You can’t miss these on your tour to Agra – Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikhri

There are four gates- two of them named as Delhi gates and Lahore Gate. As I entered, one can first notice the Diwan-I Aam where public audience used to seat and witness different performances organized by royal families. On your way to entry, one can spot a large pot which was used by royal kings for bath. It was really fascinating to see the symmetrical archways carved with white marble. As I moved interior, Diwan-I Khas welcomes me where the royal families resides. One can move around the insides of Agra Fort and notice very intricate designs on the walls of the fort. As you move forward, you will find a place with a large courtyard in front. Strolling forward as you will reach the boundaries, you can see the Taj mahal from there. The interesting part is though the whole fort is semi-circular, one can see the Taj mahal from any corner of the fort. Don’t forget to move on the terrace where you will get a more pristine view of the Taj Mahal. With Yamuna flowing and Taj Mahal peeping through the fog, it would create an amazing landscape. It would take around 3-4 hours to witness the whole place.

I would suggest you to keep this in your itinerary for the next day because it takes around 2 hours t o reach Fatehpur sikhri and it is quite pointless to stay there. I have done it on the same day as I have started my voyage at 5am. As I entered I found it to be the most preserved among all three. It is mainly composed of red sandstone and has a mixture of Hindu, Jain and Islam architecture styles. The main entrance is the largest gate in India named Buland Darwaza. There is also a Jama Masjid inside the premises which looks quite familiar with the Delhi version of it. As you move forward you will encounter the main spot of this place - Tomb of Salim Chisti where locals say that your prayers will be heard. Each year many eminent persons visit this place. You have to tie a thread and pray (which they say would be heard and tells you to open it once it fulfilled). One can find lots of cenotaphs which the guide said were all of the royal family descendants. Once you reach the top, you can view the whole city and also the Hiran Minar which is a circular post with elephant tusks protruding from all sides (the guide can ask you to get near it with some extra money but I would suggest it looks pretty good from that far). There are also a few of other structures which you will find once you roam around the place. It would take around 4 hours to circumnavigate the whole area.