Depart Delhi early in the morning for this full-day tour to Agra, the place of one of India’s best loved monuments. The Taj Mahal is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and an enchanting symbol of one man’s love for his wife.
Following a pick-up from your hotel at 7am, drive along the express highway for an arrival in Agra at about 10am. The Mughal city is most famous for the Taj Mahal, and it is to this marble mausoleum that you will go first.
Marvel at the aching beauty of the Emperor Shah Jahan’s monument to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child. Built of pure white marble, the Taj Mahal is located along the banks of the River Yamuna and spreads across almost 42 acres of land. It is believed that the spot was chosen by the emperor for the Taj due to its soothing effect.
After lunch continue to the “ghost city” of Fatehpur Sikri, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Agra. The structure offers a unique combination of styles, from Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and even Jain conventions. Fatehpur Sikri is now a World Heritage site. The Panch Mahal, or Palace of Five Stories, and the Buland Darwaza, a massive gate which provides entrance to the complex, are a number among some of the finest specimens of Mughal architecture. It is even arguable that Fatehpur Sikri is the greatest accomplishment of Mughal architecture, surpassed only in reputation, but not in its beauty, and the awe it inspires for the Taj Mahal. The cultural politics of the site remains to be written, but perhaps the mammoth chess board, where human figures were used as chess pieces and moved at the emperor's will, provides a clue.
Return to Delhi, with the memory of the Taj’s magic still fresh in your mind.