This history and heritage and rich
culture of Agra, set upon India’s hot Northern Plain, are eternally intertwined
with the advent of the Mughals and their over-300-year hold on India. Babur
first laid his footprint in Agra in 1526 having defeated Delhi Sultan
Ibrahim Lodi. From the very beginning homesick for Kabul and its cool mountain
air, he hated the city and fussed over everything about it— from the punishing
heat to the lack of charm and its ‘boorish’ citizenry. Hindustan, he stated,
had neither good horses, meat, grapes, melons or other fruit.
Though he longed to return to Kabul
like many of his men from the mountains did, he had to stay on for years to
stabilise his political situation in Hindustan. What did he please him though
was the “vast numbers of every type of craftsman and labourers of every
description in Hindustan”. Over time he was to capitalise on this and make set
about making Agra as hospitable as possible before summoning his sister Khanzada
Begum and wives from Kabul to join him in their new home in
Hindustan. His signature charbaghs transformed the desolate riverside landscape
of Agra. The first garden he set up here was near the Yamuna River; this was Aram
Bagh— where he was later buried before his mortal remains were transferred to
Kabul.
One of the big cribs of Babur was that
Indian life lacked symmetry, was disorderly in appearance and approach. Though
Babur’s funds were too limited for him to establish mosques and tombs etc the
coming generations more than made up for the lack. From Akbar’s Red Fort to
Shahjahan’s Taj Mahal, the city has documented the impressive creative
aspirations of the Mughal rulers
The tour is an intimate introduction
to the city of love while exploring its beautiful markets, alleys, stories, and
homes!
The tour serves as a crash course in learning to immerse yourself in Agra’s fabulous history and heritage and cultural splendour. Beginning the tour from the heart of “Akbarabad”, the Jama Masjid, you will experience the beautiful and chaotic city through all our senses. You will climb rooftops for breathtaking views of monuments, walk through 15th century markets, enter traditional homes and maybe meet a few local poets if you are lucky!