Exclusive Taj Mahal Tour Packages to witness memorial of love
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The gem of India – the Taj Mahal – is known around the world for its eternal beauty. So if this is your first – or even your second or third – visit to India, you must visit Agra, where you’ll be able to stand in awe at the glistening, white World Wonder.
Located on the banks of the Yamuna River, the Taj Mahal is the world’s largest and most splendid masterpiece of love. Every visitor, who comes to Agra, has seen the mausoleum many times in photos, posters or on television. But when you step through the entrance gate, it will take your breath away! In 1983 UNESCO nominated the Taj Mahal to its list of World cultural heritage sites.
Agra owes its popularity to the Taj Mahal, which is famous around the world for its eternal beauty. But it is also home to the Red Fort,
The History of Agra
According to the legend, Agra was one of the first cities built by the Aryan settlers. Named at that time 'Arya Garh', it was later renamed Agra after the Hindu king Agravan. Most likely the Rajputs then inhabited the city until 1131 when the Muslims conquered the city. When the Mughal dynasty grew during 1526 Agra witnessed a wave of construction in some of the fabulous monuments that still stand today. It was the golden period under Emperor Akbar (1555-1605) who built the Red Fort and the nearby city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Akbar worked on the Taj Mahal and other buildings, until he fell into financial ruin. Then his son, Aurangzeb (1665-1706) used his father’s financial problems to jail his father in the Red Fort. This allowed Aurangzeb to take over the city. But under his rule, the city declined. Islam during those years continued to plunder Agra until 1806, when the British occupied the city. At that time, the population had shrunk from its original 1 million inhabitants of the Mogul-time to about 100,000 people.
In contrast, today there are close to 2.5 million inhabitants. The increasing air pollution from nearby refineries and the growing number of vehicles are creating new-found problems for the monuments and other buildings of Agra. Due to the threat to the buildings, a zone was defined around Agra, in which no more new industries or buildings can be erected. A green belt surrounds the Taj Mahal and historians have discovered safe, new restoration and cleaning methods to help rid the buildings of the built-up chemicals on the stones.
Taj Mahal, Agra
The Taj Mahal is not only the most visited mausoleum of India, but also one of the most impressive monuments on the earth. "Monument of immortal love" was built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in memory of his beloved wife Arjumand Bano Begum (also known as Mumtaj Mahal), after she died at 38 during the birth of her 14th child. Altogether 20,000 workers toiled 20 years in order to complete one of the World’s Seven Wonders in 1653.
Shahjahan chose spot along the Yamuna River where he met his wife at the young age of 14. He called it “love at first sight” and was compelled to purchase the land from the King of Jaipur, Raja Man Singh. Shahjahan invited architects from France, Italy and the Far East to work together and create this magnificent architecture. While never documented, it was assumed the master builder was Ustad Ahmad from Lahore.
The enormous costs of the construction allowed Shahjahan's power-hungry son Aurangzeb to legitimize the downfall of his father. During his fifty-year reign, Aurangzeb led a fanatical expedition against Hindu sanctuaries and kept his father Shahjahan imprisoned in the red fort of Agra, where he spent the last eight years of his life with the view of the Taj Mahal.
Originally the same building, but in black marble, was to be built on the other side of the river as Shahjahan’s mausoleum. However it was never completed as he sat in the Red Fort under house arrest by his son until he died. Architects recently uncovered the foundations of the black Taj Mahal proving that Shahjahan did start construction on it.
The Taj Mahal is made from materials brought from across India and as far away as Asia. The marble was brought from Makrana, about 100 miles from Agra near the city of Jaipur. Over 1,000 elephants and 3,000 camel carts were requisitioned for the transport of the building materials. Twenty-eight different types of precious stones and semiprecious stones such as mother of pearl, malachite, lapislazuli, jasper, turquoise were inlayed in the marble. The color scheme, material, ornamentation, and proportions were based on the principle of perfect symmetry.
When you stand and look at the Taj Mahal you will see three huge gates located at the east, west and south directions. While these powerful entrance gates were used to protect the site, they were used mostly to separate the outside world from the spiritual world within the mausoleum. The calligraphy on the gates states the spiritual purpose of the entrance gates. Through the gates, visitors see the lush gardens that the Mughals, who came from the desert-like regions of Asia, considered the essence of paradise.
Today, the lush gardens still look like paradise to visitors who come from around the world to stand in awe at the majestic site. The Taj Mahal with its vibrant white marble appears to hover as visitors look through the dark interior of the entrance gate.
