Agra
is an old city and it is said that
its name was derived from Agrabana,
A forest that finds mention in the
epic Mahabharata. In more recent
times Agra came into prominence
when Sikandar Lodi made it his
capital city in 1501. The Lodi
rule was to end very soon and Agra
passed into the possession of the
Mughals. It was during the time of
the third emperor Akbar that Agra
came into its own. He embarked on
the construction of the massive
Agra Fort in 1565. Though Akbar
was diverted into building a new
capital at Fatehpur Sikri not far
away, Agra continued to retain its
importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's
grandson ornamented the city with
that masterpiece of mughal
architecture - the Taj Mahal and
built several other beautiful
buildings within the Agra Fort.
