A teardrop on the cheek of eternity! – Wah Taj.

Agra is the city of the Taj Mahal, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, some 200 km from Delhi. Agra forms one point of the famous Golden Triangle which is most visited tourist circuit of India by foreign tourists (Delhi and Jaipur are the other two).

Agra has three UNESCO world heritage sites, the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort in the city and Fatehpur Sikri 40 km away. There are also many other buildings and tombs from Agra’s days of glory as the capital of the Mughal Empire between year 1526 -1658.

Being the 7th wonder, The Taj Mahal has a life of its own that leaps out of marble once you understand that it is a monument of love. The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore called it a teardrop on the cheek of eternity, while the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, said it was Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones. It’s indeed the marvel of an epic in stone.

If you can time your visit to Agra around Full Moon Night it is surely going to be an Experience Like No Other in World - Viewing Taj Mahal at Full Moon Nights.. Viewing of Taj Mahal is available on five days in a month i.e. on full moon night and two nights before and two after the full moon.

Every morning the same moving spectacle repeats itself. At first, shy and then forcefully, the Sun’s rays illuminate the powerful monument built on the bank of the Yamuna. The vague silhouette waiting in the gray calm of the night becomes again the glittering jewel of the Indo-Islamic architecture.

Incarnation and a mortal’s imagination of heaven itself, this place just before sunrise is a spectacle to watch for! A visit to this seemingly God’s abode is not just called a wonder of this world, the beauty of this huge palace gives you a feeling of not belonging to this world but beyond! Definitely the most beautiful thing you will ever see in life and if you happen to see this with a bit of fog, don’t be surprised if you feel God himself is holding it in the air amidst the beautiful white clouds.

Visit Fatehpur Sikri and be in awe with the opulence, grandeur and history of this wonderful palace, Buland Darwaza and Jama Masjid. Hire a guide and listen to those amazing stories (every guide has a different version) so before you set out to teach your kids some history, you better refer to their text books.

Each wall, each staircase and each door here has a story to tell. Sit in silence and think, imagine and admire what it would have been like to live in this era!

Visit Agra Fort to see this 94 acre guarded residence and the famous Sheesh Mahal! It could be tiring but worth.

If time permits, see Dayal Bagh for its beautiful carvings on white marble walls / roofs and Sikandara (tomb of Emperor Akbar).

Don’t forget to enjoy Agra famous chaat, pani puri is to die for, buy the famous Panchhi Petha (don’t ask us which one is original, even locals are not sure anymore) though Sadar Bazaar was the best bet we relied on. Buy some leather stuff (be ready to sweat it out and bargain like a pro).

A 2-day visit should cover this beautiful historic city for you, though I assure you since you would have fallen in love on the very morning you visit Taj, you will keep coming for a mere glance again and again! It’s simply magnificent, elegant and beautiful beyond words.