Agra as a city of the state of Uttar Pradesh is deeply associated with the mighty Mughal empire and is situated on the banks of the River Yamuna. The city has a very ancient past and was mentioned for the first time in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana, or Paradise.
The city is situated at 27.18° N 78.02° E, on the bank of Yamuna River and has an average elevation of 171 metres (561 feet). The city is bounded on the north 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 sub-tropical and is porone to extremes. During the summer the temperature reaches to 45°C (113°F) and in winter the average temperature falls to as low as 2°C (35.6°F). The rainy season happens to be between June and September and annual rainfall of 660 millimeters is recorded.
 The city has been a seat of arts and legends. Though it had been under the hegemony of various royal dynasties, but the Muaghal empire had the greatest influence on it. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658. The city also played a gallant role during the Indian rebellion of 1857 when the rebel soldiers took shelter in the city but were actually defeated. From then to 1947 the city had been under the administration of the British Raj.
However, nowdays Agra is more famous as a major tourist destination because of abounding Mughal-era buildings. There are indeed many like Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, MankaMeswar Mandir, but the most famous has been Taj Mahal. It is to be noted that Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings and also one of the 7 wonders in the world. It is in true sense the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The entire creation, built between 1630-1652, is one of the finst specimens of human excellence and magnificience.
Besides, Agra has always been a famous center for eduacation and learning. In the Mughal era the cause of Islamic education was patronised specially. It was also the era when the literary figures like Abu Fazal used to rule the cultural atmosphere of the city. This led to the development of the Urdu literature in a great way.
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Agra
