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Agra
Has long been renowned as the city of the taj mahal. This has often overshadowed the fact that this royal mughal city has, in addition to the legendary taj, many magnificent monuments that epitomise the high point of mughal architectural achievement.
The Chosen City: Agra was the chosen city of the mughal emperors during the early years. It was here that the founder of the dynasty, babur, laid out the first formal persian garden on the banks of the river yamuna.
A Monument to Love: The taj mahal stands serene and perfect in its garden of cypresses and reflecting pools on the banks of the river yamuna. Its pure white marble shimmers silver in the moonlight, glows softly pink at dawn, and at close of day reflects the fiery tints of the setting sun. the taj in all its timeless beauty is still the inspiration of poets and painters, writers and photographers. And lovers still meet here in the moonlight in the shadow of the world's most famous monument to love. Shahjehan built the taj in memory of mumtaz mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child. No cost was spared to make it the most beautiful monument the world had ever seen. While marble and red sandstone, silver and gold, carnelian and jasper, moonstone and jade, lapiz lazuli and coral were fashioned by 20,000 skilled workers to make the emperor's dream a reality. It took 22 years to complete - a symbol of eternal love where shahjehan too lies buried, re-united at last with his beloved mumtaz. Set at the north end of a formal persian garden with water courses, paved walkways and rows of dark cypresses, the taj rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace, its flawless double dome flanked by four tapering minarets. Within lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen, and a little to one side - the only asymmetrical feature in the taj - the richly decorated casket of the emperor. At the time of the moghuls, in the 16th and 17th centuries agra was the capital of india, and its superb monuments date from that era. Agra has a magnificent fort and the building which many people come to india solely to see the taj mahal.
Taj Mahal: If there's a building which represents a country - like the Eiffel Tower for France, the Sydney Opera house for Australia - then it has to be the Taj Mahal for India. This most famous Moghul monument was constructed by Emperor Shah jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the 'lady of the Taj'. It has been described as the most extravagant monument ever build for love for the emperor was heartbroken when Mumtaz, to whom he had been married for 17 years, died in 1629 in childbirth, after producing 14 children.
Agra fort: Construction of the massive Agra Fort was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565, and additions were made up until the time of his grandson, Shah Jahan. While in Akbar's time the fort was principally a military structure, by Shah jahan's time it had become partially a palace,. A visit to the fort is an Agra must since so many of the events which let to the construction of the Taj took place here. There are many fascinating buildings inside the massive walls which stretch for 21/2 km, surrounded by a moat over 10 meters wide. The fort is on the banks of the Yamuna River and only the amar singh Gate to the south is open. Inside, the fort is really a city within the city.
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D. Kolunthuvel, India
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Guru Deva, Republic of South Africa
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Dr. Paddy Sharma, Atlanta, USA.
Phone: 001-404-329-1444
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