Private Agra Culture Walk Old City Charm

The tour starts at the parking lot of Agra Fort,
from where guests board cycle rickshaws to
old Agra bazaar where our first stop-over is the
magnificent Shahi Jama Masjid.

A royal mosque, Shahi Jama Masjid was built by
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s eldest and most
favourite daughter Jahanara Begum in 1648.

Our next stop is the iconic Chimmanlal Poori
Wale, a 200-year-old shop. It’s run by the
sixth generation of the same family and has
been situated at the same place for about two

centuries. The shop is famous for its mouth-
watering Indian delicacies.

Food tasting here is optional.

We then introduce you to paan — a preparation
combining betel leaf with areca nut. It is chewed
for its stimulating and psychoactive effects.
After chewing, it is either spat out or swallowed.
Paan has many variations, and is mostly eaten
post a meal as a digestive.

The old Agra bazaar is famous for its Paan
leaves auction since the time of the Mughals, a
tradition which continues to this day. The leaves
for the auction come from neighbourhood cities
and also from Kolkata every day.

Bridal Lehenga Workshop

Indian weddings are known for their elaborate
traditional outfits, with the mainstay being the
bride’s outfit called a lehenga. We’ll take you to
one of the workshops where they craft bridal
lehengas.

If desired, guests can also put on one of the
lehengas and get themselves clicked in beautiful
Indian attire.

Mankameshwar Mandir is one of the most ancient
temples devoted to Lord Shiva. The Shivlinga is
covered by silver metal and was founded by Lord
Shiva himself. The most unique aspect of the
temple is that this is the only temple of Lord Shiva
with his face carved on it.

21 Akhand Jyoti (eternal flame) are lit every day.
Devotees after fulfilling their wishes come here to
light a diya and make very generous donations.

Post the temple visit, we also offer guests the
option of tasting paan.

Musician’s Balcony

This is a temple also known as Temple of
Bihari Ji and is famous for its ornately
carved balcony. It was built by a merchant
named Mohan Lal in 1880. Mohan Lal was
the maker of brocade borders for saaris and
his family is still involved in their traditional
business of brocade borders. It is about 135
years old, but still in very good condition.

Rawatpara Spice Market

A 500-year-old spice market
set up by the Mughal emperors to cater to the
spice needs of the fort. This marketplace is
constantly bustling with activity and frantic
shoppers from the city.

On this aromatic walk through the spice market,
we will also take guests to Bombay Sarai — a
building known for its ornate railings that were
imported back in the day from England by
famous spice merchant Kanomal.

We will also be crossing Lohar Gali, a bustling
street with vendors selling all kinds of things.
This street is most famous for selling bangles.

From here, the walking part of the tour ends
and we take guests back to Agra Fort parking in
cycle rickshaws.

From Agra Fort parking, we get into cars and
head to Gyarah Sidi (eleven steps), where you
see the remains of the astrological observatory
of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The ruins are
situated at a stone’s throw from Babur’s Mehtab
Bagh, in a field on the banks of the Yamuna river.

The Culture walk will end at Taj View Point, one
of the best vantage points in the city to view
and photograph the exquisite Taj Mahal.