ABOUT  AGRA

Agra pronunciation is a city on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, India. It finds mention in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana are Paradise. Ptolemy, the famous second century A.D. geographer, marked it on his map of the world as Agra. Tradition and legend ascribe the present city of Raja Badal Singh (around 1475 A.D.) whose Fort, Badalgarh, Stood on or near the site of the present Fort. However, the 12th century A.D. persian poet Salman writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by one King Jaipal, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. [1] It It was ruled by Sultan Sikandar Lodi in the year 1506. 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 Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.


Geography
Agra is situated 27.18° N 78.02° E[2], on the bank of Yamuna river. It has an average elevation of 171 metres (561 feet). On the north it is bounded by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on the east by Firozabad, on the south-east by Fatehabad and on the west by Bharatpur. Agra is the third biggest city in Uttar Pradesh.


Demographics
As of 2000 India censusGRIndia, Agra had a population of 1,259,979. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Agra has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 63.5%; with 76% of the males and 53% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.


History

Taj Mahal.Agra is a medieval city situated on the banks of the river Yamuna. It is generally accepted that Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Ruler of Delhi Sultanate founded it in the year 1504. After the sultan's death the city passed on to his son Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. He ruled his Sultanate from Agra till he fell fighting to Babur in the First battle of Panipat fought in 1526.

The golden age of the city began with the Mughals. It was known then as Akbarabad and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan later shifted his capital to Shahjahanabad in the year 1649.

Since Akbarabad was one of the most important cities in India under the Mughals, it witnessed a lot of building activity. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Aram Bagh or the Garden of Relaxation. 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 on the outskirts of Akbarabad called Fatehpur Sikri. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.

His son Jahangir had a love of gardens and flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila. Shah Jahan known for his keen interest in architecture gave Akbarabad its most prized monument, The Taj Mahal. Built in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum was completed in 1648.

Shah Jahan later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but this son Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Akbarabad and had his father imprisoned in the Fort there. Akbarabad remained capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb till 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 Raj in 1803.


Climate
Agra's climate is tropical and prone to extremes, reaching as high as 45ºC (113ºF) during the summer and as low as 4ºC (40ºF) in the winter. The rainy season is between June and September and the city receives annual rainfall of 660 millimeters (26 inches).


Major Colonies
Major Colonies in Agra are Shubham Appartments, Kailashpuri,Nirbhay Nagar,Ashok Nagar, Lajpat Kunj, New Agra,Tej Nagar,Kamla Nagar, Dwarka Puram, Karma Yogi Enclave,Brij Vihar,Natraj Puram,Kunwar Colony, Nehru Nagar,Lawyer's Colony, Transport Nagar, Pratappura, Rajpur Chungi, Sainik Nagar, Raja Ki Mandi,gandhi nagar, manas nagar, jaipur house
 

Agra Fort

Another world heritage site in Agra. Agra's dominant structure, the Agra Fort (sometimes called the Red Fort), was built by Akbar in 1565. The red sandstone fort was renovated and converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time, and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace),

Fatehpur Sikri
The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri about 35 km from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A World Heritage Site, it is often visited by tourists to Agra.


Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb
Empress Nur Jehan built Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.

Mumtaz mahal

The year 1607 was a momentous year for Prince Khurram, the eldest son of Emperor Jahangir and his father's favourite. He was a young handsome prince accustomed to luxury and refinement. As he made his way to the Meena bazaar, the private market attached to the harem, he was surrounded by a string of fawning companions, all eager to catch his eye.

Jama Masjid
The Jama Masjid is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter, Princess Jahanara Begum, built in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.


Chini Ka Rauza
Notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the Chini Ka Rauza is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz.

 Ram Bagh
The oldest Mughal garden in India, the Ram Bagh was built by the Emperor Babur in 1528. It lies about 2.34 kms north of Taj Mahal.


Shopping In Agra

Agra offers a unique and exciting shopping experience to its visitors. Famous for its handicrafts and fine arts traditions, the city offers a rich variety of items ranging from amazing replicas of the Taj Mahal, matching in every detail with the real Taj, to leather, marble and brassware items. You can also shop for finely painted wooden goods, stone decorative, embroidered rugs and famous pethas (a kind of sweet made of pumpkin and sugar).