Agra, the beautiful city is situated on the banks of holy river Yamuna. Agra is the third largest city in the state of Utter Pradesh in India and a prominent tourist destination in the country. Millions of tourists visit Agra from all across the world every year to see the beauty of majestic Taj Mahal and other historical monument lying every where in the city. Agra is primarily witness of Mughal architectural excellence and their love for structural designs. Agra is also a prime center of rich cultural heritage and art in India. No trip to India can be considered as complete without visiting to Agra.

Agra hosts the most beautiful wonder of the world the great Taj Mahal. This is a mausoleum of the King Shah Jahan’s beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal. The construction of Taj Mahal was begun in 1630 and took 23 years to complete in the year 1653. Made up of white marble, Taj Mahal Agra changes its shades through out the day with the sun light. Taj Mahal in Agra is a symbol of a man’s ever lasting love for his wife. Now after three centuries since its construction, Taj Mahal has been seen by millions of people from all across the globe and it is still the most attractive monument in the world.

Apart from Taj Mahal, Agra has two other world heritage sites one of them is Red Fort and other is Fatehpur Sikri. The Red Fort Agra is also located on the other side of the river Yamuna and the top of the Fort presents a beautiful view of Taj Mahal. The Red Fort was constructed by the great Mughal King Akbar between 1565 and 1574 but most of the beautification work was done by his son Shah Jahan. Today a major part of the Fort is occupied by the armed forces and is closed for public. Etmad-Ud-Daulah and Sikandra are other two important sites to be visited in Agra.

The culture of Agra can be seen at its best in Agra’s festivals. If you are visiting Agra in the month of February then you must see the grand festival of Taj Mahotsav. This ten day long festival is being organized by Tourism Department every year at Shilpgram near to Taj Mahal. You will see the real culture of Agra in this festival along with exhibitions of art and craft.

A three-day festival celebrating the 356th urs (death anniversary) of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan will be held here from June 28.On the occasion, world’s longest chadar will be offered at Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan’s mausoleum here, at the annual Urs festival.

A large number of visitors are expected to visit the Taj Mahal to see the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal during the annual three-day festival.

Entry to Taj Mahal will also be free for these three days. “Sandal will be offered on day one, followed by Kul-Kuran-Khania and a kawwali music festival on 29th.

On the last day, in a special Pankha Sharif ceremony where the chadar will be taken from my house to the southern gate and later will be dedicated at Shah Jahan’s mausoleum,” Tahir Uddin, president of Khuddam-e-Roja committe.

Taj Mahal Agra sparkles like a Jewel during full moonlit nights when the precious inlaid stone work of marbles on the dome catch the rays of the moon. And in the early mornings, it looks pinkish with sun rays kissing it. Taj Mahal Tour during evening hours is quite popular as it looks amazingly lovely in milky light of moon.

An underground vault of Taj Mahal contains the bodies of Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The story of these two lovers is an example of true and divine love. It took around 22 years to complete this enchanting building and about 20000 workers to make stand this masterpiece.

Tourists from all over the world never forget to make Taj Mahal Tour. The beauty and charm is not by UNESCO World Heritage and it has earmarked it as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

When on Taj Mahal Tour India, you can make a tour to other lovely attractions in Agra as well. Agra Fort, Akbar’s Mausoleum, Jahangiri Mahal, Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb, Anguri Bagh, Chini Ka Rauza, Jodha’s Bai Palace etc. are some of the great attractions of the Agra city.

Agra and Taj Mahal in particular have started attracting tourists once again. Cold wave in Agra had affected tourist arrivals at popular attractions including Taj Mahal in the city.

Cold Wave is North India was the big reason for tourism dip in Agra. Temperature in the city went down to the chilling level of 1 degree which turned away tourists. However is past couple of days weather conditions are improving and so does the tourist arrivals.

Yesterday witnessed heavy tourist rush at Taj Mahal after several days. Little sunshine drawn hundreds of tourists to Taj Mahal. And its not just Taj Mahal but other attractions in city also witnessed more tourists.

A beautifully laid out walled garden encloses the magnificent monument “Taj Mahal”. The entire Taj complex consists of five major constituents, namely

* Darwaza (The main gateway)
* Bageecha (The gardens)
* Masjid (The mosque)
* Naqqar Khana (The rest house)
* Rauza (The main mausoleum)

Taj MahalTaj Mahal architecture is a kind of fusion of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture. The main gateway, with its domed central chamber, is situated at the end of the long watercourse. On one side of the Taj Mahal is the Mosque and on the other, the Naqqar Khana, built mainly to maintain its symmetry. The main building, that of the Taj itself, stands on a raised, square platform with its four abridged corners, forming an unequal octagon. The architecture of Taj Mahal of Agra has made use of the interlocking arabesque concept.

