Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal and once
the capital of the Mughal empire, has several monuments which display the splendour
of Mughal architecture. It was here that Babar, the founder of the dynasty,
had the first formal Persian garden laid out on the banks of the river Yamuna.
Akbar, his grandson, raised the towering ramparts of the great Red Fort, within
whose walls Jahangir built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens, and which Shahajahan
embellished with marble mosques, palaces and pavilions of gem-inlaid white marble.
Agra
Places to See
Taj
Mahal
Agra
is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world- the Taj-Mahal.
The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a
vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is a vivid reminder
of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Agra Fort
The construction of the Agra fort was started around 1565 when the initial structures
were built by Akbar. Shah Jahan replaced most of these with his marble creations.
Some however survived, among them are - Delhi Gate., Amar Singh Gate, Akbari
Mahal and the Jehangir Mahal. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened on the
east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river. It has a total perimeter
of 2.4 km, and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red sandstone punctuated
at regular intervals by bastions. A 9 mt. Wide and 10 mt. Deep moat surrounds
the outer wall. An imposing 22 mt. High inner wall imparts a feeling of invincible
defensive construction. The route through the Amar Singh Gate is dog-legged.
The layout of the fort was determined by the course of the river, which in those
days flowed alongside. The main axis is parallel to the river and the walls
bridge out towards the city.
Itmad - Ud - Daula
To
the north of the fort and across the river yamuna are several fine examples
of mughal architecture. The itmad -ud -daula was build by the empress Noor Jehan
as a memorial to her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, is beautifully ornamented with
pietra dura inlay and lattice work marble screens.
Chini Ka Rauza
The tomb of Afzal khan, the persian poet and minister at Shah Jehan's court
gets its name from the brightly coloured glazed tiles that decorate it, lies
just 1km beyond itmad-ud-daula.
Sikandra Fort
Welcome to Sikandra, a supurb of Agra, only 13 km. from the Agra Fort, the last
resting place of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Akbar was the greatest of the Mughal
emperors and one of the most secular minded royalties of his time. He was the
heir to a long tradition of oriental refinement, a great patron of the arts,
literature, philosophy and science.
A visit to Akbar's monument opens before one, the completeness of Akbar's personality
as completely as the Taj Mahal does of Mumtaz Mahal's. Akbar's vast, beautifully
carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb is set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself
planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb
in one's lifetime was a Tartary custom which the Mughals followed religiously.
Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.
Radhaswamy Satsang, Dayalbagh
This highly ornate memorial to the founder of the Radhaswamy satsang has been
in the making for several years and is still being worked upon. It is entirely
in marble, upon which every manner of ornamentation has been applied.
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