An ancient city on the banks of River Yamuna, Agra is situated in the province of Uttar Pradesh famous for its three world heritage sites. Agra gained its prominence as the capital of the Mughal Empire during 1526 to 1658 and remains a popular tourist spot due to many Moghal architectural buildings among which Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri top the list. Agra became a major centre of art, culture, commerce and learning during the reign of Moghul kings who undertook major building projects and development programs.
Agra Map
Agra is situated between 27.11 north latitude and 78.0 to 78.2 east longitude, 169 meters above sea level with an estimated population of 1.4 millions. The total area of the city of Agra is 4082 km square. From north, it is surrounded by Mathura, from south by Dhaulapur, while Firozabad is on the east side and Bharatpur on the west. The city of Agra is formed of several townships and regions that possess almost all the necessities of a modern life style along with the traditional values.
These townships and areas of the city are connected through a series of roads and railway lines that run to and from the city. Towards the eastern and on the right side of River Yamuna, lies the region of Etmadpur. Agra By-Pass Road connects this area to the main city from the north east and the Yamuna Bridge in the eastern part of the city. A major part of the Agra city lies towards the left side of the river.
In the northern side of the city is the Daval Bagh while City Lines, Khandari and Sikandra extend towards the north western part of Agra. The city centre consists of Loha Mandi, Mantola and Shahganj. In the south of the city are Idgah, Rakabgani and Tajgani which also extend towards the south eastern part of the city. All the regions and areas of the city are connected through a network of roads and trains that make transportation from one place to another possible. The best time to visit Agra is in the months of winter as summers in Agra can be extremely hot and uncomfortable and it makes traveling difficult.
Traveling to and from Agra is not difficult. There is an international airport in Agra, situated on a 20 minutes drive downtown, from where flights from all over the globe arrive and depart. There is also a railway station in Agra where trains for all the cities arrive and leave. Traveling inside the city is easy with the availability of taxis and rickshaws. They are available outside the hotels as well as outside the airport or the railway station. It’s better to check if the meter is working or fix the rates before hiring the vehicle. The tourism department of the state also arranges tours of the city which is an ideal way of exploring Taj Mahal, the Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
