Agra (population of 1,326,000 as of 2001 Indian Census) is a city 200KM south of Delhi and on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh State. It finds mention in the epic Mahābhārata where it was called Agrevaṇa, or 'the border of the forest'. Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Rājā Badal Singh (around 1475). The Fort Badalgarh near the site of the present Fort, belonged to Raja Badal Singh. . It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpūr Sikrī, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Climate & Tourist season: Agra, located on the rocky terrain has a continental climate, with long, hot summers from January to September when temperatures can reach as high as 48.5 °C. During summers dry winds blow in this region. Winters last from November to February, with day time temperatures comfortably warm, but temperatures below freezing are not uncommon during the night. Agra is also prone to dense fog during the winter months of December & January.

As a major tourist destination, Agra is best visited in the months of October, November, February and March.

History:

The 11th century Persian poet Mas'ūd Sa'd Salmān wrote about the desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by the Shāhī King Jayapala, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Sultan Sikandar Lodī was the first to move his capital from Delhi to Agra in the year 1506; he died in 1517 and his son Ibrāhīm Lodī remained in power there for nine more years, finally being defeated at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 to Bābar.

In the year 1556, the great Hindu warrior, Hemu Vikramaditya also known as Samrat Hem Chander Vikramaditya won Agra as the Prime Minister cum Chief of Army of Adil Shah of the Afghan Sūrī Dynasty. The commander of Humāyūn / Akbar's forces in Agra, Tardi Beg Khan was so scared of Hemu that he retreated from the city without a fight. This was Hemu's 21st continuous win since 1554, and he later went on to conquer Delhi, having his coronation at Purānā Qil'a in Delhi 0n 7 October 1556 and re-established the Hindu Kingdom and the Vikramaditya Dynasty in North India.

The name of the present Agra was Akbarabād and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under the Emperors Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. Shāh Jahān later shifted his capital to Shāhjahānabād in the year 1649.

During the Mughal period, Akbarabād was one of the most important cities in India. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden i.e. Arām Bāgh or the Garden of Relaxation, on the banks of river Yamuna. His grandson Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort, besides making Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city Fatehpur Sikri on the outskirts of Akbarabād. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.

Mughal Emperor Shāh Jahān, known for his keen interest in architecture, gave Akbarabād its most prized monument, the Tāj Mahal, built in loving memory of his wife Mumtāz Mahal. The mausoleum was completed in 1653.

Shāh Jahān later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but his son Aurangzeb moved the capital back to Akbarabād, usurping his father and imprisoning him in the Fort there. Akbarabād remained the capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb until he shifted it to Aurangabad in the Deccan in 1653. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the British in 1803.

In 1835 when the Presidency of Agra was established by the British, the city became the seat of government. Two year later it witnessed the famine of 1837–38.

Agra is the birth place of the religion known as Dīn-i Ilāhī, which flourished during the reign of Akbar and also of the Radhaswami Faith, which has around two million followers worldwide.

Transport

Air: Agra Airport at Kheria is about 6 km from the city centre.

Rail: Agra is on the main train line between Delhi and Mumbai or Chennai. Agra Cantt (Station Code: AGC) is the main railway station and lies southwest of the Taj and Agra Fort, both of which are a short ride from the station by car, auto-rickshaw, or cycle rickshaw.

The luxury trains - the Palace on Wheels, and the Royal Rajasthan On Wheels also stop at Agra on their eight day round trip of tourist destinations in Rajasthan and Agra.

Road: Idgah Bus Stand and Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) are the major Bus Stands in Agra and is connected to most of the bigger cities in North India.

From Delhi: NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200 km distance from Delhi to Agra. The drive is about 4 hours. The primary access to the highway is along Mathura Road in Delhi but, if coming from South Delhi or Delhi Airport, it is easier to take Aurobindo Marg (Mehrauli Road) and then work up to NH2 via Tughlakabad.

From Jaipur: National Highway 11, connects Agra with Jaipur via the bird sanctuary town of Bharatpur. The distance of around 255 km can be covered in around 4–5 hours.

From Gwalior: A distance of around 120 km, takes around 1.5 hours on the National highway 3, also known as the Agra - Mumbai Highway.

From Lucknow / Kanpur NH2, the divided modern highway, continues on to Kanpur (285 km, 5 hours) and from there to points East ending in Kolkata. From Kanpur, NH25 heads for the city of Lucknow (90 km, 2 hours).

Local Transport

Auto rickshaw and Cycle Rickshaw are the main modes of transport in Agra and are readily available.

While passengers need to negotiate rates for the rickshaws and they are usually expensive, there is a system of (what is called) 'Tempo' which are autorickshaws that run on specific routes called out by drivers. Tempos take around 6 people simultaneously and work out to be most economical and practical.

There are City buses but their services are infrequent.

Polluting vehicles are not allowed near Tāj Mahal, so one needs to take electric Auto's or Tanga (Tonga) from a few kilometres outside the Tāj Mahal.

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 August 2010 00:05