Agra

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The city of Agra (Hindi: आगरा, Agra [a ː ɡra ] ) lies on the banks of the river Yamuna in the west of Uttar Pradesh in India and has about 1.6 million inhabitants ( 2011 census ).

Agra has a number of UNESCO World Heritage listed sites (see attractions ).

Geography and climate

Agra is situated at 169 m above sea level. NN.

History

The history of Agra dates back to antiquity. The present city was founded at the beginning of the 16th century by Sikander Lodi. In the wake of the conquest of the Sultanate of Delhi Agra by Babur in 1526 fell to the Moguls. Babur often lived in Agra and laid the Ram Bagh on, one of the first Moghulgärten. The heyday of Agra began with the accession of Akbar, who extended the city, and lasted until the reign of Aurangzeb on. With the onset of the decline of Moghulreiches also Agra lost its importance.

Attractions

Agra was intermittently from 1526 to 1648 the capital of the Mughal Empire. From this time the castle fortress of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, the Red Fort with the palace of Shah Jahan and the Perlmoschee is obtained ( Moti Masjid ).

  • Taj Mahal: Far more famous but the ' Taj Mahal ', the Shah Jahan in Agra as a mausoleum for his wife and edify yourself. There is also a facility to play the traditional game Pachisi with living figures.
  • Itmad -ud- Daula 's Tomb: Less known, but in the quality of marquetry the Taj Mahal rather even surpassing, is the mausoleum built in 1628 for Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who under his honorary title of Itmad -ud- Daula ( pillar of the state ) known Prime Minister Jahangir. The first Mughal building was executed in marble and thus founded a change of style in the architecture of that time. Just a few years later built the Taj Mahal is mainly based on its basic structure.

Both the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal are 1983 monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Because of the Taj Mahal Agra is one of of the most visited tourist cities of India. The climatically best time to visit is from September to December.

In Agra is also home to Dayalbagh ( a Ashram Radhasoami Satsangi religion), Akbar 's Mausoleum ( in the suburb of Sikandra ) and Meena Bazaar.

Only 40 km west of Agra is the ancient capital of Akbar the Great, Fatehpur Sikri, which was probably abandoned after a few years due to lack of water. Today, a World Heritage Site, is a large mosque and palaces is a popular destination of Agra.

Gallery

Musamman Burj, part of the fort

Fort Gate

Soami Bagh Samadh in Dayalbagh

Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri.

Manufactured from marble mausoleum of Itmad -ud- Daula

Akbar 's Mausoleum

Stereo photograph of the Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 1906.

Taj Mahal, Photochrom print of 1890

Main road from Agra, drawing from 1858

Personalities

Sons and daughters

  • Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869), poet
  • Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914-1999) development activist and social scientist who pioneered in the field of micro-credit
  • Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631), first wife of Prince Khurram, later the fifth Mughal emperor (Kaiser ) Shah Jahan of India. She was the Taj Mahal built as a tomb.
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