Agra travel

General info

Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it seems to linger in the past. Not surprising, for the Mughal emperors with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures in the world. It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court. Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest thats finds mention in the epic Mahabharta. In more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made it his capital city in 1501. The Lodi rule was to end very soon and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals. It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into its own. He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital at Fatehpur Sikari not far away, Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's grandson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture -the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra Fort. Area 62 sq. km. Altitude 169 mts Temperature: Summer :- Max 45.0ºC, Min 21.9ºC. Winter :- Max 31.7ºC, Min 4.2ºC. Rainfall 66 cm average yearly. Languages spokenHindi, Urdu, English STD Code 0562

Agra hotels

Five Star (Deluxe) Hotels

Taj Gateway Trident Oberoi ITC Mughal Luxury Collection Oberoi Amarvilas Jaypee Palace          First class Hotels Clarks Shiraz Grand imperial Hotel marina Howard park plaza Mansingh Palace

Budget Hotels

Mayur Tourist Hotel Atithi Siris 18 Hotel Amar Hotel Grand Hotel Yamuna View Pushp Villa Utkarsh-Villas Royal Residency Crystal Inn

Sightseeing
Taj mahal	Itmad-Ud-Daulah's tomb	Agra fort	Jami masjid
Chini ka rauza	Rambagh	Jahangir mahal	Chisti's tomb

Excursions
Sikandra	Fatehpur sikari	Palace of Jodh bai	Panch mahal
The Buland darwaja	The House of birbal	The Jamatkhana

Shopping

Agra is famous for its marble inlay work, leather goods, brassware, finely worked precious and semiprecious stone jewellery and ornate zardosi or zari embroidery. Much of this is available around the Taj complex. The main shopping areas are the Sadar Bazar, Kinari Bazar and Munaro Road.

Enterainment

Sports Golf-Golf Course, Circuit House Campus, Taj Road, Agra. Swimming-Swimming Pools at Hotel Welcomgroup Mughal Sheraton, Taj View, Agra Ashok and Clarks Shiraz. Fishing - At Sur Sarovar (Keetham Lake), 23 km. Clubs Agra Club, 191, Mall Road, Lions Club; Rotary Club; Indian Club .

Places to eat

Agra has good restaurants that specialise in Mughlai food and other Indian and international cuisines. Agra is famous for snacks and sweets like Dalmoth (lentils) and Petha (crystallised marrow), for which the most recognised area is Kinari Bazar. Some of the restaurants are: Dasaprakash: It is known for vegetarian South Indian food specialities. It is located at 1, Gwalior Road, near hotel Agra Ashok. Shivakash restaurants: Located at Fatehabad Road, and specialise in Mughlai, Continental, Chinese food. Only restaurants: Specialise in Indian, Mughlai, Continental, Chinese. It is located at 45 Taj Road. Zorba The Buddha: An Osho restaurants specializing in Western standards of hygiene and Oriental levels of meditative ness.

Travel information

Air:Agra is connected by air with Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Khajuraho, Kanpur and Varanasi. Rail:Agra is connected by rail with all major cities of the country. Road:Agra is well connected by road with all major cities of the state, Delhi and Haryana. Some important cities distance from Agra Delhi 204 kms., Jaipur 237 kms., Bharatpur 54 kms., Mathura 54 kms., Khajuraho 395 kms.

Cities of Uttarpradesh
Agra	Allahabad	Ayodhya	Chitrakoot
Deogarh	Jhansi	Kalinjar	Kanpur
Kausambi	Kushinagar	Lucknow	Mahoba
Mathura	Sarnath	Shravasti	Varanasi