The Festival
Of course, Agra is renowned for it's magnificent centuries old forts and monuments and Taj Mahal is the main attraction of the city. But the Taj Mahotsav is also a big crowd puller and if you visit the city during the Taj Mahotsav your fun and enjoyment increase many folds.

A 10 days event, Taj Mahotsav is organised by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism department at Shilpgram close to Taj Mahal. Starting on 18th February each year the Taj Mahotsav is a much-awaited event and brings together the finest crafts and cultural nuances of India. Here you can get a glimpse of India's rich cultural hertiage and extraordinary legacies.

Also known as Taj Mahal Utsav, the festival provides a wonderful chance to the skilled artisans to display their magnificent works of art. Highlights of the festival include the display of rich culture, arts, crafts, cuisine, music and dance of Uttar Pradesh.

So, visit the festival this February, check out rich arts and crafts of Uttar Pradesh, savour mouth-watery dishes, refresh your mind with soothing music, shake your bones with folk dances and go back to your home some long lasting memories.

Legends
Any specific legend is not associated with celebration of Taj Mahotsav. The festival is organised annually to recreate the grandeur of Mughals. Besides, it also showcases rich arts and crafts and some of oldest cuisines and the typical preparations of Uttar Pradesh.

Taj Mahotsav Celebrations
Taj Mahotsav begins with a impressive procession inspired by Mughal grandeur. The glorious past of the mighty Mughals are recreated by the bedecked elephants and camels, drummers, folk artists and master craftsmen participating in the festival. For ten days the festival venue comes alive with culture, crafts and traditions of Uttar Pradesh and rest of the India.

Some of the popular crafts displayed here include brass and metal ware from Moradabad, wood carvings from Saharanpur, handmade carpets of Badohi, the pottery of Khurja, chickan-work of Lucknow, the silk sarees of Banaras (Varanasi) and many other items. Of course, Marble rules the Taj Mahotsav and you will find a variety of marble items in the festival.

Any Indian fair or festival is not complete without exotic cuisine, so in Taj Mahotsav as well you can savour some of the best and richest foods of Uttar Pradesh. The food festival organised during the Taj Mahotsav provides you a wonderful experience to savour with delectable cuisines of the state.

Another highlight of Taj Mahotsav is amazing folk music and dance performances by the folk artists of different states of India. You can enjoy folk music and dances of Dundelkhand, Nautanki (drama), Sapera (snake) dance of Rajasthan, Lavani of Maharashtra and many other interesting music and dance forms.

If you wish to shake your legs, you can join in with the folk dancers enjoying swinging to a different dancing styles. Musical recitals by maestros, shayari (poetry) by the poets and cultural shows are other highlights of the Taj Mahal festival.

Taj Mahotsav Dates in 2008
18th - 27th February