Located at a distance of about 47 km from Agra is Firozabad, also known as the glass city of India and the city of bangles. Built by Tughlaq king, Feroz Shah Tughlaq, it is renowned for its glass bangles and other glass products. Local stories suggest that the city’s glass industry – which continues to thrive today – began when travellers brought glass articles to India. These objects were collected and heated in a furnace known as ‘bhainsa bhatti’ and remoulded to create bangles, marking the beginning of the trade. A suburb known as Suhag Nagar is a hub for glass bangles of all varieties in Firozabad. The Churi Bazaar (bangle market) offers you plenty of choices from the finest of their kind, and not only in glass – lac and metal bangles can also be bought here, all beautifully crafted by skilled craftspeople.

The city is also home to the Lord Bahubali Temple. It is an important centre for Jain pilgrimages as Lord Bahubali was the son of the founder of Jainism, the first tirthankar, Lord Rishabh. According to Jain texts, Lord Bahubali attained moksha (salvation). In Suhag Nagri, Firozabad, lies the holy ‘Jain Nagar’. It is here that Lt Seth Chhadamilal installed the statue of Lord Bahubali. This statue of Lord Bahubali is among the biggest idols of its kind in North India. Weighing more than 3,500 tonne, its dimensions are 45 x 12 ft. The statue is made of granite. There are also other monuments relating to Jain history and religion here.

Other Attractions in Agra