Agra

The spellbinding keystone of India’s acclaimed Golden Triangle, Agra has more than its fair share of architectural masterpieces. Still, above all else, it is famed as the abode of the Taj Mahal. Here on the banks of the River Jamuna, the onetime capital of the Mughal Empire reached its zenith during the rule of Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666), the heartbroken emperor who ordered the construction of a monument that for many is unsurpassed in its splendour and beauty.

Described by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as “a teardrop on the cheek of time”, the Taj Mahal is the tomb of Shah Jahan’s favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. A building of flawless symmetry constructed from milk-white marble and rose sandstone, the Taj Mahal is studded with precious jewels and is said to have almost bankrupted the Mughal treasury.

Soon after its completion Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned just upstream in the UNESCO World Heritage Agra Fort, which contains magnificent audience halls and two exquisite mosques. Nearby, the tomb of Shah Jahan’s father-in-law, Itimad ud-Daulah, is often described as a ‘jewel box’ and sometimes called the ‘Baby Taj’. Just outside Agra at Sikandra, is the imposing tomb of the third Mughal emperor Akbar (1556 – 1605), while a short drive away at Fatehpur Sikri is the beautifully preserved remains of the same emperor’s spectacular, yet short-lived, capital city.

Only 70km to the southeast, the beautiful and rugged Chambal Valley provides a captivating window into rural India and is a place of outstanding natural beauty. The habitat of Gangetic dolphin, crocodiles, and a large variety of birds, Chambal is an eco-tourism hub where visitors can escape the hustle and bustle of India and enjoy rural village walks, tranquil river cruises, and cultural excursions to attractions including the atmospheric Bateshwar Temples.