The marble platform placed in the middle of the reflection pond serves as a desired location for photography. Many famous guests including Heinrich Lübke, Lady Diana, Prince Charles and Hillary Clinton were photographed with the Taj Mahal in the background. Today Punjabis, Sikhs, Ladakhis, Rajasthanis, Kashmiris and Tamils are photographed in front of the dreamlike scenery.
Once you enter through the gates, you will see there are two identical buildings flanking the Taj Mahal with their red sandstone facades and marble domes. The building on the west is a mosque, which was used by Shahjahan for worship, when he spent most of his time in the compound. Every Friday the Taj Mahal is closed so Muslims can worship in the mosque which is aligned to the west towards Mecca, the holy place of Muslims. The second sandstone building on the east side of the Taj Mahal was built just to maintain the symmetry. The eastern building was built purely for aesthetic reasons. So the Taj Mahal would not lose its magic, both buildings were not built out of white marble but the red sandstone.
The Taj Mahal itself stands on a 60-foot-high marble platform, with a high minaret at each of the four corners. These minarets are slanted by two degrees, so they do not fall on the main mausoleum during any natural calamity such as an earthquake or flood. In addition, the slant of the minarets gives a unique harmony in the total composition of the Taj Mahal which has architectural resemblances to the grave of Humayun in Delhi built 100 years before the Taj Mahal.
The two sarcophaguses of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are in a vault beneath the central main room. The graves, similar to the original ones, were placed in the other room above the vault not only to mislead tomb raiders, but to allow citizens to worship the graves, while maintaining a distance between the citizens and ruler. The cenotaph of Mumtaz lies exactly in the center and the cenotaph of Shahjahan which is bigger, lies on the left side. Both are marble cenotaphs inlayed with precious and semi-precious stones.
Not only is it magical when you stand outside of the Taj Mahal, but also when you stand inside. The sun shines through the filigree-worked marble windows–creating a magical atmosphere that will be an once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t ever forget!
RedFort, Agra
The Red Fort was built by the Mughal Emperors and served as a main residence during the 16th and 17th centuries. During 1983 the Red fort was added to UNESCO’s world cultural heritage list. A part of the fort is used today for military purposes and the public is not allowed in that area of the building.
The construction of the fort began during 1565 under Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, when he relocated India’s capital from Delhi to Agra. It was expanded under the rule of his successors, especially under Shah Jahan during the 16th and 17th centuries. Akbar used primarily red sandstone with marble enclosures, while Shah Jahan preferred white marble and decorations of gold and semiprecious stones. Although the Red Fort was completed, India’s capital was shifted back to Delhi in 1648.
After his seizure of power in 1658, sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb placed his father Shah Jahan in the red fort under house arrest, where he died in 1666. It was captured in 1803 through British troops and used later by the East India Company for its administrative offices. During the Indian revolt of 1857, the fort was one of the locations for armed discussions.
Shaped like a half moon the Red Fort is surrounded by a 63-foot-high red sandstone wall, whose circumference amounts to approximately 1.5 miles. Two head gates--the Delhi gate and the Lahore gate--are the grand entrances. Inside the fort, there are representative palaces, several mosques and gardens. The architectural style includes elements of Islamic and Hindu architecture.
TombofItmad-Ud-Daulah
The Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah counts as the direct architectural precursor of the Taj Mahal and is called ‘Baby Taj’. It was built by Mughal empress Nur Jahan in the memory of her father Mirza Beg who was the prime minister in the Mughal court during the reign of Jahangir. He held the title of Itmad-Ud-Daulah in the royal court, which means finance minister or minister of treasury. Nur Jahan was the main wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir. Built 33 years before the Taj Mahal, the construction began in 1622 and was completed in 1629. The mausoleum is built in beautiful white marble and was the first architecture to feature the ‘pietra-dura', or marble inlay. The father of Nur Jahan was the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan. The mausoleum lies on the other side of the Yamuna River, and can be reached by crossing a bridge to the other side of the river.
Chini ka Rauza, the Chinese grave
The Persian Allama Afsal Khan Shukrullah from Shiraz (Iran) was buried in the Chini ka Rauza during 1639. He was a poet and scholar at the court of Mughal emperor Jahangir and minister under Emperor Shah Jahan. Located on the east bank of the Yamuna River, Shukrullah led the construction of the tomb up to his death. Visitors can ascend to the cupola of the Chini ka Rauza which features the Persian-style glazed tiles (chini). Only a half mile away from the Chini ka Rauza is the Ram Bagh, a Mughal garden designed by the first Mughal emperor Babur in 1526. It was the first garden introduced by the Mughals that features Charbagh, a unique style of garden that is divided into four parts.
