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Agra Travel Guide

Agra is one of the most important historicakl and ancient cities of In¬dia. This handsome town is situated in the holy region of Brij Bhoomi, on the right bank of river Yamuna. In ancient days the city was fortified having six¬teen gates and it was the frontier defence of the Aryans.
The earliest mention of Agra is the epic Mahabharata 3rd century be. It was then called Agrabana or paradise in Sanskrit, In the 2nd century ad.Ptolemy, the geographer of Alexander the great, Showed it on his map of the world as Agara.
Five thousend ago, during the days of Mahabarata the city was know as Agraban. Some historians are of the opinion that it was founded by Maha¬raja Ugersen and was named after his own name. After that the name was spoilt and lastly it was known as Agra. Any how is in fact, an ancient city.
In the year 1475 A.D. Badal Singh, a kshatrya hero, had built a fort for defence againest Mohammendan invasion and called it as Baddgarh. (Em¬peror Akbar after demo-lighing the badalgarh acquired the same place for construction of his grand fort) However, the 12th centuryA.D. persian prot salaman, too speaks of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by one King Jaipal, by Sultan Mahud of Ghazni.
After wards in 1492 A.D. Sikandar lodi of theLodi dynasty in habited a city known as Sikandar which is as a distance of five miles of the present city. In 1526 A.D.Babar the great Mughal defated the last king of lody dynasty.On the banks of the river Yamuna. It took 22 years and over 20,000 workers. The design and consruction is attributed to the persian architect ustad Ahamad Lahori. Legend has it that once construction was completed. Shah jahan had Lahori's hands cut off, and blinded. So he would never be able to amphlicate the structure. The Taj Mahal viewed from the Agra fort. Where Shah Jahan spent last eight year of his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb., in the mid-day heat of the torrid summamers of northern India. Taj Mahal floats like a mirage. A similar feeling pervades as one enters the main gate and beholds for the first time the elegant mausoleum, which rests on a high plat form of white marble.
A part from its architectural design, Taj Mahal is also one of the best examles of in lay work, on its screens walls, grches the main arched gates, verses from the Holy koran which a dom the main arched gated, each letter seeminy to be same size. When viewed from any position or some of the flowers in laid in the walls each made up of as many as 64 pieces of intricately cut semi precious stones, are but a few examples of the elegant crafts man ship.
The must elegant done of the Taj, with a diameter of 60 ft. rises 80 ft. over the building and directly under the done is the tomb of Memtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan's tomb was erected next to herss by son, Auranzeb. The monu¬ment is best viewed on a full moon might when the whole structure glows in a subdeed uminence.
In Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's name Shall ever romain associated with the most beautiful and charming structure of the world known as "Taj Mahal" one of the seven wonders of the world erected as token of his love for his beloved queen Mumtaj Mahal as a memorial to his sweet memory.
The lady of the Taj be loved consort of the world renowned emperor
Shah Jahan Arjumand Bano Begum, better known by her title mumtaz Mahal
was born in 1592 A.D. A persian by descent. She was the daughter of Asaf
Khan, the Prime Minister of Emperor Jahangir's court. Mumtaj was Shah
Jahan's second wife. Queen mumtaz Mohd closed her eyes on the day of 17
1631, A.D. She before death on it she requested him to take good
pis childern and not marry again after her death. She further im
pressed upon with a humble request to commemorate by constructing unique tomb. The Emperor in deep sarrow agreed to what was requested t his dear wife. They lived 14 years happy life. Mumtaz Mahal died age of years. Very shortage.