• LOHAGARH FORT OR THE 'IRON FORT'
• GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
• THE PALACE
• DEEG
  • BENGAL CHAMBER
  • GOPAL BHAVAN
  • SURAJ BHAVAN
  • NAND BHAVAN
  • PURANA MAHAL
  • DEEG FORT

LOHAGARH FORT OR THE 'IRON FORT'

The Lohagarh Fort, true to its name, stood solidly in front of many British attacks. It faced the British onslaught four times and after a long siege they had to withdraw. However, Lord Lake was successful in capturing it in 1804.

It is very different from the other forts in the state. While it lacks flamboyance, it generates an aura of strength and magnificence. The fort is surrounded by a moat which was previously filled with water to ward off the enemy attacks. The sandy ramparts were strengthened by sandy battlements, thus the enemy guns proved of no avail.

Some interesting monuments in the fort are Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas. Moti Mahal and towers like Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj were erected to commemorate the victory over the Mughals and the British army. The Gateway has paintings of huge elephants.

GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
The building Kamra Khas within the fort has been converted into a museum, displaying a rich collection of antiquities, exquisite sculptures and some ancient inscriptions. The sculptures speak volumes about the art of a bygone era and culture typical of this area. The inscriptions are of immense historical value and help in tracing back the royal lineage as well as the local life.

Timings : 10 AM to 4 PM (Closed on Friday)

THE PALACE
It is a fine blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas. The magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles and exquisite intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing depicting collections dating back to 2nd century, which reflect the art and skill of the region.

DEEG (34 km.)
North of Bharatpur is this beautiful garden town. The gardens have been laid with great care and precision, the sparkling fountains and meticulous palaces add to the beauty of this idyllic retreat of the princes of Bharatpur. The tourists enjoy the charming settings of this agricultural town, along with the well preserved palace pavilions and gardens.

The fort stands majestically over a slightly elevated point, built by Raga Suraj Mal. The fort is surrounded by impressive moats and gateways. The interiors are mostly in ruins now, but the watchtower still stands in the ruins keeping an eye over the City and Palace.

Some very interesting buildings can be seen, like:

GOPAL BHAVAN

Completed in 1760, an imaginatively designed building complex with beautifully laid gardens at its entrance and the rear overlooks the Gopal Sagar which is flanked with smaller pavilions Sawan and Bhadon.
The formal gardens face a raised terrace with an arch of lustrous marble installed on a pedestal in the form of a swing. This exquisite swing is a war trophy brought in by the famous Jat king Raja Suraj Mal from the Mughal court in Delhi.
The spacious and well-proportioned Banquet Hall has a double row of graceful pillars. The rear of the chamber is further divided by a charming sunken pool with fountains. The Banquet hall houses a rich collection of curios, souvenirs and Victorian furniture. Staircases wind up to the upper floors. One room contains a solid black marble bed from Delhi.

BENGAL CHAMBER

It houses the dining room, and has sloping arches, with comfortable cushions along the outer edges forming the seating area. The walls of the royal Chess Room has trellis design and are painted in soft red.

SURAJ BHAVAN

To the east of the main building, this palace has balconies overhanging the water. The entire palace in marble is like an airy pavilion with fine ornamentation within the apartments.

NAND BHAVAN

It is a large audience hall. KRISHNA BHAVAN, and the ingeniously designed water works of KESHAV BHAVAN, with an open twelve- pillared pavilion are of great interest.

PURANA MAHAL

It is the oldest palace, planned as a spacious rectangle encircled by compartments and chamber, it has a collection of some very fine Rajput and Mughal schools.

FATEHPUR SIKRI

Fatehpur Sikri, a city predominantly in red sand-stone, situated at a distance of 37 kms from Agra, was built by the Mughal Emperor Jalal-ud-din Mohammad Akbar, in honour of the great Sufi saint Salim Chisti ; its magnificence and uniqueness offers a fine example of the emperor's architectural finesse. Akbar's tolerant religious views and interest in literature, architecture and fine arts gave the buildings at Fatehpur Sikri a charismatic blend of Islamic and Hindu elements in their style and design.

At Fatehpur Sikri during sunset and sunrise, the turrets and domes create shadows and silhouette against the copper red sky; which truly is an inspirational scene for a painter's canvas or the visitor's eyes.

TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal is the epitome of Mughal art and one of the most famous buildings in the world. Yet there have been few serious studies of it and no full analysis of its architecture and meaning. Ebba Koch, an important scholar,  has been permitted to take measurements of the complex and has been working on the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty years and on the Taj Mahal itself—the tomb of the emperor's wife, Mumtaz Mahal—for a decade.

The tomb is the representation of the house of the queen in Paradise, and  its setting was based on the palace gardens of the great nobles that lined both sides of the river at Agra India.  You will explore the entire complex of the Taj Mahal with an explanation of each building and an account of the mausoleum's urban setting, its design and construction, its symbolic meaning, and its history up to the present day.

CHAMBAL SAFARI

The National Chambal Sanctuary was set up in 1979 as a riverine sanctuary along an approximately 425 km length of the. Chambal River and its ravines stretching over 2-6 km wide along the river.The Project is managed by the Wildlife wing of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and is head-quartered at Agra.
National Chambal Sanctuary is the main area for the species reintroduction programmme of the crocodilian species Gavialis gangeticus (Gharial) .Chambal supports the largest population of Gharials in the wild.One of the few places to spot the Platanista gangetica - Gangetic Dolphins. (National Aquatic Animal ). Only known place where nesting of Indian Skimmers is recorded in large numbers. Chambal supports 8 rare turtle species out of the 26 found in the country. Chambal is one of the cleanest rivers in the country. Chambal supports more than 320 resident and migrant birds.

NCS is a Tristate sanctuary with an area of 635 sq. kms in Uttar Pradesh, spread over Agra and Etawah districts. Part of the NCS also lies in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.