Guided Heritage Walking Tours – Discover Agra’s Monuments

We begin our stroll at Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India and an architectural wonder of the Mughals. You won’t have far to walk to enter downtown Agra from there, where history for centuries has defined a way of life.

Make your way through bustling by lanes to the holy Mankameshwar Mahadev Temple, the oldest sanctuary of the city. Behold the venerated Silver Lingam and discover the spiritual significance of the town, that existed well before the reign of the Mughals.

As you continue on the walk, wander down narrow streets flanked by shops selling wares used to decorate gods — flowers, bangles, fabrics, incense and ritual implements — that give you a peek at deeply entrenched religious traditions.

So come on in to Rawat Para of Agra’s famous spice market – Rawat Para, a key point on the ancient Silk Route. Take in richly carved and painted facades as your guide tells you how world trade made Agra a rich city in the days of the Mughals.

The walk brings you into Khoya Gali (a street famed for sweets and dairy products) and Chitti Khana (known for its vintage merchant houses). These streets exemplify the mixture of commerce, culture, and craftsmanship.

Go to Namak Ki Mandi, where talented craftspeople practice the age-old tradition of hammering out gold and silver into super-thin foils that go in Ayurvedic medicine among other things and on traditional sweets. This living tradition is a testament to Agra’s enduring strength as an artisanal blue blood.

The Akbari Mosque is close by; turn off and onto the original 16th-century street of Kinari Bazaar, which is now stone-paved. Walking through vibrant lanes, you can feel that the heritage is the soul of Agra.

The walk ends with a tranquil and rarely seen view of the Taj Mahal from the Yamuna River, a vantage point a great distance from the usual crowds — a perfect end to this immersive journey into heritage.