North India.org

Taj Mahal, Agra

Excursions of Taj Mahal

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
This magnificent bird haven in actual came into being paradoxically as a duck shooting preserve for Maharaja Suraj Mull of Bharatpur. He transformed the shallow depression formed by the confluence of River Gambhir and River Banganga into a reservoir by damming the rainwater in monsoons. Flooding of water created shallow wetland ecosystem causing it to be a perfect habitat for an astounding variety of birds.

Delhi
Delhi is the capital of India since old times. Delhi's history dates back to the first millenium BC, when it was known as Indraprastha. The Tomar Rajputs built Lal Kot, the core of the first of Delhi's seven cities. It is the epicenter of the nation's politics, economy and culture. History is alive and throbbing in Delhi, the capital of India.

Gwalior
Steeped in the splendour of its past, the ancient capital of Gwalior has yet made a successful transition into a modern Indian city, vibrant and bustling. A multitude of reigning dynasties, of the great Rajput clans of the Pratiharas, Kacchwahas and Tomars have left indelible etchings of their rule in this city of palaces, temples and monuments.

Jaipur
Jaipur is 260 km from Delhi and 240 km from Agra and forms the most chosen tourism golden triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. It a bustling capital city and a business centre with all the trapping of modern metropolis but yet flavoured strongly with an age-old charm that never fails to surprise a traveller.

Mathura
A long line of picturesque ghats - with their steps leading to the water's edge, arched gateways and temple spires extending along the right bank of the River Yamuna, emphasis the sacred character of the town of Mathura. The birth place of Lord Krishna, "the best known, best loved and most complex of Lord Vishnu's manifestations" - Mathura is today an important place of pilgrimage.

Vrindavan
What is comparatively a matter of detail is that Vrindavan is believed to have been the stage on which Krishna performed his famous romantic and sportive roles. Unlike busy Mathura. Vrindavan seems perpetually to be dreaming and imaginatively, re-living its romantic past.