26 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Agra

At a distance of 6 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Taj Mahal, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, is located on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra of Uttar Pradesh State. Taj Mahal was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983 and it is also counted among the seven wonders of the modern world. It attracts around four million visitors annually. Taj Mahal is the face of Agra Tourism and among the must include place in your Golden Triangle tour packages.

Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658), in the memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction of the monument was completed in 1653. The Taj Mahal was constructed under the supervision of architects Abdul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. It took 21 years for the Taj Mahal to be constructed .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 Km from Taj Mahal, The Agra Fort, also known as the Lal Qila or Red Fort, is situated on the banks of Yamuna River in Agra, It is among the prime places to visit in Agra City. Uttar Pradesh. The Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage and one of the best forts in India.

Agra Fort was originally a brick fort known as Badalgarh, held by Raja Badal Singh, a Hindu Rajput king (1475 AD). Sikandar Lodi was the first Sultan of Delhi to shift his capital from Delhi to Agra. After Sikandar Lodi died in 1517, his son Ibrahim Lodi held the fort for 9 years until he was defeated and killed in the battle of Panipat in 1526. Several palaces, wells and a mosque were built in the fort during the Lodi period.

After the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, the victorious Babur stayed in the fort, in the palace .....

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At a distance of 8 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 3 km from Agra Fort, Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is a Mughal mausoleum located on the western bank of the Yamuna River near the Yamuna Bridge Railway Station in Agra. The tomb is also known as the Jewel Box or Baby Taj as it looks like a smaller version of the Taj Mahal. It is one of the popular Agra tourist places and also one of the top attractions you must include in Agra packages. It is believed that this tomb was the inspiration behind the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Itimad-ud-Daulah is the first monument in India built entirely with marble. The tomb was built between 1622 and 1628 by the Queen of Jahangir, Nur Jahan as a memorial to her father, Mirza Ghiyas. Mirza Ghiyas was an imperial officer and bestowed with the title of Itmad-ud-Daulah (Pillar of State) by Emperor Jahangir.

The .....

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At a distance of 9.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Akbar's Tomb is located at Sikandra in the suburbs of Agra, on the Mathura road. It is among the top places to visit in Agra.

The Tomb of Akbar is an important Mughal architectural masterpiece built in 1605-1613 in Sikandra. It houses the mortal remains of the greatest Mughal Emperor Akbar. The construction of this tomb was started in 1600 by Emperor Akbar himself. After the death of Akbar in 1605, the tomb was completed by his son Jahangir in 1613. However, during the reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir, Rebellious Jats under Raja Ram Jat, ransacked the intricate tomb, plundered and looted all the beautiful gold, jewels, silver and carpets. Extensive repairs were carried out by the British under Lord Curzon.

The tomb of Akbar can be entered through an elegant southern gateway similar to Buland .....

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At a distance of 37 km from Agra, 223 km from Delhi and 209 km from Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri is a deserted fort city in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh, India. UNESCO declared this complex as a World Heritage Site in 1986. It is one of the popular place to visit along with Golden Triangle tour and also among ideal weekend getaways from Delhi & Noida cities.

Akbar, the greatest Mughal Emperor, was commissioned Fatehpur Sikri in 1569. The city was constructed to honour Sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chisti, who used to live in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. Akbar revered him very much as the Saint had blessed him with a son who was named Salim in 1569. Akbar shifted his capital from Agra to Sikri in 1571 and named the city as Fatehabad meaning victorious. This city served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 .....

Distance (From Agra Cantonment): 37 Kms
Trip Duration (From Agra Cantonment - Including Travel): Half Day to Full Day
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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Jahangiri Mahal is the most noteworthy building inside the Agra Fort.

Jahangiri Mahal is the first monument that comes in the view once visitors enter the fort from the Amar Singh Gate. Jahangiri Mahal was built by Akbar during 1565-69. This was the principal zenana, and was used mainly by the Rajput wives of Akbar. It is one of the earliest surviving buildings of Akbar's reign. Jahangir in his memories has clearly mentioned that the buildings were erected by his father Akbar. Mughal empress Nur Jahan used this as her residence.

