Agra, perhaps the most fascinating city in India, is home to three World Heritage Sites. These include the hauntingly beautiful Taj Mahal, built by a Mughal king as the final resting place for his beloved wife, which inspires all who see it with its delicate, symmetrical beauty and the eternal love it represents; the famous Agra Fort, the most important fortress in India; and the massive, 16th-century walled city of Fatehpur Sikri, which served as the capital of famous Mughal Emperor Akbar for 14 years, showcasing an intriguing blend of varied regional design concepts and architectural skills.

Taj Mahal

Nothing can prepare you for the breathtaking beauty of the Taj Mahal. You could see pictures of it, read about its famed beauty and hear about it from other visitors, but when you actually set eyes on it for the first time, it will take your breath away. The master craftsmen created this awe-inspiring palace from marble, adorned it with intricate design, and embellished it with colorful semi-precious stones that have an ageless gleam.

Perhaps its beauty has endured in spite of the passage of time due to the passionate love of a man for his wife -- a love so passionate that this man, the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, ensured no other such monument would be built that he had built for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal by chopping off the hands of the master craftsmen. The emperor's own son, Aurangazeb, kept Shahjahan a prisoner in Agra Fort from where he is said to have stared at the Taj Mahal for the last eight years of his life. Such a potent mixture of eternal love, passion and cruelty is bound to last for centuries and leave its mark of haunting beauty in the world for others to see.

A 1963 Hindi movie named Taj Mahal immortalized the monument with its beautiful melodious songs. The movie was a hit at the box-office and the famous love duets sung by the leading couple on screen are often heard on the radio in India even to this day.

Agra Fort

The Agra Fort was built by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. The fort is surrounded by double castellated ramparts of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A deep moat surrounds the outer wall.

The red-stoned fort was renovated and converted to a palace by Akbar's grandson Shahjahan. Marble inlay work with semi-precious stone was extensively added to the fort.

Outside the fort stands a heroic equestrian statue of the legendary Maratha warrior king Shivaji who was held by the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, but had famously escaped from the fort dungeons by hiding inside large baskets of sweets being sent as religious offerings.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri is an epic in red sandstone built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the second half of the 16th century. The complex of temples and monuments is located about 21 miles from Agra.

Every large historic site has some sort of personal story behind it, and the same holds true for Fatehpur Sikri. Emperor Akbar had no heir and he visited holy men to enlist their prayers for blessing him a son. In the village of Sikri lived Sheikh Salim Chishti, a Sufi saint who foretold the emperor that he would be blessed with a son. So when this blessing turned true and a son was born, Akbar constructed his capital city and named it Fatehpur Sikri. The beautiful marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti attracts thousands who seek blessings of the revered saint by tying skeins of threads in the lattice work as symbols of their wishes to be fulfilled by the saint's blessings.

Taj Mahotsav 10-Day February Festival

The Taj Mahotsav gives a wonderful glimpse into the area's extraordinary legacies, starting with a spectacular procession in Mughal splendor. For first-time visitors this is an exotic treat to watch elephants and camels decked in finery, drum beaters, and folk artists and craftsmen bringing back the atmosphere of the Mughal durbars.

Artisans from various areas of the state display their wares during Taj Mahotsav. But even if you visit Agra outside of festival time, you can shop for wood carvings from Saharanpur, brass and other metalware from Moradabad, handmade carpets of Badohi, the blue pottery of Khurja, the Chikan work of Lucknow and the silk of Benares. All make lovely, unique souvenirs or gifts for friends and family back home.