What do you need for a road trip, apart from a certain amount of bravery and a touch of madness? A car, of course. Over the last few years, a whole slew of new cars have arrived in our country - big, small, exciting, dull - and Ive been lucky enough to drive a few of them during my jaunts (twelve, to be precise). I enjoy driving, so as far as Im concerned almost any car will do, but I do have a few favourites.

My first ever trip was in a Tangerine Mist Siena 1.2, after which I drove a succession of Fiats. I loved them all, particularly the Palio (despite several, er, quirks, which shall remain unnamed). It was just the right size, rode beautifully and had enough handling prowess to be fun around bends.

Contrary to most rumours, it didnt guzzle gas either - I never got less than 12 kpl in any of them. I havent driven a Fiat in a while (how I wish theyd given me the stonking 1.6 GTX), but whenever I do I feel immediately at home. Next in line is the old City 1.5, in which I did a Delhi-Agra run in two hours flat. Man, that thing went like a fox with a hundred hounds behind it, and it handled too.

New Delhi : Buoyed by the growing popularity of the Palace on Wheels trains particularly among foreign tourists, Railways is considering at least half a dozen proposals from private groups, including one from hospitality major the Oberoi chain of hotels, to operate a similar luxury services.

We are actively considering at least five to six proposals including the one sent by Oberoi Group of Hotels to run Palace on Wheels type trains involving Indian Railways, P K Goel, Managing Director of the IRCTC told reporters.

The Oberoi Group of Hotels sent their proposals to run a Luxury train in Rajasthan and we hope that it would be finalised within the next two-to-threee months, he said.

Once finalised, Goel said it would be the third such venture in historically and culturally rich Rajasthan.

AGRA: At least four students were injured on Thursday when police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them when they blocked the Agra-Kanpur by-pass here to protest the cancellation of BSc forestry results, examination for which was held in 2004.

However, Senior Superintendent of Police, Agra, Rajiv Krishna said that police did not lathi charged but detained some students for talks and for an amicable settlement of the dispute.

The students, who belong to Shivdan College, Iglas, Aligarh and PG College, Nidhauli Kalan, Etah have been agitating since May 15 following the cancellation of their results by the authorities of Dr BR Ambedkar University saying large scale irregularities had been detected in the 2004 examinaion.

Kailash Fair (Aug./Sep.)

Held at Kailash, 12 km. It is a major fair celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva who is believed to have appeared here in the form of a stone lingam.

Sheetia Fair (July/Aug.)

It is held near Delhi Gate.

Bateshwar Fair

This month long festival is held annually during the month of November. Situated at a distance of 70 km. from Agra on the banks of river Yamuna, Bateshwar is an important spiritual and cultural centre.
The place is named after the presiding deity of the region, Bateshwar Mahadeo and has 108 temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. During the months of Oct. & Nov. a large fair is organised from Shashthi of Kartik month to Panchami of Agrahayan month. Devotees congregate here in large numbers to worship Lord Shiva and take holy dips in river Yamuna. A livestock fair is also organised and owners and buyers conduct serious business combined with the gaiety of a market place.

The Holy Urs Fair

Urs Festival of Ajmer Sharif is held in the holy town of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. The Urs Fair is held in honour of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. On this occasion a special prayers are offered at the mosque and huge amount of consecrated food is offered to the pilgrims cooked in the large, steaming cauldrons.

The Urs Festival in Ajmer, Rajasthan is marked with quwwallis - sung at night. The celebrations the unite people of all faiths, and the complete town is decorated with buntings and wears the spirit of festivity.

Book your tour to Urs Fair

Urs Festival is an occasion for thousands of devout to congregate at the shrine and offer their prayers. All of Ajmer seems to be in a festive mood and several programmes are organised to mark the festivals.

Legends
Ajmer Sharif is the final resting place for ‘Gharib-Nawaz’, Moinuddin Chishti is located in Ajmer. People of all religions visit the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The Khwaja left for heavenly abode in 1256 AD after a six day prayer in seclusion. These six days are celebrated every year as the annual Urs, which is attended by innumerable pilgrims irrespective of their faith. The shrine is considered to be a place of wish fulfillment for those who pray with devout and pure hearts.

Be Part of the Fair
The Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharif is one place of worship, where people from all the walks of life come to offer there respect for the Sufi Saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The place is thronged by several thousand pilgrims at the time of Urs Festival. It is considered to be a place of wish fulfillment for those who pray with devout and pure hearts.

If you are planning to make it, for the coming Urs festival, then plan your tour to Ajmer Sharif accordingly. You can reach Ajmer either by air, train or bus.

Ajmer is close to Jaipur (135km), the capital city of Rajasthan. If one wishes to board a flight, then one has to take the route, Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer. Ajmer doesn’t have its own airport. The closest airport from Ajmer is the airport at Jaipur. From there you can either board a train or bus or any other means of communication, available regularly.

Ajmer is also directly connected by train from Delhi and other major cities of Rajasthan. If you are planning travel to Ajmer by road then, you can either pick a private vehicle or also Rajasthan Roadways buses - plied regularly from Delhi.