The palace is made of red sand stone and displays a generous blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. Its outer walls rise with the massive ramparts of the fortress on the river. A gateway leads to an inner courtyard surrounded by large halls which are extensively adorned with Persian style stone carvings. .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Khas Mahal, also called Aramgah-i-Mualla (rest house of the noble) or Aramgah-i-Muqaddas, is situated inside the Agra Fort.

Khas Mahal is the most beautiful building in the fort and was built by Shah Jahan during 1631-1640 AD. The building comprises open Terraces and a hall, flanked by a pavilion on either side serving as partitions. The structure is erected on a sufficiently elevated platform paved with marble. It is the royal palace of the Emperor. The palace includes curtain walls, elegant tanks, fountains and a waterfall surrounded by living apartments with courts and verandahs.

The interiors of the palace are adorned with gold work, mural paintings, ornamental designs and floral designs. The pavilions of the Khas Mahal were constructed using red sandstone and coated with white shell plaster. They contained beautiful golden work and fresco .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Audience is situated close to Machchhi Bhawan inside the Agra Fort.

Diwan-i-Am was built by Shah Jahan during the years 1628-35 AD. It was the place where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) and his successors met general public and heard their complaints. The massive hall has a flat roof and is divided into three sections. Two arched red sandstone gateways on the north and south lead to the hall. The building, originally built in red sandstone, is plastered over with white shell paste resembling white marble. Its ceiling and columns were painted with gold.

In the center of the eastern wall stands a marble canopy under which stood the emperor's throne. The emperor received the general public here and heard their complaints. This chamber was connected to the royal apartments and the royal ladies could watch the ceremonials of the Diwan-i-Am through the marble .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience is situated backside of the Machchhi Bhawan inside the Agra Fort.

Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience was built by Shah Jahan in the year 1635 AD. It was used by the emperor for holding cultural events and meetings important guests such as kings, ambassadors and nobles in private and to deal with important affairs of the state.

It consists of two large halls, an outer columned hall and inner closed hall, both connected by three archways. The outer hall is covered by a flat roof supported on multifoil arches springing from exquisitely fine marble pillars. The marble pillars are inlaid with semi-precious stones and coloured flower patterns. The hall is exquisitely decorated with carvings and flat wooden ceiling which used to be covered with gold and silver leaves to imitate the rays of the sun. The hall represents the royal accesses and thus .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque is situated to the north of Diwan-i-Am complex inside the Agra Fort.

Moti Masjid was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan during 1648-54 AD. It was built as a place of worship for the royal members of the court. A mosque that shines like a pearl in a moonlit night, hence the name Pearl Mosque, Moti Masjid is one of the oldest mosques in the city. The glorious mosque took nearly four years to complete and is built in a style that is typical to Shah Jahan's era of reign.

The masjid stands on the ground that slopes from east to west to the north of Diwan-i-Am complex. The structure contains three huge domes of high architecture value. These three Hindu style domed kiosks have been constructed using white marble and the rest of the exterior building made out of red sandstone.

The mosque has twenty-one .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Akbari Mahal or Akbar Palace is situated between Jahangiri Mahal and Bengali Burj inside the Agra Fort.

Currently in partial ruined state, the Akbari Mahal is a testimony presenting the gigantic imperial courts that have the spacious chambers. Akbari Palace was once a huge palace complex which was used for residential purposes. Built between 1565-69, it had a large stone paved courtyard enclosed on all sides by suites and chambers. Only the river-side apartments have now survived.

The Palace was designed and constructed in such a manner that whichever entrance the women used to enter the palace they were protected by purdah. The security and Purdah system was well designed in the palace. There was a great Assembly hall with a high ceiling on the lower storey, which can still be seen but the upper storey is completely in ruins. It also had a hall with triple opening on the riverside.

Akbar's .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, Nagina Masjid is located beside the Diwan-i-Am inside the Agra Fort. It is also known as the Gem Mosque or Jewel Mosque.

