Ankush Group of Hotels & Resorts

Location: Shilpgram, Near Taj Mahal, Agra

Time: February

Duration: 10 days

Organized by: Uttar Pradesh Tourism

Significance: Celebrated to promote rich arts, crafts, culture, cuisine, dance and music of the state

Highlights: A procession taken out in the typical Mughal era style, food festival, performances by folk musicians and dancers, etc

Taj Mahotsav is celebrated at Agra in the month of February for ten days. Organized by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism, the Taj Mahotsav is mainly dedicated to the promotion of Uttar Pradesh's rich arts, crafts, culture, cuisine, dance and music. Infact, it serves as an acknowledgment to the craftsmen as well as the exponents of art, music and cuisine. The venue of the festival of Taj Mahostav is Shilpgram, which is stone's throw away from Taj Mahal. The festival starts with a procession including bejeweled elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen.

This procession is an effort to reconstruct the ones that were taken out during the time of the Mughals. The crafts that are showcased in the festival have immense variety and include:

Woodcarvings of Saharanpur

Brass and other metal ware of Moradabad

Handmade carpets of Badohi

Blue pottery of Khurja

Chikan work of Lucknow

Silk of Banares, etc

One of the major attractions of the Taj Mahal Utsav of Agra is the Food Festival, where you can get some of the oldest and the most typical delicacies from the interiors of Uttar Pradesh. Folk music and folk dances of Bundelkhand, 'Nautanki' (Drama), 'Sapera' dance of Rajasthan will further entertain you in this amazing festival.