• Monuments in Uttar Pradesh include the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.Taj Mahal image by Jono026 from Fotolia.com
  
  The state of Uttar Pradesh, located in northern India, is the world's most populated sub-national entity. Known as the birthplace of Hinduism, it offers many destinations for religious pilgrimages. For visitors in search of historical monuments, it also provides several attractions that range from symbols of love and devotion to an ancient fortified city.
  
  

Taj Mahal

• The Taj Mahal, located on the banks of the Yamuna River in the city of Agra, is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Standing as a symbol of love, it was completed in 1653 after 22 years of construction in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The 42-acre property consists of the 115-foot main mausoleum (constructed of white marble and containing the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan), a four-sided base structure 180 feet in length on each of the four sides, walkways, formal gardens (including four waterways that divide the formal gardens into four parts), four minarets (each 130 feet in height), a reflecting pool, and a number of buildings that include a mosque and a guesthouse.
  
  

Fatehpur Sikri

• Fatehpur Sikri, located approximately 25 miles west of Agra, is one of the best surviving examples of Mughal architecture in India. Built in the 1570s, the Emperor Akbar constructed the city in honor of Sheikh Salim Chishti, a Sufi mystic who helped answer the emperor's prayer for a son. Active for only 16 years, it is now a deserted city that consists of decorative walls, palaces, baths, courts and former gardens. Major attractions on the property include the Royal Mosque (which includes the white-marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti), the dargah (the site where childless women come for blessing of the saint), the Buland Darwaza (a 177-foot gateway to celebrate Emperor Akbar's successful Gujarat campaign), the Panch Mahal (a five-story palace originally home to the women of the royal household), and the Anup Talao, also known as the Peerless Pool where the emperor would entertain his guests.
  
  

Agra Fort

• The Agra Fort, located approximately two miles northwest of the Taj Mahal, is one of the best examples of a fort in India. Constructed in 1565 by Emperor Akbar, the crescent-shaped fort served as the imperial city for the emperor as well as several future Mughal rulers and also once housed the state treasury and mint. It is constructed of red sandstone and surrounded by a 1.5-mile fortified 72-foot wall and a moat 29 feet wide and 33 feet deep. The major attractions include the Jahangir Mahal (a decorative stone structure used to the house of the women), the Khas Mahal (the emperor's sleeping quarters constructed of white marble), the Shish Mahal (a former harem that includes the best examples of glass-mosaic decoration in India), the Musamman Burj (a decorative octagonal tower), and the Diwan-e-Aam (containing the Peacock Throne, primarily used by Shah Jahan after he relocated his capital city to Delhi).