Agra
The Mughals are the poster children of Medieval India. And as their fame has grown in modern consciousness, so has that of Agra, the seat of power for the greatest chapters of Mughal history.
Witness the Opulence of the Mughal Empire
Agra is where we go to witness the opulence of the Mughal empire, from life-size board games to stables for a hundred personal horses and tanks rumoured to have been filled with gold and jewels. This is where Akbar, the greatest Mughal emperor, ruled, surrounded by the famed navratna, the nine jewels of his court. You may hear tales of the wise minister Birbal, whose wit was famed across the land and marvel at the magical melodies of Tansen, whose raagas could bring forth fire or make the heavens pour down life-giving rain. You will also learn about lavish bazaars and elephant-wrestling, immortalized in movies such as Jodhaa Akbar. And, ultimately, you will find that even in death the splendour of the Mughal court reigned supreme, from the ethereal Taj Mahal to the stately mausoleum of Akbar or even the ornate tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah (who, by the way wasn’t even an emperor!).
An Ancient City
Agra was not built by the Mughals, it was merely adopted by them as their capital. Like Delhi it is an ancient city, which even finds a mention in the several-thousand-year old epic, the Mahabharata and it always formed a viable alternative to Delhi as capital city of north Indian kingdoms. The origins of modern Agra are taken to be from the 16th century, when the Lodi Dynasty made it their capital, a situation that continued unchanged with the advent of the Mughals. It was only in 1638 that the Mughals finally shifted their court to Delhi under the rule of Shah Jahan.
Three World Heritage Sites
The brief period when it was raised to its preeminent status in India was a flash strong enough to ensure it lifelong fame. Today one visits it for its spectacular built heritage, in the form of 3 Unesco World Heritage Sites – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. All of these are massive sites, defying anything mundane, and each is a jewel in Agra’s crown. Apart from these, Agra is littered with smaller remnants of its heyday and one may come across tombs and gardens around every corner. The most famous of these is Itimad-ud Daulah’s tomb, a precursor to the Taj Mahal.
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Agra is harsh in summers, and is best visited in the October-March season. However, irrespective of when you choose to go, you will find that Go!Places guides are your best companion to the historic sites of Agra as you spend a pleasant few hours or days wandering about the city.
