10-day long Taj Mahotsava begins in Agra

Agra, Feb 19: The 10-day long annual Taj Mahotsava, a cultural extravaganza, began here on Wednesday. The festival was inaugurated by state Cabinet Minister Aridaman Singh.

The theme of the mahotsava this year is "Sanskriti ka Satrangi Utsav". Divisional Commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar, District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar, Vice-Chairman of Agra Development Authority Manisha Trigathia were among those present on the occasion.

Performance by playback singer Kailash Kher left the audience spellbound. The bedecked 'shilpgram' and graffiti adorning walls attracted many visitors.

Around 350 craftsmen from Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal have displayed their art at the mahotsava.

Different cuisines, exhibits and decor with the theme of 'Mughal era' attracted tourists. Police have made elaborate arrangements for security and 20 CCTV cameras have been installed.

PTI