About Agra

Agra is the city of Taj Mahal, which makes it the most popular city of India. It is located near the River Yamuna on the northern state Uttar Pradesh of India, and is the most populated city of Uttah Pradesh with more than 1.5 million people.

In the famous epic Mahabharat, Agra was referred as the forest of Agraban, and the epic dates the foundation of the city to 1475 during the reign of Raja Badal Singh. However a Persian poet named Mas'ud Sa'd Salman mentions about Agra in the 11th century. The ancient fort of Agra, Badalgarh, from the reign of Raja Badal Singh should be somewhere near or on the present fort.

In 1506, Sultan Sikandar Lodi moved the capital from Delhi to Agra. His son Ibrahim Lodi also used Agra as the capital until he was defeated by the Persian King Babur. Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire and he sent his son Humayun to capture the city. Mughal empire not only captured Agra, but also the largest diamond of that time, Koh-i-Noor. Under the dominion of Mughals, Agra lived its heydays between 1526 and 1658 and it was called Akbarabad.

Muhgals were famous with their love of architecture, and the most of the fascinating buildings that one can see today belong to the Mughal period between 15th and 16th centuries including the three UNESCO World Heritages: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Babur's grandson Akbar made Akbarabad the center of arts, culture and commerce and religion. He constructed many beautiful buildings including the city Fatehpur Sikri which was inspired by a Mughal military camp.

In the 17th century, Cihangir ( Jahangiri) made Akbarabad the hotspot of Muslim world. His son Sah Cihan (Shahjahan) ordered the Taj Mahal to be constructed in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum was completed in 1653. After that, Shah Jahan moved the capital back to Delhi and this made Agra lose its importance.