The Nagina Masjid was built during1631-40 by Shah Jahan for the ladies of the Royal family. This private mosque is constructed with pure white marble. The Masjid bears a very simple architecture and a descent decoration. This private mosque has special features of three majestic domes and wonderful arches.

Nagina Masjid is enclosed by walls of three sides with a special a prayer chamber at the west. The mihrab pointing the direction of Holy Kabah is situated on the western wall of the prayer chamber. The prayer chamber is also made up of marble and has three domes on its top. The mosque has a three-arched facade with the cusps and supported on slender piers as its entrance. The arch in the middle is larger and has nine cusps and ones on the either sides have seven cusps .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 2.5 km from Taj Mahal, the Macchi Bhawan or the Fish Mahal is located opposite to the Diwan-i-Khas in the Agra Fort.

Macchi Bhawan is an official complex of double storied structure around a courtyard with arched galleries. Originally the court was adorned with marble tanks and fountains in which gold and silver fish were kept which provided amusement for Emperor. On the upper storey of the southern side, a small marble pavilion with a sun medallion on its ceiling projects outward. It is believed to be the place where the Golden Throne of the emperor was placed to allow him to have the entire view of the court below. The rooms of the lower floor served as the treasury.

There was a raised white marble platform on the eastern side and a luxurious multi-chambered royal bath in the north. The southern pavilion served as a small reception room and has an open terrace with a white and a black marble throne. The black .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Jama Masjid is situated just opposite to the Agra Fort. It is also popularly known as the Jami Masjid or Friday Mosque and is one of the well known Agra tourist places.

Jama Masjid was built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite daughter Jahanara Begum's wish, at the cost of Rs 5 lakhs and took a period of 5 years in construction and was completed in 1649 AD. It is one of the largest mosques in India. The red sandstone structure was built in a typical Mughal style. It rests on a high plinth and is approached by staircase. It consists of a spacious elevated courtyard bordered by arched porticoes to the north and south, with a fountain at its centre. The eastern end was once also bordered by an arched portico and a grand entrance, but those were demolished by the British in 1857 while building the railway line to Agra.

The prayer hall .....

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At a distance of 56 km from Agra, 159 km from Delhi, 419 km from Lucknow and 224 km from Jaipur, Mathura is an ancient city and also the district headquarters of Mathura in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Mathura is one of the popular tourist places near Agra and also one of the best places to visit near Delhi.

Mathura is one of the seven cities (Sapta Puri) considered holy by Hindus, the other six are Ayodhya, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain and Dwarka. Mathura has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for HRIDAY - Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of Government of India. Mathura is also one of the popular Delhi weekend getaways for 2 day trip. Mathura is located at the banks of river Yamuna and is popularly known as the Brajbhoomi, the sacred land of Lord Krishna. The Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi .....

Distance (From Agra): 56 Kms
Trip Duration (From Agra - Including Travel): 1-2 Days
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At a distance of 13 km from Mathura, 70 km from Agra, 155 km from Delhi, 400 km from Lucknow and 235 km from Jaipur, Vrindavan is a holy town situated on the banks of Yamuna River in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. It is also among the sacred places to visit near Delhi for a 2 day weekend trip and also one of the popular places to visit near Agra.

Vrindavan is a major pilgrimage center for the Hindus and one of the oldest cities in the country. The holy town of Vrindavan has a very rich history associated with the Hindu god Lord Krishna. It is said to be the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a great devotee of Lord Krishna is credited with rediscovering of Vrindavan. The place was later developed by various kings of the region.

The name Vrindavan is derived from the words vrinda .....

Distance (From Agra): 70 Kms
Trip Duration (From Agra - Including Travel): 1-2 Days
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At a distance of 11 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 1.5 km from Akbar's Tomb, The Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani is the mausoleum of Jodha Bai, the Hindu consort of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, located on the left side of Agra-Mathura road, to the west of Akbar's tomb in Sikandra.

The tomb was built by Jahangir in memory of his mother Mariam-uz-Zamani and was located near Akbar's Tomb as per the last wish expressed by her. The structure was originally a baradari under Sikander Lodi who built it in AD 1495. It was later modified into Mughals tomb by reconstructing the 4 facades of the building in Mughal style.

