Same Day Agra Tour

Agra Fort

Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah

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Travel Route

Taj Mahal

History
Visit the great historical monument- Taj Mahal, which was built by Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan as a memorial for his wife, Mumtaz; who died after giving birth to their 14th child. After the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agar Fort by his son cruel son – Aurangzeb. At that time,  Shah Jahan could only gaze at the Taj Mahal form the small window of the prison. After the death of Shah Jahan, he was buried besides the grave of Mumtaz.
 
Architecture 
The Taj Mahal is a white marbled architecture, lies on the banks of Yamuna River which took almost 20 years in completion.  After that, Shah Jahan said – “The Taj Mahal has made the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.”This monument is bounded by three gates in the three different directions- East, West and South. It was built with Mughal style and also known as the Crown of Palaces. Inside the mausoleum, the graves of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan lie in the basement of the central chamber.  It is believed that Shah Jahan had cut off the hands of all the labours so nobody can built the similar piece of architecture in future. The chief architect was Ustad Ahmad.
The Taj Mahal is declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It had been also enlisted as one of the seven wonders for few years.  
Note- The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday.
 
Agra Fort 
Visit the Agra Fort, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is inspired from the Indo-Islamic architecture. The fort is also known as Red Fort due to usage of the red sandstones in the architecture. This fort was also built by the same architect – Ustad Ahmad, who built the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor spent eight years of his life in the prisoner of the Agra Fort by the orders of his son, Aurangzeb. The fort is bounded by some courtyards- Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences), Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), Musamman Burj, Khas Mahal, Anguri Bagh, Jehangir’s Palace and Hauz-i-Jehangir. Mina Masjid was the private mosque used by Shah Jahan. The main entrance is towards the Amar Singh Gate.
 
Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah 
The Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah was built by Nur Jahan in the 16th century with the Mughal style of architecture. Its construction was completed after the 7 years of death of her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who received the title of Itmad-Ud-Daulah. It means the pillar of the state. This Mausoleum is also known as Baby Taj.