Why a Jaipur family keeps going back to Agra
Where it sits: on a wide bend of the Yamuna, about four hours east of Jaipur.
Before the Mughals: a small fortified town when the Lodi sultans made it their capital in the early 1500s.
The first Mughal seat: after Babur won at Panipat in 1526. Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore and Delhi then took turns as capital, and Agra was the one emperors kept returning to.
- River
- The Yamuna, in the old country of Braj
- Lodi capital
- Early 1500s
- Mughal seat
- From 1526, after Panipat
- Fort rebuilt
- From 1565, by Akbar
- Population
- Well over a million
- Red, then white: Akbar rebuilt the fort in red sandstone from 1565. His grandson Shah Jahan, who grew up in its palaces, gave the city its white marble.
- A death far away: Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth in 1631 at Burhanpur in the Deccan, and Shah Jahan chose a riverside garden in Agra for her tomb.
- Kachwaha land: the site had belonged to Raja Man Singh of Amber. Shah Jahan's farman records that his grandson Raja Jai Singh I gave up the mansion for four havelis in the city.
- The papers survive: copies of those documents are still kept in the City Palace in Jaipur.
- Rajasthan marble: the Taj's marble came largely from Makrana, the same quarries that still supply temple builders today.
- Family ties: Akbar's Rajput queen, mother of Jahangir, was a princess of Amber, and Shah Jahan's mother was a Rathore princess from Jodhpur.
- Allies, in-laws, rivals: in the courts of Agra Fort you stand where our ancestors came in all three roles.
- Agra today: leather workshops, sweet shops, marble inlayers and heavy traffic. Not a city most people fall in love with at street level.
The Taj Mahal, at the hour it was built for
Who built it: thousands of masons, inlayers and calligraphers worked on the Taj Mahal.
A changing building: grey-blue, then pink, then soft gold at sunrise, hard white at noon, warm again at dusk, and silver on a clear night near the full moon.
- Built
- About 1632 to 1653
- Architect
- Usually credited to Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
- UNESCO
- 1983, with Agra Fort
- Closed
- Every Friday
- Best hour
- Sunrise
- Why sunrise: the gates open early, the light is kindest and the garden cool. Within two hours the queues are long and heat rises off the stone.
- A guide who knows the gates: ours has you through security and at the great gateway while most visitors are still at breakfast.
- The Friday rule: the Taj is closed to sightseers every Friday, when the mosque on its western side is used for midday prayer by local worshippers.
- Plan around it: passing through on a Thursday night? Swap your Taj morning to Saturday, or see it at Thursday sunset and keep Friday for Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah and Fatehpur Sikri, which stay open.
- More on Fridays: our note on why the Taj Mahal closes on Fridays.
Through the great gate
The Darwaza-i-Rauza: a red sandstone gateway inlaid with white marble and black calligraphy.
- Pause in its shadow: the Taj is framed perfectly by the arch.
- Deliberate theatre: as you walk on, the dome seems to grow and then settle, exactly as the Mughal builders intended.
A tomb at the edge of paradise
Not in the centre: most Mughal garden tombs sit in the middle of their charbagh, the fourfold garden of paradise. The Taj stands at the far end, on a terrace above the river, with only sky behind it.
- Mosque and answer: a red sandstone mosque stands to the west, and an identical building, the jawab or answer, to the east purely for balance.
- Leaning minarets: the four lean very slightly outwards. Guides say this was so they would fall away from the tomb in an earthquake.
Up close on the marble
Spend time at the walls: more than you think you need.
- The calligraphy: verses from the Quran designed by Amanat Khan, growing larger towards the top so they read evenly from the ground.
- Parchin kari: Agra's name for pietra dura, carnelian, jasper, lapis and other stones set so finely you can't catch the joins with a fingernail.
The two cenotaphs
The chamber: octagonal, with the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan behind a marble screen.
- The real graves: in a quieter crypt below.
- The broken symmetry: Mumtaz lies at the exact centre. Shah Jahan was placed beside her after his death in 1666, and his cenotaph is the one thing in the complex that breaks the symmetry. We always point it out.
