Agra is located in the state of north eastern of Uttar Pradesh, India; it is the third biggest city of this state located to only 204 kilometres to the south of the Indian capital of New Delhi, on the banks of Yamuna River. Agra is surrounded on the north by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on this by Firozabad, on the south-east by Fatehabad and on the west by Bharatpur.
The city was established in 1475 and it is mentioned in Mahabharata as Agrabana or Paradise. Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16th and early 18th centuries where Agra develops quickly and some buildings made during this era still exist. The last Lodi Sultan moved the capital to Agra in 1504, and although he was defeated in 1526 by Babur, the founder of the Mogul empire, it remained India's premier city for almost two centuries.
The city's greatest days were during the reign of Babur's grandson, Akbar the Great who built Agra Fort, and although Shah Jahan created a new Capital in Delhi his heart remained here. In 1631 he chose Agra as the spot to construct the world's greatest monument to love the Taj Mahal.
Agra is well connected by air to Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi. Trains from the other parts of the country connect Agra. The city is also well connected by rail to different places in India. Agra, along with Delhi and Jaipur, forms the “Golden Triangle”, India's favourite tourist route.
Agra is not as populated as other major cities, the city is also famous for its carpets, jewellery and leather shoes, the main languages spoken in Agra are Hindu, Urdu but English is often used, as well. The old part of the town, north of the fort, is where the main market place is.
The modern township is on the south. Shopping in Agra can be an interesting and beautiful experience. The small replica of the Taj Mahal makes popular souvenir, decorated with inlay work with semi-precious and precious stones imitating the style of the pietra dura work on the grand Taj.
Agra, located on the Indo-Gangetic plain has a sub-tropical climate, with long, hot summers from April to September. The monsoon months from July to September see about 67 cm of rainfall annually. Winters last from November to February, with day time temperatures averaging about 24 degrees, while night temperatures around 6 degrees.
Agra's climate is tropical and prone to extremes, reaching as high as 45ºC during the summer and as low as 4ºC in the winter. The best months to visit Agra are September to March. Agra is also prone to dense fog during the winter month of December to January.
Agra is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World the Taj Mahal, also one of the most favourite tourist destinations in India with about 3 million visitors each year. People of the whole world go to Agra's city to see the Taj Mahal considered a "symbol of eternal love".
Tourists from all over the world visit Agra not only to see the ruins of the red sandstone fortress built by the Mughal emperors other tourist attractions in Agra worth visiting are the Agra Fort and Akbar's Mausoleum. Excursions can be made from Agra to the beautiful ancient city of Fatehpur Sikhri, Mathura, Rishikesh or Haridwar, famous as spiritual and pilgrimage centers of Hinduism, Jaipur and the historic city of Delhi, the capital of India, but to make a pilgrimage to Taj Mahal, India's most famous architectural wonder is a unique experience.
Agra is a land where magnificent temples and edifices abound to remind visitors about the rich civilization of a country that is slowly but surely lifting itself into an industrialized society.