Sikandra , Akbar’s mausoleum
The tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar lays about 3 miles northwest form the main city. This city of Sikandra was founded by Muslim ruler Sikandra Lodi during the 15th century. However, after his rule, it was brought by Mughal emperor Akbar under his rule. The construction of the tomb began by Akbar in 1602 and was completed by his son Jahangir in 1613. The red sandstone building is decorated with white marble decorations that unite Hindu and Islamic art, style and architecture, and sits in a breathtaking garden.
Dayal Bagh
Dayal Bagh is a white marble temple of the Radhasoami group. Its founder lived from 1818-1878. The construction of the building was begun 80 years ago, and it should be finished in 120 years. Visitors can watch as the artists work on the marble inlays. The temple is located north about 4 miles from the center of Agra.
Excursions:
Mughal City Fatehpur Sikri
The Mughal city Fatehpur Sikri is about 22 miles away from Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This former Mughal capital was included in 1986 by UNESCO on its World cultural heritage list.
An old legend is the "city of the victory" was built during the second half of the 16th century when the childless Mughal Emperor Akbar prayed to the famous Sufi saint Salim Chisti for the birth of a son. The holy prophet predicted that Akbar would have three sons. After few months, Akbar’s Hindu wife gave birth to a healthy child, who later succeeded the throne as Emperor Jehangir. Akbar was very satisfied and out of gratitude to Salim Chisti, he built an entire city known as Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar shifted his capital from Agra to Fatehpur Sikri where he reined North India between 1571 and 1585. Eventually the scarcity of water made Akbar abandon the city and shift his capital to Lahore (now in Pakistan) and later back to Agra.
Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri entirely out of red sandstone on a hill which is surrounded by a six-mile-long wall. You will be able to wander around this magnificent Mughal city full of multi-story and richly decorated palaces, gardens, a market place, water reservoirs, mosques, innumerable roofed corridors, stairways and terraces. Fatehpur Sikri unites two contrasts: the figurative architecture of the Hindus and the geometric architecture of Islam. Unlike other important Mughal cities, Fatehpur Sikri is beautiful and more delicate. Even today it is a pilgrimage city for childless people and women pilgrims travel from all over India to pray for male descendants.
Some most important sites to visit while in Fatehpur Sikri are:
Diwan - i - Am
The Diwan - i - Am is the 33-foot-long forecourt of the palace and you will enter through the Agra Gate. Surrounded by a terrace, to the west you will see the king’s balcony. When you go inside you will see many rooms behind the king’s balcony which were the harem ladies’ rooms. The women could watch the activities in the court only through the latticed windows in those rooms. On the right side of the garden you will see a stone block: that’s where an elephant was tethered so when someone was sentenced to death, the person would be placed on the platform where they would be trampled to death in front of an audience.
Diwan - i - Khas
The Diwan - i - Khas, built in 1575, was the private audience hall of the palace. Inside you’ll find a richly decorated red sandstone column that soars towards the top in a treetop shape. From the column’s tip, four galleries branch off connecting the audience hall and main building which depicts the elements of Indo-Islamic architecture. Akbar spent many hours meeting with Christians, Hindu, Jains and Buddhists in the middle of the hall while at the four corners, sat the four ministers.
Rumi Sultana
Rumi Sultana—the house of the Turkish sultana—only has one preserved room. Its walls and ceilings feature intricate sculptures of relief-like patterns with vines, garnet apples, palms trees, lotus flower and animals showing the Chinese influence.
Panch Mahal
The Panch Mahal is a five-story pavilion within the palace wall where the wives of the emperor observed the lively activities in the palace court. Each floor is somewhat smaller than the preceding giving a pyramidal shape.
Buland Darwaza
In the south of the city, you will find the 162-foot-high victory gate, which is the largest portal of Asia. It was erected in 1602 to commemorate the victorious expedition of the emperor Akbar. You will ascend a large stairway that leads to the gate, whose gateways are covered with horseshoes. They were mounted by horse owners as a sign of thanks because their animals were healed by the blessing of the Moslem holy saint Salim Chisti. From the portal, you will have a beautiful view over the entire city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Jami Masjid
The Jami Masjid stands to the southwest of the palace. Also named Daragh Mosque, it is the largest mosque of India. You will enter the patio through one of the two gates (King Gate & Buland Dawarza) and find the grave of Salim Chisti, a teacher of the Chisti orders. You will also find the white marble Jama mosque built by the son of Akbar, Jehangir, in memory of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti.
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