Agra beyond the Taj, and when to see each place
- Agra Fort
- Late morning
- Itimad-ud-Daulah
- Midday, quiet even then
- Mehtab Bagh
- The last hour of daylight
- Sikandra
- Afternoon
- Kinari Bazaar
- Early evening, with a guide
- Fatehpur Sikri
- An extra morning, about an hour west
- With an extra morning: add Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red city about an hour west.
- The full list: our things to do in Agra covers the smaller sights and our favourite walks.
Agra Fort, in the late morning
The walls: Akbar's red sandstone fortress runs along the river for well over two kilometres.
Three generations: the Jahangiri Mahal, built under Akbar, has carved brackets and balconies that would look at home in a Rajput palace.
- Shah Jahan's marble: he added the Khas Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas and the octagonal Musamman Burj.
- A prisoner: after Aurangzeb seized the throne in 1658, Shah Jahan was held here until he died, said to be gazing down the river at his wife's tomb.
- Shivaji, 1666: at Aurangzeb's court here, the Maratha leader was held under the watch of the Kachwaha prince Ram Singh of Amber before his famous escape.
Itimad-ud-Daulah, the Baby Taj, at midday
Who built it: the empress Nur Jahan, on the Yamuna's east bank, for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, titled Itimad-ud-Daulah, pillar of the state.
- When: finished in about 1628, a generation before the Taj.
- The inlay: small, square and covered in marble inlay of astonishing delicacy, with wine cups, cypress trees and fruit bowls in coloured stone.
- First steps to the Taj: many historians see it that way. Mumtaz Mahal was Nur Jahan's niece, so the two tombs belong to one family.
Mehtab Bagh, at sunset
The moonlight garden: a square Mughal garden across the river, laid out exactly on the Taj's axis, the last of a string of riverside gardens on that bank.
- Dug out of the silt: the Archaeological Survey of India excavated it in the 1990s, finding a large octagonal tank and the old beds.
- No black Taj: those excavations ended the legend that Shah Jahan meant to build one here for himself.
- At dusk: the Taj turns amber across the water, buffaloes wade home and the city noise fades.
Akbar's tomb at Sikandra, in the afternoon
Planned by Akbar: on the road towards Mathura, and finished by Jahangir in 1613.
- The gateway: bold inlaid patterns in white, black and coloured stone.
- No dome: the tomb rises in open terraces, and deer graze on the lawns.
- Why go: it sees a fraction of the Taj's visitors.
Chini ka Rauza and Ram Bagh, for the curious
Chini ka Rauza: the tomb of the Persian scholar and minister Afzal Khan Shirazi, with patches of glazed blue and green tilework, rare in Agra and lovely in the morning sun.
- Ram Bagh: counted among India's oldest Mughal gardens, linked by tradition to Babur himself.
- Why go: neither is grand, but both show the river as the Mughals saw it, lined with walled gardens.
Kinari Bazaar and the Jama Masjid
The mosque: below the fort, built in Shah Jahan's reign and dedicated to his daughter Jahanara.
- The bazaar: old lanes behind it selling wedding trimmings, silver anklets, spices and kites.
- How to go: with a guide in the early evening, bag in front of you, stopping for a hot jalebi.
Where Mughal and Rajput history meet
The 1562 marriage: Raja Bharmal of Amber gave his daughter to the young Akbar. She is remembered as Mariam-uz-Zamani, mother of Jahangir.
Jodha Bai: popular films use the name, which historians dispute. See our piece on Akbar and Jodha.
Closest allies: the marriage made the Kachwahas the empire's closest Rajput allies.
- Amber marriage
- 1562, Raja Bharmal's daughter to Akbar
- Her title
- Mariam-uz-Zamani, mother of Jahangir
- Haldighati
- 1576
- Jaipur founded
- 1727
- Man Singh: Bharmal's grandson became one of Akbar's greatest generals, governing provinces from Kabul to Bengal, and built the oldest parts of Amber Fort with what he earned.
- Marwar too: Jahangir married a daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Marwar, the mother of Shah Jahan.
