Visit To Agra – What I Recommend

Heyy! Remember I wrote about a one day visit to Agra and said I would come back with more places to see in the Wonder City Agra?  So here I am. To plan another day at Agra with you.

Wake up to your second morning in Agra. Don’t be a foodie today and have a quick breakfast at the hotel.

Have a healthy & quick breakfast.

You can start your day with Sikandra. Sikandra was the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It is said that Akbar himself planned his own tomb and started its construction after choosing a suitable site about 13 kms away from Agra. Constructing a tomb in one’s lifetime was a Turkic custom that was religiously followed by Mughals. After Akbar’s death, construction of this pyramidal tomb was continued by his son, Emperor Jehangir that ultimately led to the foundation of Sikandra Fort.

Sikandra| Photo Credits- Wikimedia

All the 99 names of Allah are inscribed on the tomb. Sikandra is built in red sandstone and white marble with beautiful carvings and stands amidst vast lush green gardens. Akbar’s tomb gives a perfect reflection of completeness of his personality. A beautiful blend of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Christian architectural styles used in the fort represents the secular outlook of Akbar. The place is uniquely calm and carries a certain feel of the bygone era. Give it one look with all your heart and you can visualize Akbar walking in the promenade. The peace and silence felt here is hard to describe in words and best to feel oneself.

Sikandra Fort

Before we proceed with our tour, I would like to remind you that it is of utmost importance to carry a water bottle with you every time, keep an umbrella or scarf to protect yourself from sun and wear goggles. Also, there is no need to wear your pencil heels here and is best to choose a pair of your most comfortable foot-wears. Not to forget wearing your coolest dress that won’t irritate you ever!

Sun Protection

After a quick visit to Sikandra, you can immediately set off to Fatehpur Sikri, the City of Victory.

The richest period of history is attributed to the Mughal period which introduced new royalty, etiquettes, style, standard and beauty in their era which is still unique and acknowledged. Agra and Fatehpur Sikri were the blessed regions with Mughal rule and it still evokes nostalgia of history amongst Indians. Fatehpur Sikri is known for its architectural wonder not only in India but internationally too. It attracts thousands of tourists worldwide on a daily basis to witness the aura and royalty of sprawling ancient city.

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History says that Babur visited this place at the time of Khanwah Battle and mentioned it as ‘Sikri’ in his memoirs. Later in the history, Babur’s grandson Akbar came to Sikri to visit the Sufi saint Salim Chisti when he was in search of his heir. The saint foretold Akbar about his son that eventually came true. Akbar named his son Salim after the saint who grew up to become renowned Emperor Jehangir. Akbar shifted his residence and court from Agra to Sikri to honor the Sufi Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, who had foretold him about his son. Here he started to build an architectural wonder town with grand buildings and houses for the public and grew this small town into a city of magnificent palaces and named it Fatehabad which later was called Fatehpur Sikri.

Jami Masjid- Fatehpur Sikri| Photo Credits: Wikimedia

Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughals. All the palaces here were built of red sandstone in a prolific and versatile Indo- Muslim style with an extremely intelligent town planning and the perfect drainage and water supply technology still amazes the engineers. These palaces are composed of pillars, beautiful arches, jharokhas, chhatri and much more. Today it is one of the major tourist attractions and has rightly earned the status of a world heritage site under UNESCO.

It comprises of many places to see such as Buland Darwaza- the main entrance to the city, Sheikh Salim Chisti’s tomb, Birbal Bhawan- dedicated to his greatest court advisor Birbal, Jami Masjid, Khaas Mahal, Panch Mahal, Diwan-e-Khaas, Diwan-e-Aam, the inner courts where Jodha Bai stayed, Mughal institutions like ‘Ibadat Khana’ and ‘Din-i-Ilahi’ and other numerous noteworthy monuments. Workshops of various handicrafts were also established here. Don’t miss Shaahi Bazaar and Mina Bazaar to buy some memoirs from the most famous markets of the historic city.

Anup Talao- Fatehpur Sikri| Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia

I am very, very sure that the visit to Agra will be wonderful irrespective of whether its your first or a repeated visit to the City of Wonders. There are several tours of Agra attractions with various combinations of the places that you can choose from. Pack your bags and set off to a great weekend. Cya in my other blog about another place for you to see!

Till then, keep roaming!