Agra Fort

A little over 1 km from the Taj, on the same river bank, stands the majestic Agra Fort. Though its history dates from as early as 2500 years, it was only during the reign of Emperor Akbar that the city of Agra reached its apotheosis of glory. During his reign, the main part of the Agra fort was built. Construction of the fort started in 1156 and was finished in 1605. Most of the buildings inside the fortress were erected by Shahjahan.

An inside view of the fort
After entering the premises and walking over a ramp you are at the Great Courtyard. Towards the right, there's the multi- pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), built by Shahjahan in 1628. Next, there are the Royal Pavilions. The fort houses beautiful mosques (Nagina Masjid & Mina Masjid), palaces (Macchi Bhavan, Khas Mahal, Shish Mahal, Shah Jahani Mahal) and the Zenana Mina Bazaar. Many of the buildings are made of pure marble with exquisite carvings. An interesting feature of the rooms in the marble pavilions is that the walls were hollow and filled with running water to provide a cooloing effect. If you climb up to the balconies in the pavilions, you will have some fantastic views of the Yamuna and the Taj.

Shahjahan's incarceration
The Agra Fort is the very place where Emperor Shahjahan was confined by his son Aurangzeb. Shahjahan is said to have died in the Musamman Burj, a tower with a beautiful marble balcony, which provides the most stunning views of the Taj.

Fort Facts
Built alongside the Yamuna river, the fort stretches almost 2.5 km. It consists of a wall built in red sandstone and several buildings inside. Though the fort has two gates- the Delhi Gate and the Amar Singh Gate- you can access the fort only via the Amar Singh Gate. You can't have access to the entire fort, for part of it is nowadays used by the Indian Army, but still the fort has enough to give an insight into the 16th century Mughal lifestyle.

Agra Fort : Information
Location : Agra, Uttar Pradesh

How to Reach : By taxi, rickshaw or by auto-rickshaw from the Taj. It can also be accessed on foot, for it is less than 2 kms from the Taj.

Timings : 6:00AM- 5:30PM daily.

Entry Fee
Foreigners : Rs 300.00

Indian Nationals : Rs 20.00

Accommodation : Accommodation facilities in Agra are quite good . Apart from hotels there's the UPSTDC's tourist complex, Taj Khema near the Taj Mahal. It offers accommodation in tents and deluxe rooms. There's a UPSTDC Tourist Bungalow as well.