The city's second must-see sight, Agra Fort (tajmahal.gov.in/agrafort.aspx; adult/under 15yr ₹650/free, Fri ₹600) was originally constructed as a purely functional fortification, before being glammed up with marble trim, lavish palaces and pleasure gardens.
Known as the Badalgarh, the original brick Hindu fort on the site was seized by Sikander Lodi, sultan of Delhi, after he moved his capital to Agra in 1504, and promptly rebuilt in more solid sandstone. Every subsequent Mughal emperor from Babur to Aurangzeb resided here at one point or another.
It was Akbar who raised the impregnable walls that stand today, and Shah Jahan who gave the place a lavish makeover to create a suitably royal dwelling. It's everything you could ask from a medieval fortress – brutally functional but also elegantly luxurious, befitting a dynasty that blended military ruthlessness with a passion for the arts.
Entering through the ornate Amar Singh Gate (note the blue glazed tiles, hinting at Central Asia design ideas), you'll emerge into an open courtyard, with the main palaces lined up to your right. First is the 16th-century Akbari Palace, today mainly a ruin, executed in simple red sandstone.
Mughal design had evolved by the time Jehangir created the Jahangiri Palace in the 17th century, primarily as a residence for the royal wives and concubines. Its sandstone walls are finely inlaid with white marble and covered in a tracery of bas-reliefs that only become apparent as you get closer. Note Jehangir's huge step-in bathtub, displayed in front of the palace.
From the rear courtyard, you'll get your first Taj views as you follow the walls into the ice-white Khas Mahal, marking another shift in Mughal aesthetics. At its heart is an elegant marble pavilion, fronted by fountains and gardens and covered in fine carvings and inlays. Head into the corner of the courtyard to peek into the mirrored Sheesh Mahal.
At the far corner of the walls stands the Musamman Burj, a graceful, intricately inlaid octagonal tower overlooking the Yamuna, where Shah Jahan spent his final years imprisoned with a view of his wife's tomb in the Taj. This was a gilded prison, but it must have been torment for the grieving emperor after being deposed by his power-hungry son.
Go upstairs past two mosques reserved for personal use by the royals, to reach the marble Diwan-i-Khas, where emperors held private audiences with visiting dignitaries. The courtyard in front blends Mughal, Hindu and baroque elements.
Next, enter the vast courtyard housing the enormous Diwan-i-Am, whose outsized proportions were intended to project the might of Mughal power to those arriving for public audiences. Note the incongruously placed grave of John Russell Colvin, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Provinces, who died here during the First War of Independence in 1857.
Regrettably, your explorations end here. The gleaming Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) whose white domes you can see peeking up beyond the courtyard is sadly off limits.