Preparations are on in full swing for the “Taj Mahotsav”, the ten-day annual festival at Shilpgram near the Taj Mahal.
Bedecked elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen together would recreate the glorious past of the Mughal era ambiance during the carnival that kick starts every year on February 18.

The Taj Mahotsav will display the country’’s extensive arts, crafts and culture besides folk music, and classical dance performances as well as elephant and camel rides, games and a food festival, all forming part of the festivities.

Organised by the state tourism department every year to promote tourism in and around Agra, the festival is truly India at her best with a glimpse of her rich heritage and extraordinary legacies.

This year, over 1500 artists would be performing during the festival. There would be around 217 performances.
Traditional folk musicians, performing at the gateway to the “Shilpgram”, welcome the visitors.
The majestic Taj Mahal forms the backdrop of the festival.

‘Tulsi’, known for its medicinal utilities, will now help protect the Taj Mahal against the ill-effects of environmental pollution.

In a joint exercise being undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh forest department and Lucknow-based Organic India Private Ltd, one million tulsi saplings would be planted in the vicinity of the Monument of Love.

“Till now, nearly 20,000 tulsi saplings have been planted. More will be planted in nature parks near Taj Mahal and throughout Agra,”  According to company’s MD Krishan Gupta.

“It is one of the best plants which purify the environment. Its cleansing action is due to its property of releasing high amount of oxygen, which minimises the adverse impact of industrial and refinery emission.” Krishan Gupta added.

The visit to incredible India cannot be complete without experiencing its most spectacular piece of architecture — the Taj Mahal, literally ‘the Crown Palace’. Its curving, gently swelling dome and the square base upon which its rests so lightly, surrounded by four lofty minarets, is a familiar image in hundreds of travel brochures and travelogues on India. This picture postcard image of the Taj, as it is lovingly called, does little justice to the legend, the poetry and the romance woven into its history. Its beauty is eternal. It overawes, it mesmerizes, and it inspires.

The beauty of Taj Mahal is so mesmerizing that one cannot avoid the enticement of capturing it into their camera. Agra Taj Mahal is believed to be the most photographed monument of India. Taj Mahal in Agra India has never failed to fascinate the tourists from the world over. If one want to understand this beauteous monument of love and would like to know more about Taj Mahal then one should experience it. No trip to India is complete without visiting the Taj Mahal Agra.

If ticket sales are anything to go by, the luminous 17th century Taj Mahal in Agra is the most popular monument in India, attracting over 2.5 million visitors a year.

The marble monument to love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan that is listed among the seven wonders of the world was visited by an estimated 2,048,120 domestic and 491,351 foreign tourists in 2006.

These findings were put out by the ministry of tourism’s annual publication, “India Tourism Statistics,” based on figures collected from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

ASI, which is responsible for protection of cultural heritage in India, keeps records of the number of tickets sold to both Indian and foreign nationals at monuments. “Among all the monuments, Taj Mahal was the most visited monument in 2006 for domestic as well as foreign tourists,” the report said.

The monument in recent days has seen attempts by Shiv Sena activists to hold Hindu religious rituals there, as they argue it was built on the ruins of a Shiva temple.

A large numbers of visitors thronged the famed Taj Mahal in Agra to mark the 353rd death anniversary of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan.

The celebration which started on July 29 was concluded on 31st July with special prayers offered for communal harmony and to end terrorism.

A 400 metre long seven-coloured chadar (sheet) was laid on the graves of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan and his queen Mumtaz Mahal.

“This year too we are celebrating this festival with same fervor. Initially, we will offer sandal and after that there will be a qawwali performance that will continue till 7 in the evening,” said Syed Munawwar Ali, a devotee.

During the anniversary celebration, the visitors got a rare opportunity to see the graves in the basement of the mausoleum as normally people are permitted to the replica of the graves on the first floor (platform).

The Taj Mahal stands on a marble platform surrounded by ornamental gardens. White minarets grace each corner and two smaller red sandstone buildings balance the postcard-perfect image on the banks of the Yamuna River .

Recently the monument was voted as the New Seven Wonders of the World.