Situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, this little city of Agra is one of the major tourist destinations of the world due to the presence of many splendid Mughal-era buildings as Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. The three are aclaimed as the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. These monuments are the heritage sites of our country. Agra is the third biggest city in Uttar Pradesh.

Agra is a city of the past filled with graveyards and stones. It is a vibrant center of Culture, Art and Religious philosophies. Agra is famous for handicrafts products as leatherwork, footwear, brass wear, carpets, jewelry, zari and embroidery work.

Origin of name of Agra
Agra was perhaps named after the Indian city where the great monument, Taj Mahal was located. Some say that the city was named after the daughter of an official of the Rock Island Railroad.

History of Agra
Agra finds mention in the Mhabharata, where it is mentioned as Agrabana. Ptolemy the famous second century A.D. geographer, marked it on his map as Agra. It is believed that Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Ruler of Delhi Sultanate founded Agra in the year 1504. After his death the city passed on to the hands of his son Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. He ruled the Sultanate from Agra until he fell fighting to Babur in the First battle of Panipat. It is said that the golden age of Agra began with the Mughals. It was then the capital of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The city was known then as Akbarabad. It was one of the important cities in India under the rule of Mughals.

It was Babur( Mughal Dynasty), who laid the first Persian garden on the banks of River Yamuna. His grandson Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort. He also made Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city on the outskirts of Akbarabad called Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar`s son Jahangir laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila.

Shah Jahan gifted Akbarabad the most eternal monument of love, The Taj Mahal, which he built in the loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal was complete in 1648. His son Aurangazeb later shifted his capital to Akbarabad and imprisoned his father in a fort there. Akbarabad remained capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb until he shifted it to Aurangabad in 1653.

After the downfall of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats and was called Agra, before the land fell into the clutches of the British Raj in 1803.

Geography of Agra
Agra is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, India. On the north, Agra is bounded by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on the east by Firozabad, on the south-east by Fatehabad and on the west by Bharatpur. The climate of Agra is tropical and is prone to extreme temperatures. The temperature rises to 45ºC during the summer and as low as 4ºC in the winter. Agra experiences monsoon between June and September and the city receives an annual rainfall of 26 inches.

Demography of Agra
Agra had a population of 1400000 as per the census of 2001. About 53% of the population constitues males and females constitute 47% of the population. The average literacy rate of Agra is 65%, which is higher than the national average of 63.5%. About 76% of the males and 53% of females are literate.

Divisions of Agra
Agra is an administartive state of Uttar Pradesh. The divisions of Agra comprises of

Agra District

Aligarh District

Etah District

Firozabad District

Mainpuri District

Hathras District

Mathura District

Education of Agra
The joint director of education administers control over the district inspector of schools, assistant director, basic education and Deputy Director of Education in Agra. At the district level, there is district inspector, who looks after the financial and administrative control of all high school and inter college in the district. There are deputy inspectors who give guidance to him. All the primary and junior high schools are under control the control of Basic Shiksha adhikari, Agra.

Economy of Agra
The economy of Agra is based on agriculture, small scale industries and other trades. The major crops grown in the region are wheat, mustard, paddy, bajra, potato etc. The agriculture activities in the district comes under joint director, whose head quarters is at Agra. Directly or indirectly, 40% of the total economy of Agra depends on industry. Over 7200 Small Scale Industrial Units are spread all over the district that are engaged in the production of leather goods, handicrafts, zardozi, marble and stone carving and inlay work. Agra is also well known for delicious sweets as peda and snaks as dalmoth and Gaja.

Culture of Agra
Agra is an amalgamation of various cultures. The traces of the different cultures can be seen in each and every part of the country. The city is a mixture of both rustic and modern lifestyle. As Agra falls under the Brij region in Uttar Pradesh. The city is influenced by the Brij culture. People`s food habits, language and attires have influences from the Brij culture. The culture of Agra can be described as amalgamation of Brij culture and Mughal culture. We see that two different cultures come together to form the culture of Agra India. Men were dhoti and kurta and women wear traditional sarees.

The festivals celebrated in Agra are Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Muharrum, Diwali,Taj Mahotsav etc. Agra is also popular for its Id Melas and the colourful Tazias taken out on Muharram. Diwali, the festival of lights, is popularly celebrated here. The Taj Mahotsav festival is a culturally vibrant platform that brings together the finest Indian crafts and cultural nuances. There are celebrations ranging from folk music, poetry, classical dance performances, elephant and camel rides to games and a food festival. There are possessions with decorated elephants, camels, drumbeaters, folk artists and master craftsmen. The Taj food festival is an experience to savor exotic cuisines and delicacies and the Craft Mela exhibits exquisite crafts like marble inlays, wood carvings, brass and metal ware, handmade carpets, the blue pottery, the Chikan works, Banares Silk etc. There are other festivals that are common to other regions of the country.

Transportation of Agra
As the city is a destination for both national and international tourists, the city is well connected by air, roads and the rails to the rest of India.

Flora and fauna of Agra
The forest consists of ravines and some flat wastelands. The total forest area is 301.04 sq. km, which is 12.52 percent of the total geographical area. The forests belong to the "Northern Acacia Scrub" type forests. There are 560 species of plants, out of which 123 species bear medicinal value like Arjun, Neem, Bel, Indra Jav, Babool and Arvsa. The trees found in the district are Dhak, Aonla, Arjun, Ashok, Asna, Bahera, Bargad, Barhal, Bel, Eucalyptus, Gular,Gul Mohar, Jamu, Kaitha, Kathal , Khair , Mahua, Litchi, Neem (Pipal Sagon, Silver Oak, Safed and Shisham.

The fauna found in the region are hyenas, wolves, antelopes, Indian foxes, jackals, porcupines, monkeys, wild cats and hares. The reptiles include crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. Lizards of all kinds are abundantly found here, ranging from the large tree-climbing animals called gosamp to the harmless house lizard. There are snakes like cobra and krait. The most common types of birds found here are partridge, quails, florican, blue-rock pigeons, green pigeon, ducks, pochards, sheldrakes, gray goose, brahminy duck, peacocks, cranes, herons, waders, doves, parakeet and sparrows. Fishes as rohu, arwari, parhin, saur, bhur, patharchatta, mugri, dingar, haren, bas, kalwas, chal, katiya, ghegra, bighun, jhingra, grach, bam, papta, pariyasi, gudheya, tengan, siland, and jhinga are found here.