©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Agra & the Taj Mahal Includes ¨ Why Go? History ............ 353 The magical allure of the Taj Mahal draws tourists to Agra Sights ............. 353 like moths to a wondrous flame. And despite the hype, it’s Activities ...........361 every bit as good as you’ve heard. But the Taj is not a stand- Tours ...............361 alone attraction. The legacy of the Mughal empire has left a magnificent fort and a liberal sprinkling of fascinating Sleeping ........... 362 tombs and mausoleums; and there’s also fun to be had in Eating ............. 365 the bustling chowks (marketplaces). The downside comes Drinking in the form of hordes of rickshaw-wallahs, touts, unofficial & Nightlife ..........367 guides and souvenir vendors, whose persistence can be in- Shopping ...........367 furiating at times. Fatehpur Sikri .......371 Agra straddles a large bend along the holy Yamuna River. The fort and the Taj, 2km apart, both overlook the river on different parts of the bend. The main train and bus stations are a few kilometres southwest. Best Places to Eat ¨ Pinch of Spice (p366) ¨ Mama Chicken (p366) When to Go ¨ Esphahan (p366) Agra °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm ¨ Vedic (p366) 40/104 32/800 30/86 24/600 Best Places 20/68 16/400 to Sleep 10/50 8/200 ¨ Tourists Rest House (p364) 0/32 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ N Homestay (p363) ¨ Oberoi Amarvilas (p363) Sep–Oct The best Nov–Feb Daytime Mar Evening time to visit. Most temperatures chill is gone but ¨ The Retreat (p363) of the monsoon are comfortable raging-hot mid- rains are over and but big sights are summer temper- summer tempera- overcrowded. Eve- atures haven’t yet tures have cooled. nings are nippy. materialised. #\ #\ 353 Y a m e# 0 10 km u 0 5 miles n a Akbar's #6 Mausoleum AGR Sikandra #\ Agra Itimad-ud- A Walks Daulah THE& 7 #\ # #5 6Kinari Bazaar6#8 Mehtab #\ #3 #4 Bagh Ta Achhnera Agra #1 Fort J M Agra Taj Mahal A Kiraoli H \# A Fatehpur L 66AGRA Sikri #\ Malpura #2#\ Agra & the Taj Mahal Highlights 66 1 Taj Mahal (p354) 3 Agra Fort (p358) 6 Akbar’s Mausoleum Basking in the beauty of Wandering the many rooms (p360) Visiting the one of the most famous of one of India’s most impressive resting place buildings in the world – a impressive ancient forts. of the greatest Mughal must-see! 4 Mehtab Bagh (p358) emperor. 2 Fatehpur Sikri (p371) Relaxing in gardens with 7 Agra Walks (p361) Roaming a sprawling palace perfect sunset views of Strolling deeper into ancient complex from Mughal the Taj. Agra with local guides. times, with an immense and 5 Itimad-ud-Daulah 8 Kinari Bazaar (p367) fascinating 450-year-old (p360) Marveling at the Boggling your senses in one mosque next door. marble-work of an exquisite of India’s most mesmerising tomb nicknamed the Baby Taj. – and hectic – markets. History ministrative role, Agra developed as a centre In 1501 Sultan Sikander Lodi established his for heavy industry, quickly becoming fa- capital here, but the city fell into Mughal mous for its chemicals industry and air pol- hands in 1526, when Emperor Babur de- lution, before the Taj and tourism became a feated the last Lodi sultan at Panipat. Agra major source of income. reached the peak of its magnificence be- tween the mid-16th and mid-17th centuries during the reigns of Akbar, Jehangir and Agra Shah Jahan. During this period the fort, % 0562 / POP 1.7 MILLION the Taj Mahal and other major mausoleums were built. In 1638 Shah Jahan built a new 1 Sights city in Delhi, and his son Aurangzeb moved The entrance fee for Agra’s five main sights the capital there 10 years later. – the Taj, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s In 1761 Agra fell to the Jats, a warrior class Tomb and Itimad-ud-Daulah – comprises who looted its monuments, including the Taj charges from two different bodies: the Ar- Mahal. The Marathas took over in 1770, but chaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the were replaced by the British in 1803. Follow- Agra Development Association (ADA). Of the ing the First War of Independence of 1857, ₹1000 ticket for the Taj Mahal, ₹500 is a spe- the British shifted the administration of the cial ADA ticket, which gives you small sav- province to Allahabad. Deprived of its ad- ings on the other four sights if visited in the .