When any traveler think about India first thing which comes to mind is Taj Mahal and no doubt if you are in India you can not not go back without seeing Taj Mahal. It is one of the wonders of the world and one of the most beautiful monument in the world. It was build by great Mughal emperor Shahjahan in fond memory of his wife “Markad Mukabro Arjumand Bano Mumtaz Begum”.

Taj Mahal is situated on the river bank of Yamuna in Agra Utter Pradesh. Agra is almost 200 km away from capital of India Delhi. You can easily visit Agra from Delhi in same day and most the people do the same. Agra is very well connected to Delhi by road and train. There are so many trains Delhi to Agra every day but 03 trains are best if you want to come back in same day. Shatabdi express, Taj Express, and latest one Gatiman express. All the trains leave Delhi early morning and come back in the evening from Agra. Shatabdi and Gatiman express are the fastest and take around 02 hours to cover one way journey. Road is one more option to reach Agra you will be travelling by one of the best highway in India called “Yamuna Express Highway” and it will take only 03 hours to cover one way journey.

Places to Visit in Agra : Taj Mahal is must see place in Agra but beside that you should also visit Agra Fort and Sikandra.

Taj Mahal : Taj Mahal have been a identity for India for international traveler and believe me it is worth it. You will be amazed by seeing its beauty. I have been to Taj Mahal alomost 100 times and i see people’s reaction when the get the first view of Taj Mahal its like OMG its amazing, awesome.

Construction was started by Shahjahan in the year of 1632 and it was completed in 1653 at the cost of 32 million rupees on that time. Construction was done by almost 20,000 people in the guidance of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.

Before Taj Mahal in India all the architecture was made by red sand stone but Shahjahan build Taj Mahal by using only white marble and inlaid precious and semi precious stones in white marble which makes it amazingly beautiful.

Agra Fort : The Agra Fort also known as “Lal-Qila”, “Fort Rough” and “Qila-i-Akbari” is the second most visiting and highlighted monument of Agra after Taj Mahal. It is one of the biggest fort in India made by red sand stone and white marble Akbar started the construction in 1565 but it was not completed by him only after Akbar Jahangir also build some part of the fort called Jahangir Mahal.

Shahjahan build the white marble part of the fort after Jahangir. A small chamber of the white marble build by the Shahjahan over looking the Taj Mahal was the place where Shahjahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb and died there.

Sikandra (Tomb of Akbar) :  Sikandra is the mausoleum of Akbar build by himself and its a perfect example of a architecture which shows you a glimpse of all religion like Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Jain themes. It is located almost 10 KM from city of Agra on Delhi-Agra national highway. Akbar planned and started the building later it was completed by his son Jahangir in 1613. It has four gates but now days only one gate in use. Akbar’s daughters Shakrul Nisha Begum and Aram Bano are also entombed inside the tomb. You will also find the tomb of Mariam, Jahangir’s mother, is also located close to the imposing red sandstone building.

Except these beautiful monuments Agra also have so much for shopping. You can some amazingly beautiful marble items from here which are hand made using same technique which was used building the Taj Mahal.