Travel bucket list idea:
India
|Founded in the 1520s by Babur, a warrior chieftain from present-day Uzbekistan and a descendant of Timur (or Tamerlane), the Mughal Empire quickly dominated most of north, central and even a swathe of south India for two centuries, before limping into terminal decline for a third.
At its height, the Mughals effectively ruled most of India, from present-day Pakistan all the way east to Assam, and from Kashmir in the north to parts of Tamil Nadu in the south.
Its military prowess, efficient administration and generally outward-looking embrace of existing elites and cultures helped generate prosperity, while its emperors patronised painting, literature and textiles.
But it’s their grand architecture, including some of India’s most iconic monuments such as the Taj Mahal, that have proved their most enduring and tangible legacy.
Its capital shifted between Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore (Pakistan), and it is these destinations which today boast virtually all of the Mughals’ finest monuments.
Much has been written about the Mughals; Bamber Gascoigne’s The Great Moghuls is an excellent and very readable account of its history and principal emperors.
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
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A symbol of Mughal military might, this massive, rust-red fort, built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573, is an almost self-contained royal city.
Adult price: £8
Best for ages 13+
Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
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An atmospheric ‘ghost city’ that provides a fascinating and unique insight into the Mughal court, and superb example of Mughal planning and architecture.
Best for ages 13+
Delhi, India
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Completed in 1656 by Emperor Shah Jahan, this is one of India’s largest and most beautiful mosques.
Adult price: £3
Best for ages 18+
Delhi, India
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Stunning mausoleum and precursor to the Taj Mahal, with tranquil well-maintained gardens.
Adult price: £1
Best for ages 13+
Delhi, India
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Vast sandstone-walled fort with gardens, audience halls and royal apartments – a high point of Mughal military architecture.
Adult price: £5
Best for ages 13+
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
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India’s iconic landmark and one of the world’s most beautiful buildings readily matches, if not exceeds, the hype. Built in 1653 by the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to entomb his wife, Mumtaz.
Best for ages 10+
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sometimes referred to as the ‘baby Taj’, this outstanding 17th-century noble’s tomb with formal gardens showcases the kind of pietra dura inlay on white marble that reached its apogee with the Taj Mahal.
Adult price: £2
Best for ages 18+
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
New Delhi
Price: $72
Min age: 0
Rating 4.42 / 5 [14 ratings]
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
India’s cultural essence combined with its most iconic sights and greatest bucket list experiences, all distilled into one compact, diverse and vibrant region.
Uttar Pradesh, India
Home to the iconic Taj Mahal, the relentlessly congested and clamourous city of Agra and its hinterland host an array of superb Mughal architecture, along with vigorous bazaars.
India
India’s intense sight- and monument-filled capital is a compelling blend of the modern Raj-influenced New Delhi, and the sights, sounds and smells of Old Delhi’s heaving and exotic lanes and bazaars.
Rajasthan, India
Rajasthan’s state capital is a compelling blend of huge hillside forts, extravagant palaces, bustling bazaars, memorable heritage hotels and almost comically thronged streets.