- More Rajput than Mughal: with a Rajput mother and grandmother, the builder of the Taj was more Rajput than Mughal by blood.
- At court: Rajput nobles held high rank, commanded imperial armies and kept mansions along the Agra riverfront.
- Mewar refused: under Maharana Pratap it rejected the arrangement, and Haldighati in 1576 is part of the same history. Our long read on Mughal and Rajput history tells both sides.
- A conversation in stone: the jharokha balcony, the chhatri kiosk and the pillared hall travelled back and forth between Mughal and Rajput builders.
- Compare for yourself: the brackets of the Jahangiri Mahal against the palaces of Amer and Orchha. By the time Jaipur was laid out in 1727, the language was shared.
Where to stay in Agra
- Taj views
- The Oberoi Amarvilas, about 600 m away
- Space and gardens
- ITC Mughal
- Signature dinners
- Esphahan, Peshawri
- With children
- ITC Mughal
The Oberoi Amarvilas
The reason to stay: about 600 metres from the Taj Mahal, with every room and suite looking towards it.
The design: borrowed from Mughal palaces, with terraced fountains, reflecting pools and pavilions.
- Getting to the Taj: the hotel runs buggies to the eastern gate.
- Don't miss: breakfast on your balcony as the dome changes colour, and dinner at Esphahan.
- Our request: ask us for a high floor and a suite with a terrace.
ITC Mughal
The setting: sprawling and low-rise, in large gardens a short drive from the Taj.
- No view, more space: a fine spa, and room to wander.
- Peshawri: famous for its tandoor cooking, eaten with your hands from copper platters.
- Suits: families and anyone who wants space.
Choosing between them
One visit to the Taj: choose Amarvilas and spend the extra on a Taj-facing suite.
- Children, or two nights by the pool: ITC Mughal is calmer and more spacious.
- The full list: our guide to luxury hotels in Agra, including newer hotels near the eastern gate.
What Agra eats, from petha to Mughlai
How petha is made: ash gourd soaked in lime water, then boiled in syrup until translucent and crisp at the edges.
Kinds of petha: plain white is the classic, angoori comes in small cubes in syrup, and newer ones taste of saffron, rose, betel leaf and even chocolate.
Buy it right: countless highway shops claim to be the original. We buy from established family shops, because good petha should snap slightly before it melts.
- Signature sweet
- Petha, from ash gourd
- Breakfast
- Bedai and jalebi
- To pack
- Dalmoth, spiced lentils and nuts
- Mughlai
- Korma, biryani, kebabs
- Bedai: a puffed, deep-fried bread stuffed with spiced lentils, with a sharp potato curry, then jalebi straight from the oil. Locals eat it standing, before the shops open.
- Dalmoth: a crunchy, spiced mix of fried lentils and nuts that travels well in a suitcase.
- The Mughal table: slow-cooked meat, saffron and rich gravies. Order korma, biryani and kebabs.
- Peshawri: tandoor-cooked meats at ITC Mughal, and black dal simmered for hours over the embers.
- Esphahan: at Amarvilas, Mughlai and North Indian dishes in a quiet room facing the gardens.
- Vegetarian too: Agra is in the vegetarian heartland of Braj, and its thalis are excellent.
- Dishes, shops and hours: in our food of Agra guide.
Marble inlay and the crafts of Agra
Old families: many workshops claim descent from the Taj's craftsmen, and some families have certainly worked in Agra for generations.
How it's done: stones are shaped by hand on a small wheel, then set into channels cut in the marble.
Spot good work: tight joins, even colour, and stones that feel cold and heavy.
- Inlay
- Parchin kari, still a living craft
- Marble
- Makrana, Rajasthan
- Embroidery
- Zardozi, gold and silver thread
- Also made
- Leather, shoes, durries, carpets
- Spot fakes: cheap imitations use painted resin or soapstone.
- Visit a family: a private visit with an inlay family teaches more than any showroom. Our guide to marble craft follows Makrana marble to Agra's workshops.
- Leather: Agra is one of India's great leather and shoe-making cities.
- Zardozi: gold and silver thread embroidery that once decorated the robes and tents of the court.
