Agra is the city of the inimitable Taj Mahal. A pure, white marble symbol of a husband's eternal love for his wife. The story is that the Emperor Shah Jahan loved his wife so dearly that after having commissioned for the building of this awesome structure, he ordered that the architect's hands be cut off so that he could never repeat the same design again! When the Emperor's beloved wife died, he had her buried in a tomb in the Taj Mahal.

Having pined away the rest of his years mourning her death, the Emperor is now also buried in a tomb next to his wife. Even in death, they are together as their tombs lie side by side in the basement of the Taj Mahal. This 17th century monument remains one of the most visited sites in the world, ranking amongst one of the seven wonders of the world. International celebrities from Princess Diana to President Clinton have all paid homage to Emperor Shah Jahan's epic monument and there is nothing more romantic nor inspiring than visiting the Taj Mahal in the evening and seeing the spectacular architecture by moonlight.

The story of Agra begins much earlier than the Taj. The area is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana or, in layman's terms, 'Paradise'. Ptolemy, the famous second century A.D. geographer, marked it on his map of the world as Agra.

It was the Mughals who finally nurtured Agra with the finest monuments architects could design. The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Itimad-ud-Daula are the main structures which stand in mute testimony to the city's grandeur over the ages.

Close to Agra is Fatehpur Sikri, a fine example of a Mughal walled city with defined private and public areas and imposing gateways. Its architecture, a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles, reflects Akbar's secular vision as well as his style of governance.