Your Guide to India - Uttar Pradesh

Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world-the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries. So overwhelming is the exquisite beauty and presence of this marble mausoleum that centuries later today, even the very land where it has been located - Agra - has been immortalised as the City of the Taj. Yet, it doesn't take much for the roving eye to discover that there's more to Agra than just the fabled Taj Mahal. The city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery… a freeze-frame from a resplendent era that's long since gone by.

Varanasi Banaras

Varanasi is one are the oldest living citys in the world and the altimate pilgrimage for Hindus, who believe that to die in the city is to attain instant salvation. Situated on the banks of the Ganga, Varanasi is the tract of holy land lying between the rivers Varuna and Assi. Which flow into the Ganga. Varanasi is also known as Kashi, the city of light, since one of the twelve "Jyotirlinga" is installed here. Mark twain, the American writer who visited the city, wrote "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, even older than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together" Varanasi has been a great cultural center, especially in the field of music, learning and the craft of silk weaving. Some of most renowned exponents of music have drawn their inspiration from Varanasi.