Agra is the City of the ’’Taj - The symbol of Love ’’. Agra lies 200 Kms to the South of Delhi .
We first visited the Agra Fort. The Agra Fort had been the Mughal Citadel for a long time and is quite huge. The Moats around the Fort are quite deep & wide and the entire fort is reminscent of the Red fort because of its striking resemblance in Architechture & Colour. Shah Jahan was kept as a prisoner here by his son Aurangazeb & spent his last years here looking at his beloved Taj Mahal From his prison cell. The Top of the Fort and Shah Jahan’s Prison offers wonderful views of the Taj Mahal which stands perched majestically across the winding Yamuna River . Diwan - I - Am ( Place of Public Audiences) & Diwan-i-Khas ( Place of Private Audience) are some of the other common Mughal places found here . Jahan Ara , Shah Jahan’s Daughter looked afer him during his final years and her palace is adjacent to his prison cell . There is a also a Sound & Light show in the evening ( Both in Hindi & English - Pls check the winter & summer timings ) , which describes the history of the Fort .
We then Headed to the Taj Mahal . Security is very tight Outside and no Electronic items ( Except Cameras ) are allowed inside the Taj . The Taj looks awesome. No adjectives can do justice to its majestic beauty & Grandeur . The Govt in recent years has done a good job in Beautification of Taj ( particularly in De-sulphurisation ) by Banning commercial vehicles within 3 Kms radius . Time just rushes as you keep admiring Taj’s beauty from various angles. Inside is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal & Shah Jehan . Shah Jahan started the Construction of Taj on the death of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. It took 17 years to complete Taj Mahal & its no wonder that it is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.