Parks and Gardens in Agra

Ask anyone about a popular Indian tourist destination, the most likely answer you may expect is Agra. Agra is a world renowned tourist destination. Each year, millions of tourists from different parts of India as well as tourists from far-off foreign countries come to Agra for a vacation. Agra is home to some of the most prestigious historic places that are rich in culture and tradition. There are also many well known parks and gardens in Agra. These parks and gardens in Agra are a major tourist attraction in the city.

One of the famous gardens in Agra is the Taj Mahal Gardens. As the name suggests, this is a beautiful Persian style garden located inside the Taj Mahal. This garden contains both Persian and Hindu elements. The Taj Mahal Gardens runs down from the main gateway of the marble monument of the Taj and stretches right up to the entrance of the burial chambers. The wonderful lush greenery of the garden also owes its beauty to immaculate geometrical measurements and symmetry.

Aalsi (Lazy) Bagh, Agra is considered to be the most ancient Mughal garden in India. This is one of the popular gardens in the city. In the year 1528, the garden of Aalsi Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Babur. The Aalsi Bagh is located at 27.28° north and 78.32° east. It is at a distance of about two and a half kilometers to the north of Taj Mahal.

The garden has an interesting love story behind it. Emperor Akbar went to the extent of lying idle in the garden for six consecutive days in order to force his beloved, who was a gardener to say `Yes' to his proposal. `Aalsi' is an Urdu term. The meaning of the word is `lazy'. Since, the garden is known as Aalsi Bagh or Aaram Bagh.