Agra
The city of Agra is about 200 kilo-meters (about 125 Miles) from the Indian capital, New Delhi. Agra’s pride is the Taj Mahal, considered the most beautiful building ever built by human beings and declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is also a UNESCO declared World Heritage site. Two more world heritage sites are there in Agra, the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. A trip to India is not complete without a visit to Agra and seeing these wonders.
Agra Airport called the ‘Kheria Airport’ is an Indian Air force base, but Civilian flights are available. The Airport is not very popular with tourists. They prefer the train journey from Delhi to Agra. Delhi to Agra and Agra to Delhi by train is the most convenient way of travel. Delhi to Agra has many trains, so easy to make day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. The best trains, apart from the 'Palace on Wheels', are the 'Bhopal Shatabdi' (Train #2002) and the 'Taj Express' (Train #2280 -note that the South bound trains from Delhi start from a railway station in South Delhi called H. Nizamuddin). Both are fast trains and take just a little over 2 hours to reach Agra from Delhi. The trains start early by around 7AM and you are in Agra before 10AM. The same trains have same day return journey to Delhi, at around 7PM from Agra. You are back in Delhi before 10PM the same day. This way you get about 10 hours in Agra to do sight seeing, shopping, lunch, etc. There are many conducted bus tours in Agra, synchronized with the arrival and departure of these trains in Agra. Indian Railways themselves give a round trip train ticket to Agra, with the option to include the bus tour of Agra with an English speaking tour guide. Food is served on the trains and included in the cost of the ticket. The seats on these Trains are very comfortable.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was built and completed in 1648. This is the citation about the Taj on the UNESCO world heritage site “An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage”. Taj Mahal means ‘Crown Palace’ . The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore called it "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity" while the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, said it was "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones".
Agra Fort
Agra Fort built by the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar is another UNESCO world heritage site in Agra. The caption on the UNESCO site reads “Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques”. The fort is similar in layout to the Red Fort in Delhi, but considerably better preserved, since some parts of the Delhi Red Fort were destroyed by the British after the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri is the third UNESCO world heritage site in Agra and is described thus on their web site "Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid"
Some of the other places of interest in Agra are
Sikandra the tomb of emperor Akbar was built combining the best of Hindu and Muslim architectures.
Itmad-ud-Daulah is the tomb of Mirza Ghyas Beg, a Persian who served in Akbar’s Court. The Craftsmanship at Itmad-ud-Daulah looks as if it was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. The intricate inlay work known as ‘Pietre Dure’ - the inlay work on marble with precious stones - so characteristic of the Taj-was first used on this building.
Mehtab Bagh which means ‘moonlit garden’ is directly opposite the Taj across the river Yamuna. A large fountain pool in the centre of this garden was meant to reflect the Taj on its water surface, but due to the floods of the river running over these gardens it is not in the best of shape. The view of the Taj from here is fantastic.
Luxury Train Tours
‘The Palace on Wheels’ and ‘ Royal Rajasthan on Wheels’ are two luxury tour trains operating out of Delhi and visiting the most important tourist destinations of Agra and Rajasthan. Both these luxury tourist trains hope to recreate the splendors of the era of the Maharaja’s who used to travel in their own superbly fitted Railway Coaches.
The cabins of both the Palcae on Wheels and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels are all air-conditioned with twin beds and attached toilets. Two fine restaurants, "The Maharaja" and "The Maharani", are there serving continental, Chinese, Indian and Rajasthani cuisines. Both trains depart from New Delhi and during its eight day journey, travels around Rajasthan with stops in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra. Some of the tourist attractions covered are the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, the Ranthambhor National Park, Chittaurgarh Fort, Jag Niwas (Lake Palace), Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the Agra Fort and finally the Taj Mahal.