- From the villages: hand-woven cotton durries and carpets.
- Ask the right questions: our shopping guide lists them.
When to come to Agra
October, November, February and March: warm days and cool nights, the easiest months.
December and January: cold for India, with thick fog on the plains in the mornings. Sunrise at the Taj can become a soft white silence, loved by some guests and cursed by photographers.
Fog delays: it can slow trains and roads, so we keep winter drives flexible.
- Easiest months
- October, November, February, March
- Fog
- December and January mornings
- Hot season
- April to June, well over 40°C
- Monsoon
- July to September
- Taj Mahotsav
- February, at Shilpgram
- April to June: very hot, and the marble terrace can burn bare feet at noon.
- July to September: heavy clouds, fewer visitors and the river at its fullest.
- Night viewing: on a few nights each month around the full moon, small groups may enter the Taj garden. Places are limited and arrangements change, so we check for each journey.
- Taj Mahotsav: each February, a crafts fair, folk music and food stalls at Shilpgram near the eastern gate.
- The Urs: once a year, on Shah Jahan's death anniversary, the crypt with the real graves is opened and the tomb fills with pilgrims and qawwali.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Agra.
Getting to Agra and getting around
From Delhi by road: the Yamuna Expressway makes it about three to four hours.
From Delhi by train: the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin takes under two hours, the most comfortable way to arrive by rail.
- From Delhi
- 3-4 hours on the Yamuna Expressway
- Gatimaan Express
- Under 2 hours from Hazrat Nizamuddin
- From Jaipur
- About 4 hours by road
- Fatehpur Sikri
- About 1 hour west
- Mathura, Vrindavan
- About 1 hour north
- From Jaipur: about four hours by road. Our note on driving Agra to Jaipur via Abhaneri explains the route.
- On the Jaipur road: Fatehpur Sikri is about an hour west, and Bharatpur's Keoladeo bird sanctuary a little beyond, so both fit neatly into the drive.
- North and south: Mathura and Vrindavan lie about an hour north, and Gwalior and Orchha are within reach to the south by road or fast train.
- By air: Agra has a small airport with limited flights, so most of our guests arrive by road or rail.
- At the Taj: only electric vehicles may go close to the gates, to protect the marble. Your chauffeur drops you at the parking area and an electric buggy covers the last stretch.
A day and a half in Agra, the way we'd spend it
- Nights
- One or two
- Arrival afternoon
- Itimad-ud-Daulah, then Mehtab Bagh
- Day two
- Taj at sunrise, then Agra Fort
- Onward to Jaipur
- Via Fatehpur Sikri
- Longer versions: in our Agra itinerary guide.
- Ready-made journeys: Rajasthan with the Taj Mahal and Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in luxury.
Afternoon of arrival, the river at dusk
After lunch: arrive and check in.
- Late afternoon: Itimad-ud-Daulah, while the light is soft on its inlay.
- Sunset: Mehtab Bagh, with the Taj across the river.
- Dinner: at your hotel, with the dome lit up beyond the terrace.
Day two, the Taj and the fort
Sunrise: enter the Taj Mahal with your guide and stay until the crowds arrive.
Breakfast: back at the hotel, then a rest.
- Late morning: Agra Fort, finishing at the Musamman Burj.
- After lunch: an inlay workshop or Akbar's tomb at Sikandra.
- Heading to Jaipur: leave after lunch and stop at Fatehpur Sikri on the way.
What we tell our own cousins about Agra
Book your guide in advance: and refuse the men who approach you at the gates. Registered guides carry official identity cards.
Carry as little as possible: Taj security is strict, and many everyday items are not allowed inside. Your guide will tell you what to leave in the car.
- Slip-on shoes: or accept the shoe covers on the main terrace. The marble is cool at dawn and very hot by midday.
- Read before you go: our piece on the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Ten minutes of preparation changes the whole morning.
- Say no to unrequested shop visits: in Agra the marble showroom is the commission trap of choice.
- Don't skip Mehtab Bagh: even if you're short of time. The Taj from across the river at dusk is the view most visitors never get.
