Agra has long been renowned as the city of the Taj Mahal. This has often overshadowed the fact that this royal Mughal has, in addition to the legendary Taj, many magnificent monuments that epitomize the high point of the Mughal architectural achievement. Not even Delhi the seat of kings and emperors for over a thousand years, can boast such a heritage of architectural and cultural splendor from the golden age of the Great Mughals.

Other than Taj Mahal, you can also see the following places -

AGRA FORT :

Few forts in the world have a more fascinating story to tell than the Great Fort of Agra. Originally planned as an impregnable military structure by Akbar, the Agra Fort, over a period of time, acquired all the elegance, lavishness and majesty of an imperial palace. Situated 3 km upstream of the Taj Mahal on the right bank of the Yamuna, the Agra Fort was built under the direction of Akbar, by Mohammed Quasim Khan, his Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Kabul. It took eight years to complete and entailed an expenditure of three and a half million rupees.

ITMAD-UD-DAULAH'S TOMB :

About 4 km north of the Taj, on the left bank of the Yamuna, is the perfectly proportioned marble mausoleum of ltmad-ud-Daulah. Noor Jehan constructed this splendid marble monument in her father's memory. This double-storied marble tomb is replete with mosaic, inlaid with semi-precious stones.

SIKANDRA:

Sikandra is 8 km north-east on the Agra-Delhi road. It is on the same side of the river Yamuna as the Taj. Sikandra was built in 1492 by Sikander Lodhi, a ruler of one of the last dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate. Akbar, in his time, ordered the construction of Sikandra again, this time as a site for his mausoleum, but he died before it could be completed. The work was completed by his son Jehangir in 1613. The tomb is a combination of Muslim and Hindu architectural styles. The building of red sandstone is four storeys tall, approximately 31 metres in height. The first three storeys are of red sandstone, while the fourth is entirely of marble.

DAYALBAGH (SOAMI BAGH):

Situated 12 km from the hotel, this is the headquarter of the Radhasoami religious sect, founded in 1861 by Shri Shiv Dayal Singh, also known as Swamiji Maharaj. Being built to commemorate the Supreme Creator, this tall, unfinished facade of marble, lined with exquisitely carved pillars and panels, was estimated to cost about five million rupees when it was conceived. Today, the cost of work finished and work still to be done will run into ten million.

Its approximate distance from various important locations is given below -