The ground floor consists of around forty chambers built by Sikander Lodi, which bear faint traces of paintings on plastered walls. The centre of the ground floor houses the original cenotaph of Jodha. One can visit the crypt using red sandstone stairs. It was constructed with three tomb stones, the original one is in the ground floor, the middle and terrace stones .....

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At a distance of 9 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 1 km from Itimad-ud-Daulah Tomb, Chini ka Rauza is a funerary monument located on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra.

Chini ka Rauza is the tomb of Afzal Khan who was a Persian poet during the reign of Jahangir. Later he became the wazir during Shah Jahan's reign. The tomb was built by him in 1635 AD. Khan died in Lahore in 1639 AD and was buried here at Agra. The name is derived from two Persian words Chini and Rauza that means glazed tiles tomb.

Also known as Chinese Tomb, Chini-ka-Rauza is considered a milestone in Indo-Persian architecture, as it is the very first building in India that has been exclusively decorated by the glazed tile works. The decoration is prominent on facade and exteriors. Each side of this square tomb building is about 79 feet in length. The central chamber is octagonal in shape with eight arched recesses including four pentagonal arches and four square openings in all four directions. .....

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At a distance of 9 km from Agra Cantonment railway Station, Soami Bagh Temple is situated in Dayalbagh in the outskirts of Agra.

The Soami Bagh Samadhi is mainly the mausoleum of Huzur Swamiji Maharaj. The Soami Bagh is also called as Radha Swami Samadhi. He established the Radhaswami Faith. The Radha Soami Satsang Movement was started in 1861 as an effort to amalgamate all the world religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism and so this building reflects the styles seen in temples, mosques, gurudwaras and viharas.

The building is 110 feet in height made of white marbles and features numerous pillars and fine pietradura inlay work on the inner walls. Construction began in February 1904 and has been continuously under construction for the past 100 years.

Located adjacent to the mausoleum, there is Bhajan Ghar the place where, Soamiji Maharaj carried out the spiritual practices during his lifetime; the Bhajan Ghar also houses satsang once per day. Bhandara .....

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At a distance of 9.5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Mehtab Bagh is a charbagh complex situated north of the Taj Mahal complex and the Agra Fort on the other side of Yamuna River.

The Mehtab Bagh garden was the last of eleven Mughal-built gardens along the Yamuna River; the first being Ram Bagh. The emperor Shah Jahan noted this crescent-shaped flood plain covered with grass around the Yamuna River and found it a great location to view the Taj Mahal from some distance. He then conceptualized it as a pleasure garden filled with moonlight and name it Mehtab Bagh during 1631 to 1635.

Mehtab Bagh is a 25 acre garden, square in shape, measures about 300 x 300 m and is perfectly aligned with the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank. During the rainy season, the ground becomes partially flooded. The garden has fountains and pools along with several pavilions. Few of the gardens proportions were similar to that of the Taj Mahal. Mehtab Bagh came later in the possession of King of .....

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At a distance of 9 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 3.5 km from Itimad-ud -Daulah, The Ram Bagh Garden is located near Chini ka Rauza in Agra. It is one of the famous places of sightseeing in Agra city.

The Ram Bagh is the oldest Mughal Garden in India, originally built by the Mughal Emperor Babur in 1528. Babur was temporarily buried there before being shifted to Kabul. The original name of the bagh was Aram Bagh, which was changed to Ram Bagh under the Marathas, when they occupied Agra from 1775 to 1803 AD. The first historical mention of this garden as the Bagh-Nur-Afshan led some historians to believe that this name had been derived from a garden in Kabul. This garden was renovated by Jahangir between 1615 and 1619.

The layout of this garden is based on the Persian style gardens. In the garden three levels have been maintained, one for flowers and vegetables, second for flower beds, with fine stone paved terraces and kiosk and the third one has structures, terraces .....

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At a distance of 6 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station, Taj Museum is one of the most popular museums in Agra and is located in the ground floor of western Naubat Khana, also known as Jal Mahal, with in the Taj Mahal complex.

