After all I had to visit Agra ..not for anything else but for Taj Mahal., one of the seven wonders of the world. Since time immemorial, I always wanted to capture the white beauty in my camera and when I got the opportunity, I just grabbed it. The city of Agra is easily accessible by both rail, road and air. The city is 200 kms from Delhi, 230 kms from Jaipur and 119 kms from Gwalior.

As I landed, the first thing I did was to find a good resort and I had plethora of choices. Out of all, I singled out Mauraya Sheraton, a five star deluxe hotel The first place that I explored in Agra was of course the Taj Mahal. The glamorous beauty draped in white..........I was almost shocked when I initially saw the monument.....what a lover Shahjahan would have been. It was equally shocking to know that it around 2000 people were required to construct the White monument during the period of 1631 to 1653.

Within Agra, I also scrutinized Agra fort, built by three greatest mughal emperors.The construction of the massive fort began during the tenure of Akbnar and was completed by Shahjahan. Infact, I was quite surprised to see several monuments within the complex of the fort that included Diwan-i-em, Diwane -i -khas, the khas mahal and the palace of mirrors.

I also examined the Akbar's tomb that was 10 kms away, in Sikandra. Named after the Afghan ruler Sikander Lodi, Sikandra is the final resting place of Emperor Akbar. Akbar began the construction of his own garden mausoleum during his lifetime, a red sandstone structure in a chahar - bagh, or 4 - square formal garden. An impressive marble - inlaid gateway leads to the spacious four - tiered monument which is crowned by a white marble cenotaph and screen. This last was added by Jahangir, who completed the tomb after the demise of his father.oh! I had a brilliant time over there.

The other places that I explored in Agra are Rambagh, Dayal bagh, Jama Masjid and many others.