Attractions

Agra is today a large industrial city with a woeful infrastructure, but sightseeing is quite manageable given that there are five major attractions and very little else to keep you here. Ideally, you will see the Taj at dawn, then visit Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb and Agra Fort, and move on to Fatehpur Sikri the following dawn. Besides those sights listed below, you may also want to make time to visit beautiful Jama Masjid, built in 1648 by Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan's favorite daughter, who clearly inherited some of his aesthetic sensibilities. It is in the heart of the medieval part of Agra, best approached by cycle- or auto-rickshaw; you can stop along the way to bargain for jewelry, fabrics, or carpets. The other sight worth swinging by is Dayal Bagh Temple -- begun 97 years ago, it is still under construction and is being built by the progeny of the laborers who built the Taj. The families guard their traditional craft techniques like gold, passing them on only to the sons in the family. Other minor attractions are ill-kept and a disappointment after viewing the main attractions reviewed here. Note that Bharatpur, where Keoladeo Ghana National Park lies, is only 54km (34 miles) from Agra, with a stop at Fatehpur Sikri along the way.