DISTRICT ELECTION PLAN U.P. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ... - Agra
DISTRICT ELECTION PLAN U.P. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ... - Agra
DISTRICT ELECTION PLAN U.P. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ... - Agra
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History of <strong>Agra</strong><br />
The city of <strong>Agra</strong> is in Uttar Pradesh, a state in the northern part of India. It is located<br />
within about 200 kilometers from New Delhi, the capital city of India. <strong>Agra</strong> is a world<br />
renowned tourist destination, and if you ask anyone about an Indian tourist destination, the<br />
most likely answer you may expect is <strong>Agra</strong>. History of <strong>Agra</strong> is quite fascinating. The rich<br />
cultural, tradition and religious aspects of the city make it a very interesting place to know<br />
about.<br />
In the Mughal era, <strong>Agra</strong> was the capital city of the dynasties. The city of <strong>Agra</strong> has<br />
been referred as <strong>Agra</strong>vana in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic. If we go back to<br />
the period when the Aryans dwelled in the Indian sub-continent, <strong>Agra</strong> finds a mention as<br />
Arya Griha. Ptolemy, the Greek philosopher was the first to refer <strong>Agra</strong> by its present name.<br />
The modern city of <strong>Agra</strong> was founded way back in the 16th century by Sikandar<br />
Lodhi, who was a king of the Lodhi dynasty. The heritage and history of <strong>Agra</strong> is closely<br />
related to the Mughal dynasty. But the city has also been under the rulings of various other<br />
dynasties. Each of the dynasties has left their influences and imprints of their cultures and<br />
traditions.<br />
Babar, the founder emperor of the great Mughal dynasty had stayed in the city for a<br />
short span of time. Babar was the one to introduce the concept of Persian-styled square<br />
gardens in <strong>Agra</strong>. There are three UNESCO World Heritage sites in the city. These world<br />
heritages are the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and <strong>Agra</strong> Fort. The last two were built by<br />
Emperor Akbar. For about fifteen years, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital city around which<br />
the governance of Akbar's kingdom was operational. Mughal emperor Jahangir decorated<br />
<strong>Agra</strong> with beautiful gardens and palaces.<br />
After the demise of wife Mumtaz, emperor Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal in <strong>Agra</strong>. He<br />
shifted his capital from <strong>Agra</strong> to Shahjahanabad. But <strong>Agra</strong> regained the status of a Mughal<br />
capital in 1658, when son Aurangzeb dethroned his father and restored the capital in <strong>Agra</strong>.<br />
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