AGRA - THE HOME OF THE TAJ MAHAL

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Agra, the location of the fabulous Taj Mahal, is situated in the North India state of Uttar Pradesh. Agra can easily be accessed by flights, trains and road transport

Flights:
Agra has an airport where domestic flights from major cities land. Both government and private airways operate to Agra. The Delhi Agra flight is a short flight of 40 minutes. There are daily round trip flights from Delhi to Agra, Khajuraho and Varanasi, with a return to Delhi. Agra airport is located 7 Km from the center of the city.

Trains:
Agra is conveniently connected to Delhi by railway lines. Many trains connect Delhi and Agra, including luxury trains such as the Palace on Wheels. Agra Station is known as Agra Cantonment Station.

Road Transport:
Agra is near Delhi, it is 204 Km from the capital of India. There is an excellent national highway connecting Delhi and Agra. You can drive down from Delhi in luxury taxi's, coaches or buses and arrive in Agra in a about 4 hours. The main bus stands in Agra are Agra Fort and Idgah bus stand.

Agra is easily accessible by road from Delhi. The National Highway from Delhi is well maintained. The 204 km distance from Delhi to Agra is a smooth drive. Various government and private buses operate along this route, taxicabs are also easy to find. Agra's main bus terminuses are Idgah bus stand and Agra Fort bus stand.







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THE HOME OF THE TAJ MAHAL

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Taj Mahal, was constructed by about 20,000 workers from 1632 to 1648 in Âgra, a city in northern India, regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had it built in memory of his wife, Arjumand Banu Bagam, known as Mumtaz Mahal (Persian for "Elect of the Palace"), who died in 1631. The bodies of the emperor and his wife remain in a vault below the building.


An extravagant marble monument of love, built by Shahjahan in 1653 as a memorial to his queen Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child.

This most famous Mughal monument was constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the 'lady of the Taj'. It has been described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love. A total of 20,000 people worked on the building from 1631 to 1653. The main architect was Isa Khan, who came from Shiraz in Iran.

White marble and red sandstone, silver and gold, carenelian and jasper, moonstone and jade, lapiz lazuli and coral were fashioned by 20, 000 skilled workers to make the emperor's dream a reality. It took 22 years to complete - a poignant symbol of eternal love where Shahjahan too lies buried, reunited at last with his beloved Mumtaz.

Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637.

It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. The death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months.

Inside the Taj Mahal, the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal stands at the center of an octagonal hall, while the slightly larger tomb of Shah Jahan, who died in 1666, is off to one side. Both are elaborately carved and inlaid with semiprecious stones, illuminated by sunlight filtering through an elaborately carved marble screen that is also studded with jewels.
Different people have different views of the Taj but it would be enough to say that the Taj has a life of its own that leaps out of marble, provided you understand that it is a monument of love. As an architectural masterpiece, nothing could be added or substracted from it.

Agra, city in northern India, in Uttar Pradesh State, capital of Agra District, on the Yamuna River. Agra is a railroad junction and a commercial and industrial center for the surrounding agricultural area. The city has an extensive trade in cotton, grain, tobacco, salt, and sugar. Factories are engaged in food processing and the production of cotton textiles, carpets, iron and steel, and leather goods.