The museum was established in 1982. It is a double storied building having a quadrangle projection outside and is built on a raised platform. It is a big museum comprising of two floors and has three galleries along with a chief hall. The museum displays various exhibits relating mostly to the construction of the Taj Mahal and to the period of its builders. Totally 121 antiquities are on display, which are broadly categorized as Mughal miniature paintings, manuscripts, government decrees, specimen of calligraphy, arms, utensils, plans and drawings of Taj Complex, paintings, specimen inlay work, marble pillars, etc.

In main hall the paintings of Shah Jahan and his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal both on ivory, encased in ornamental wooden frame, replicas .....

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At a distance of 9.5 km from Agra cantonment Railway Station and 4 km from Itimad-ud-Daulah, Jaswant Singh ki Chhatri is situated in Rajwara, Balkeshwar along the banks of river Yamuna in Agra. This is now maintained by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Jaswant ki Chhatri is a domed pillared pavilion shaped cenotaph, which reflects Rajasthani architecture. It was built during 1644-58 AD and is said to be the only monument to have been built by a Hindu king in Agra during the Mughal era. The monument is dedicated to Rani Hada, who was the princess of Bundi in Rajasthan. She married Amar Singh Rathore, who was killed on 25th July, 1644 at Agra Fort. His body was given to widow Hada Rani who committed sati at the spot. Raja Jaswant Singh, younger brother of Amar Singh Rathore built this commemorative Chhatri.

The Chhatri is a unique blend of Mughal & Hindu architecture. The surrounding wall is now in a dilapidated condition. However the monumental screen on the eastern side .....

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At a distance of 5 km from Agra Cantonment Railway Station and 1 km from Agra Fort, Sri Mankameshwar Temple is an ancient temple located at Rawatpara near the Jama Masjid in Agra.

Mankameshwar Temple is one among the ancient temples devoted to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that the Shiva Linga inside the Mankameshwar Temple was created by lord Shiva himself when lord Krishna was born in Mathura. Lord Shiva appeared in Mankameshwar Temple from Mount Kailash in order to visit the child form of Lord Krishna. Lord Shiva thought of creating a Linga here if Lord Krishna played in his lap. However, by watching lord Shiv's unique form, Yashoda asked him to stay away from her child as he would get scared of him. Observing this, lord Krishna played a drama and begun crying by pointing towards lord Shiva, who was residing under a Banyan tree. By seeing this act, Yashoda called lord Shiva and requested him to bless .....

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At a distance of 72 km from Agra, Bateshwar is very ancient temple town situated on the bank of River Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh.

Bateshwar is an important spiritual and cultural centre for Hindus and Jains. The name Bateshwar is derived from the main Bateshwarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to mythology, here under a Banyan tree (Bat in Sanskrit), lord Shiva took rest for some time, hence the place came to be known as Bateshwar (banyan lord).

It is known for the 101 Shiva temples situated on the banks of Yamuna and Shaouripur. In the epic Mahabharata Bateshwar is supposed to be referred as Shouripur, a city of king Suresaine. These temples were built by King Badan Singh Bhadoriya who said to have changed the flow of Yamuna River from east to west towards Bateshwar. The king also built a dam to protect these temples from the heavy water coming from river Yamuna. Bateshwar Nath temple finds its mention in the holy scripts of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Matsya Purana. .....

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At a distance of 27 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station and 58 km from Agra, the Keoladeo National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is situated in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. It is among the top places to visit from Delhi and Agra cities.

Keoladeo National Park is located around a man-made wetland and was created in18th century by Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur. Formerly the private duck shooting reserve of the Maharajas of Bharatpur and the British Officials, this site was established as a bird sanctuary on 13th March 1976 under the name of Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Later on 10th March 1982, the site was designated as a national park and was named Keoladeo Ghana National Park. In 1985, the Park was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the finest bird parks in the world, Keoladeo, the name derives from an ancient Hindu temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, which stands at the center of the park. Ghana means .....

Distance (From Agra): 58 Kms
Trip Duration (From Agra - Including Travel): 4 Hours/Half Day
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