Agra is a city located on the banks of the Yamuna River. It is one of the most populated cities in the State of Uttar Pradesh, with 1,586 million (2011). It has an area of 87 km2.
To get to Agra from Delhi, it is as simple as taking a train and in a few hours you are there. As I intended to visit the Taj Mahal, I decided to take a day trip. And I assure you that was enough. It is best to hire a Tuk Tuk when getting off the train, so that you can make a route through different tourist spots in the city. Yes, very important, first of all to agree on which sites and the price. It is clear that if or if, I ended up taking you to a store. Where Obviously take commission for your purchases, be insistent that you are not interested, enter look and not buy, even I to the third, I did not even want to get off Tuk Tuk,.
Another very important point is that there is a day (at least one safe) that the Taj Mahal is closed for tourists. I know because it was just the day that I decided to visit him. Bless my luck, for I could not enter but contemplate it in all its majesty from opposite the opposite bank of the river, from the gardens of Mehtab Bagh.
Between the middle of the XVI century and the middle of the XVII, during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and sha Jahan, the city had its maximum apogee and splendor. Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal in 1631.
TAJ MAHAL
It is a funerary monument built between 1631 and 1654 on the banks of the Yamuna River. It was ordered built by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan. The imposing set of buildings was erected in honor of his favorite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal. It is estimated that its construction required the effort of some 20,000 workers under the direction of a group of architects led by the architect of the court, Ustad Ahmad Lahori.
The Taj Mahal is considered the best example of a palace, a style that combines elements of Islamic architecture, Persian, Indian and even Turkish. This monument has achieved special notoriety for the romantic character of its inspiration. Although the mausoleum covered by the white marble dome is the most well-known part, the Taj Mahal is a walled complex of buildings that occupies 17 hectares and that also includes a large mosque, a guest house and gardens.
The monument is an important tourist destination of India. In 1983, it was recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site . And also in 2007 was designated one of The New Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
An old popular tradition is that an identical mausoleum should be replaced on the banks of the Yamuna River, replacing white marble with black. Legend suggests that Shah Jahan was dethroned by his son Aurangzeb before the black version could be built.
It was recently discovered that in reality what was built in front of the Taj Mahal on the other side of the river was a garden that maintained the symmetry so dear to Shah Jahan. This complex of gardens had an octagonal pool, which reflected the image of the Taj Mahal. When seeing it in the reflection, a black Taj Mahal was appreciated.
FORT OF AGRA
Another place we visited was Agra Fort.The fort of Agra, also called Lal Qila, strong Agra Red or simply as strong Red, although not to be confused with the Red Fort of Delhi. It is located on the west bank of the Yamuna River, 2.5 km northwest of the Taj Mahal. The fort, built in red sandstone (to which it owes its name), by the Mughal emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573, can be described much more accurately as a walled palace, which encloses an impressive collection of palaces and stately buildings with architectural styles that vary from complexity to simplicity. And surrounded by a deep moat that was filled with water from the Yamuna River. You access this impressive complex through the “Amar Singh gate”, finding once inside, on the right, the “Jahangiri Mahal”.
Since 1983, it has been considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco. This is the most important fortress in India. The great emperors of the Mughal Empire lived and governed from here. It contained the state treasury.
There are many monuments, palaces … to visit. In my humble experience and my tastes, I stopped entering these places. Since the magnificence that was observed from the outside vanished when entering the rooms which were textually peeled….
What I liked the most was the visit to a workshop where they stamped the golden floral ornaments so frequent in the sharis. It was like entering a room of golden dust.
If you hire a tuk tuk that takes you, do not worry about where to eat, that’s what he also takes commission. In my case I had an extraordinary luck, because the place where we took us turned out to be the best of the excursion after the Taj Mahal!
PREPARE YOUR TRIP TO INDIA
Do you want to organize, yourself, your trip to India? I leave you information that you need to know, Click on the following photo:
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