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By Root 2500 0

The Park’s hugely popular (and undeniably sexy) bar—with a small dance floor for bhangra swingers—designed by London’s Conran & Partners; it’s worth popping into, not least for its funky decor, beanbags, and leather sofas, and nifty bar staff in designer gear by Rohit Bal. On weekends there’s sure to be a crowd you won’t be able to take your eyes off, although things shut down around 3am. If you want to party into the wee hours (5am), make your (rather long) way to Elevate (fifth floor, Centre Stage Mall, Noida, southeast of Delhi; 0120/436-4611 or 97-1100-0728; www.elevateindia.com), a spacious three-story club that plays a variety of sounds including commercial, R&B, and electronic music, with some trance/psychedelic stuff thrown in for good measure. Strictly for those who need to feel the music pulsate through their bodies, the club regularly has an international DJ playing the latest world trends—the 1-hour travel time from the heart of the city is the only drawback. With its black walls and pink lights, Decibel (Hotel Samrat, Kautilya Marg; 011/2611-0606) in Chanakyapuri (east of Khan Market, easily accessed from anywhere in south or central Delhi) is another trendy nightclub with a large dance floor that draws a jet-setting crowd here to sip fine cocktails and dance away the calories to the fairly commercial music.

2 Agra

200km (124 miles) SE of Delhi; 60km (37 miles) E of Bharatpur; 120km (75 miles) N of Gwalior

Agra

Agra is invariably included on every first-time visitor’s itinerary, for who visits India without visiting the Taj? Home to three generations of one of the most dynamic dynasties in the medieval world, their talent and wealth immortalized in stone and marble, Agra is home to the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India, of which the Taj is simply the most famous. The beauty of these buildings will bowl you over, but knowing something of the dramatic history that played itself out on these stages (see “The Life & Times of the Mughal Emperors,” below) makes the entire Agra experience come alive.

To soak up this fascinating history in the walls and rooms that resonated to Mughal voices, you should ideally set aside 2 full days here and hire the services of a good guide. And, if your budget can stretch that far, there’s only one place to stay: the palatial Amarvilās, where every room has a view of the Taj.

The Life & Times of the Mughal Emperors

Babur, the first Mughal emperor—inspired by the Persians’ belief that a cultured leader should re-create the Islamic ideal of a “garden of paradise” here on earth—built three gardens on the banks of the Yamuna. But Agra only took shape as a city under his grandson, Akbar, the third Mughal emperor. Son of the poet-astronomer-philosopher Humayun (whose tomb is in Delhi, described earlier in this chapter), Akbar moved the capital here in 1566. While Akbar was as versatile as his father, he was also a better statesman, revered for his religious tolerance and relatively understated lifestyle. He took the throne at age 13 and ruled for almost 50 years, when he consolidated the Mughal empire and wooed the Hindu “underlings” by abolishing taxes, banning the slaughter of cows, promoting Hindu warriors within his army, and taking a Rajput princess as his bride, who bore him a son, Jahangir. In gratitude for the appearance of an heir, Akbar built a brand-new city, Fatehpur Sikri, which lies 40km (25 miles) southwest and is today one of Agra’s top attractions.

The grandeur of this statement of gratitude indicates that Akbar must have, at least at first, been a very indulgent father, though his joy must later have been tinged with disappointment, for at an age when he himself was ruling India, Jahangir (who was to be his only surviving son) was relishing his reputation as a womanizer and acquiring a deep affection for alcohol, opium, painting, and poetry. When Jahangir fell in love with Nur Jahan, his “light of the world,” who was at the time married, Akbar opposed the alliance. But after her husband died (under mysterious circumstances, it must be said), Jahangir