, to protect the marble from exhaust fumes, car traffic and industry are prohibited within a radius of about 2 km from the Taj, horse-drawn carriages and electric vehicles are used. All pointed objects , camera tripod , advertising material , cigarettes , lighter , food (even chewing gum ) etc . Not allowed to take with you. It is best to take only wallet and camera, so that it does not take time at the entrance control and you can easily go in with the good mood and enjoy the spectacular view of the Taj Mahal.
Agra Fort : Crown of Mughals
Akbar the Great built the Agra Fort in 1556, the crescent-shaped fort lies within a 20-meter-high and 2.4-km-long outer wall made of red sandstone. Inside there are several palaces, mosques and gardens. Akbar’s successors continued the construction in the 16th and 17th centuries, Shah Jahan, who, however, had parts of the sandstone buildings demolished again because they seemed “too modest” to him. He replaced them with magnificent palaces made of marble and decorated with gold and semi-precious stones. Open squares and courtyards were covered with awnings made of white silk interwoven with gold thread, and the floors were covered with silk carpets. The jewel of the fairy-tale splendor in the Private Audience Hall was the Peacock Throne of pure gold, two by one and a half meters in size and completely set with diamonds, whose throne cushions were embroidered with 18,000 pearls and rubies. The Peacock Throne is now in Persia, having fallen into the hands of Nadir Shah in 1739 during his sacking of the Red Fort of Delhi.
Shah Jahan spent his eight years of captivity in the Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower that protrudes from the fort wall like a bastion. From the surrounding gallery, the Taj Mahal can be seen lying on the banks of the Yamuna.
Today, visitors enter through the Amar Singh Gate, located on the south side, after crossing the moat.
A Jama Masjid or “Friday Mosque” is also located in the fort. Shah Jahan had it built in 1648 in honor of his favorite daughter, Jehanara Begum. The mosque shows influences of Iranian architecture. It has a rectangular open atrium and no minarets. A Kufi inscription praising Shah Jahan and his reign is inscribed in black letters in the white marble surround of the central arch. The side wings of the main prayer hall are decorated with friezes with elaborate inlays similar to those on the Taj Mahal.
Itmad-ud-Daulah : Mini Taj The Jewel box
In the middle of a garden lies the mausoleum built in 1628 for Mirza Ghiyas Beg, the prime minister of Jahangir known by his honorary title Itmad-ud-Daulah (Pillar of the State). His tomb is also known as the “Baby Taj” because it was the first Mughal structure made entirely of marble. The Taj Mahal, built only a few years later, is essentially based on its basic structure. Although the building is not entirely convincing in terms of its proportions, the decoration of the wall surfaces with inlays of precious stones almost surpasses that of the Taj. The finest marble inlays show stylized flowers as well as bulbous wine jugs, a motif that was considered a symbol of paradise in Persian poetry and can probably be traced back to the prime minister’s origins.
Chini-ka-Rauza
About 1 km north of Itmad-ud-Daulah, also on the banks of the Yamuna, lies the tomb of Azal Khan, a minister under Jahangir and Shah Jahan, who built this mausoleum himself during his lifetime. The building owes its name Chinese tomb to the wall decoration of glazed tiles with pretty floral patterns, which are said to have been imported from China. The tomb itself consists of an octagonal room with two tombs, crowned by a large dome. The structure, like the surrounding gardens, is unfortunately somewhat neglected.
Varanasi : The holiest of the seven sacred cities
Varanasi : Kashi The Holy City
Varanasi, also known by its former name Banaras, is the most important of the seven Hindu holy cities, the city of Shiva. It has a history of more than 3000 years, making it one of the oldest permanently inhabited cities in the world. Hindus believe that Varanasi is the center of the universe. Since time immemorial, pilgrims have flocked to Varanasi to bathe in the Ganges, as bathing in the holy river is said to purify from sins. Those who die in Varanasi immediately attain moksha, or salvation, and break the eternal cycle of birth and rebirth.
The city derives its name from the two rivers Varuna and Assi, between whose confluences with the Ganges lies the ancient city center.
Ghats : Holy Bathing & Cremation places
The soul of the city is the Ganges, the sacred river revered by Hindus as the goddess Ganga, and life takes place along its banks. For more than 5 km, the ghats, stairways that lead to the water and are used for praying and bathing, are lined up here. The ghats are what give the city its character, and each has its own history. Many of the ghats were built by Indian princely families, who also once owned them.
The view of the ghats from the river is particularly impressive. A trip on the Ganges in one of the ancient-looking rowboats is an absolute “must”. Especially at sunrise or sunset the atmosphere is simply indescribable.
In the morning you can see thousands of people descending the wide stone steps of the ghats into the floods of the Ganges. There they wash themselves, their clothes or fill the holy water into brass vessels.
Every evening after sunset, a Ganga Arti, a great ritual of worship for Goddess Ganga, takes place at Desaswamedh Ghat, where a group of young priests wave incense and open fire through the air to the sound of bells and loud music. For an hour, the air vibrates with the sound of spiritual chants. For an hour, the sacredness of this city can be felt with skin and hair.
However, it is better not to come into contact with the water of the Ganges during a boat trip, as the river is heavily polluted. The limits of coliform bacteria for bathing water are exceeded many thousands of times, in addition to cholera and typhoid pathogens and occasionally unburned corpse parts.
They come from the cremation sites (the largest of which is at Manikarnika Ghat) where the bodies of devout Hindus are burned. Since wood is very expensive, complete cremation often does not take place, so occasionally ashes are scattered in the river rather than just on the ground. The pyres burn continuously here, it is even said that “when the fires of Varanasi cease to burn, the world ceases to exist”. The strict ban on photography at the cremation ghats should be respected at all costs.