Ladakh is a land like no other. Bounded by two of
the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the
Karakoram, it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar
range. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m)
at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram.
Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world-the Taj
Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces
is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid
reminder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
While its significance as a political centre ended with the transfer of the
capital to Delhi in 1634 by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth has secured
its place on the international map.
A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay
work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are descendant of those who worked
under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery
and leather shoes.
Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it seems to linger
in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal emperors with their passion for
building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures in the world .
It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the grandeur and
intrigues of the Mughal court .
Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from Agrabana,
a forest that finds mention in the epic Mahabharata.
In more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made it his
capital city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end very soon and Agra passed into
the possession of the Mughals .
It was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into its own
. He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar
was diverted into building a new capital at Fatehpur sikri not far away.
Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's garndson ornamented
the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture - the Taj Mahal and built
several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort.
