Agra

Agra occupies a broad, flat plain on the banks of the Yamuna River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Situated approximately 230 km south-east of Delhi and 330 km west of Lucknow, the city lies at an average elevation of 170 m above sea level. Its population, near 1.6 million, ranks fourth in Uttar Pradesh and twenty-third in the nation. Agra’s terrain merges into the Indo-Gangetic plain, with nearby hills marking the Vindhya offshoots and the sandstone ridges around Fatehpur Sikri. The region irrigates through the Yamuna, Chambal and the Agra Canal, supporting cultivation of millet, barley, wheat and cotton during both Rabi and Kharif seasons.

The city’s recorded history begins in the early medieval period, but its prominence arose under Sultan Sikandar Lodi, who made Agra the Delhi Sultanate’s capital in 1506. His successor Ibrahim Lodi fell at Panipat in 1526 before Babur, inaugurating Mughal rule. Except for 1540–1556—when Sher Shah Suri and then the Hindu general Hemu briefly held sway—the Mughal dynasty maintained Agra as its political and cultural centre until Shah Jahan’s decision to shift the capital to Shahjahanabad in 1658.

Akbar, Babur’s grandson, refurbished existing fortifications and founded Fatehpur Sikri, eighty streets of red sandstone built as his court and residence. He briefly renamed Agra “Akbarabad.” His great-grandson Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal between 1632 and 1648 as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal; its white marble and inlaid pietra dura exemplify a synthesis of Persian-Islamic and Indian motifs. The mausoleum occupies the eastern bank of the Yamuna, about 1.6 km from the Agra Fort, itself begun by Akbar in 1565 and enlarged by successive emperors. The fort’s red sandstone ramparts extend for roughly 2.5 km, ringed by a moat and punctuated by the Delhi Gate to the west and the Amar Singh Gate to the south. Within, marble palaces, mosques and administrative chambers form a self-contained city. Fatehpur Sikri, now deserted, lies some 40 km to the south-west, its sandstone monuments reflecting the city’s brief ascendancy under Akbar.

Mughal decline in the late eighteenth century saw Agra pass first to Maratha hands and then to the East India Company. Under British administration, Agra remained a military and administrative centre but lost its earlier prestige. After Indian independence in 1947, Agra evolved into an industrial town. Leather-goods workshops, footwear manufacturers and iron foundries spread around the core urban area. Small-scale industries number over 7,000 units, turning out more than 150,000 pairs of shoes daily. Royal crafts persist in pietra dura, marble inlay, carpets and zari embroidery. Tourism fuels another sector of the economy: in 2019, some 9.5 million visitors toured Agra’s monuments, with the Taj Mahal alone drawing nearly 6.9 million that year.

Census figures for 2011 record a city population of 1,585,704, with a metropolitan total of 1,760,285. The sex ratio stands at 875 females per 1,000 males; literacy averages 73.11 percent (77.81 percent for men, 67.74 percent for women). Hinduism accounts for 80.68 percent of residents, Islam 15.37 percent, followed by Jainism (1.04 percent), Sikhism (0.62 percent), Christianity (0.42 percent) and Buddhism (0.19 percent); 1.66 percent claim no particular faith. Linguistically, 94.80 percent speak Hindi, 2.34 percent Braj Bhasha and 1.86 percent Urdu as their mother tongue. Braj culture endures in Agra’s cuisine, which parallels that of Mathura and Vrindavan.

Local dishes include petha, an ash-gourd sweet in numerous forms; dalmoth, a spiced lentil snack studded with nuts and raisins; and bedai, a deep-fried kachori filled with spicy potato, served with aloo bhaji and curd. Street fare features chaat items—dahi bhalla, raj kachori, samosas and gol gappa—alongside stuffed parathas accompanied by chutney and pickle. Among Muslims, non-vegetarian fare appears frequently on menus.

The climate falls into the tropical and subtropical steppe category (Köppen BSh). Winters are mild; summers extend from April to June, hot and arid, punctuated by the Loo, a dry west wind capable of raising temperatures to lethal extremes. On 28 May 2024, Agra reached 48.6 °C, its highest recorded temperature. The monsoon typically begins in early July, lasting until mid-September, with rainfall less heavy than in eastern India. By mid-October, conditions moderate. In winter, dense fog—a product of low wind, cool temperatures, moisture and pollution—frequently disrupts rail traffic. Air quality ranks among India’s poorest; a World Health Organization study (2010–2016) placed Agra eighth most polluted nationally.

Infrastructure connects Agra to major cities by road, rail and air. National Highways NH 19 and NH 21 link Delhi and Jaipur, respectively; the Yamuna Expressway—a controlled-access, six-lane route of 165 km—shortens travel from Delhi to about two hours. The Agra-Lucknow Expressway spans 302 km, also six lanes. NH 509 connects to Moradabad via Aligarh; NH 44 provides a route to Gwalior; buses—with major hubs at the ISBT, Idgah, Taj and Fort depots—serve the northern states. Within the city, auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws operate on Mahatma Gandhi Marg, the principal thoroughfare. The Agra Airport at Kheria, under Indian Air Force control, handles flights to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Bangalore.

Seven railway stations—Agra Cantonment, Raja-Ki-Mandi, Agra Fort, Idgah, Agra City, Jamuna Bridge and Billochpura—fall under the North Central Railway. Services include mail and express trains, the Rajdhani and Shatabdi superfast services, and the Gatimaan Express, which covers the Agra-Delhi route in about 100 minutes. The luxury Maharajas’ Express links Agra with other heritage destinations.

Urban transit now includes the Agra Metro, whose Priority Corridor opened on 6 March 2024. This 6 km stretch between the Taj East Gate and Jama Masjid comprises three elevated stations—Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road—and three underground stops at Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid. Phase 1 continues under construction with two lines: the Yellow Line (14.25 km, six stations elevated, seven underground) due for completion in 2026, and the Blue Line (15.40 km, fully elevated, 15 stations) expected by December 2025.

Agra’s economy balanced a Gross Domestic Product of approximately ₹40,210 crores (2018–19), placing it third within Uttar Pradesh. Agriculture sustains some 40 percent of the populace, while the remainder engage in manufacturing and tourism. The city’s heritage monuments—three of which hold UNESCO World Heritage status—anchor its identity. The Taj Mahal, designated in 1983, combines Persian, Islamic and Indian craftsmanship in a design that integrates gateway, gardens, mosque, jawab and mausoleum across forty-two acres. Agra Fort, earlier sanctioned in 1565, and Fatehpur Sikri, abandoned as capital in 1585, together clarify Agra’s central role during the Mughal era. Contemporary Agra remains defined by this legacy, its streets and bazaars interwoven with centuries of artistry and enterprise.