Once in Ajmer, the Dargah is about 4 kms from the railway station and another 5 kms from the bus terminal. It can easily be reached either by hiring an auto rickshaw or taking a brisk 15-minute walk.

Taj Mahotsav

Taj Mahotsav is the place where the legendary artisans and master craftsmen input life into their exquisite works of art. Marble inlay apart, the Festival brings forth an array of other fine crafts as well- wood carvings from Saharanpur, brass and other metalware from Moradabad, handmade carpets of Badohi, the blue pottery of Khurja, the Chikan work of Lucknow, the silk of Benaras… to name a few. Agra with its legendary tradition of elegant craftsmanship is thus the ideal venue for holding a culture & crafts fair like the Taj Mahotsav.

Organized by the Uttar Pradesh department of tourism in Agra, India the Taj Mahotsav is a lot more than a mere annual event, it is an expression of the spirit of joy and love, you are bound to feel the magnetic romanticism that seems to emanate from the splendid and pristine Taj as you participate in the joyful celebrations and activities that characterize this 10-day cultural extravaganza. Besides these, crafts include wood carvings from Saharanpur, brass and other metal ware from Moradabad, handmade carpets of Badohi, the pottery of Khurja, chickan-work of Lucknow, the silk of Banares and much more.

Throughout the Mahotsav, one can experience the profusion of folk music and dances of Dundelkhand, ‘Nautanki’ (Drama), ‘Sapera’ dance of Rajasthan, Lavani of Maharashtra… performed in the same way as it used to be centuries ago. Agra is known for it’s breathtaking, centuries old edifices. Experience the pomp and show of the bygone eras, which are portrayed through the classical performances held at the ageless sites, recreating the splendour and ambience once associated with Mughal Emperors.

The Taj Mahotsav is truly India at her best with a glimpse of her rich heritage and extraordinary legacies.

Rambarat Festival at Agra

Rambarat or Wedding ceremony of Lord Rama is celebrated every year during Ramleela celebrations. Ramleela celebrations continue for 10 days where on each day in the evening, plays are enacted by local artists based on the holy book of Ramayana.

Every year, a new locale of the town is chosen as Janak puri- the place to which Sita belonged or the kingdom of Raja Janak ( King Janak)-father of Sita. The place is elaborately decorated to perform the royal wedding. The Rambarat (marriage procession) starts from Lala Channomalji Ki Baradari for Janak puri, passing through different parts of the town. The barat is a large procession of tableaux or the ‘jhankis’, followed by the portraits of Ram-Lakshman mounted on elephants, which moves throughout the city during whole night.

History of Agra

Agra has a rich historical background that is long dated back in Indian history its been India’s capital for long time before it was shifted to Delhi for good, which is vastly evident from the numerous historical monuments in and around the city of Agra. The earliest reference for Agra comes from the epical age, when Mahabharata refer Agra as Agravana.

Agra was referred by one other name prior to Agravana & that was Arya Griha or the abode of the Aryans. The first person who referred Agra by its modern name was Ptolemy. Hence it was called by name of Agra then onwards & has become integral part of Indian tourist map; people visiting India make it a point that they visit this city of love & historical importance that has its own charm for tourists.

Though the heritage of Agra city is linked with the Mughal dynasty, numerous other rulers also contributed to the rich past of this city. Modern Agra was founded by Sikander Lodhi (Lodhi dynasty; Delhi Sultanate) in the 16th century. Babar (founder of the Mughal dynasty) also stayed for sometime in Agra and introduced the concept of square Persian-styled gardens here. Emperor Akbar built the Agra fort and Fathepur Sikri near Agra. Fathepur Sikri remained his capital for around fifteen years after which the city was left isolated in mysterious circumstances. Jehangir beautified Agra with palaces and gardens despite spending most of his time in Kashmir with which he was passionately attached but Agra, not for even a single time was out of his agenda so he kept on improving this city but only after Taj Mahal was built this city of love flourished in Mughal Empire.

It was the rule of Mughal Emperor Shahajahan when Agra came to its own. That was the time he marked the zenith of Mughal architecture in Agra, when he built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. In his later years, Shahajahan shifted his capital to the new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi and ruled from there. Shahajahan was dethroned in 1658 by his son, Aurangzeb who imprisoned him in the Agra Fort. Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Agra till his death. After the death of Aurangzeb, Mughal Empire could not touch its peak and many regional kingdoms emerged. The post-Mughal era of Agra saw the rule of the Jats, Marathas and finally the British taking over the city; hence the diversity in culture & architecture is evident in this historic place better known as simile of love… that is Agra.

Distances of Some Important Places from Agra

Allahabad : 425 km
Bangalore : 1858 km
Bhubaneshwar : 1542 km
Calcutta : 1258 km
Dehradun : 318 km
Delhi : 204 km
Gwalior : 118 km
Jaipur : 232 km
Lucknow : 363 km
Mumbai : 1197 km
Shimla : 545 km
Varanasi : 577 km