|
 Agra
- Agra is known, to
the world as the city of Taj Mahal. Agra has its roots,
dating back to the time of Mahabaratha. Agra is situated on
the west-bank of River Yamuna, 204 km south of Delhi. The
old part of the town, north of the fort, is where the main
market place is. The modern township is on the south. Agra
has a magnificent fort and many other monuments from the
Mughul era, not to mention the Taj Mahal, which are major
attractions to the tourists.
Taj Mahal
India
Even as the world is caught in the skirmishes of War &
peace, Nuclear and Non-Nuclear; Taj has stood as the epitome
of love. This extravagant monument of love is one of the
most visited and most photographed places in the world. Taj
Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in the memory of his beautiful
wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal was the culmination point of
Indo-Persian architecture. The Mughals Emperor were always
fond of constructing monuments. Perhaps they knew that they
would be gone but these structures will remind the world of
their grandeur.
Agra Red Fort
Agra which lies on the west bank of river Jamuna became one
of the principal cities of the Mughal Empire after the death
of Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526. When Akbar choose Agra
as his capital he laid the foundation of the Fort of Agra.
After Taj this was one of the most important group of
buildings. The construction was started in 1565 and was
completed in about eight years at a cost of thirty five lakh
of rupees under the superintendence of Qasim Khan Mir
Barr-u-Bahr. This fort was just one of the many large
fortified residences that the emperor wanted to have at
various strategic points of his empire. According to
contemporary chroniclers like Abul Fazal the fort contained
over five hundred buildings. But later on Akbar's
descendants added new buildings, mainly in marble to the
fort and demolished the old ones.
Fatehpur Sikri
37 kms from Agra is built a city predominantly in Red
Sandstone called Fatehpur Sikri. This town was built by the
Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had planned this city as his
capital but shortage of water compelled him to abandon the
city and within 20 years the capital of Mughals was shifted
to Lahore. Fatehpur Sikri was built during 1571 and 1585.
The city is a fine example of culmination of Mughal and
Hindu architecture. Any visitor to Agra must have a go at
Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri mosque was said to be built
in lines of the holy mosque in Mecca. Entrance to the mosque
is through the Buland Darwaza that is 54m high.
Akbar's Mausoleum, Sikandra
Four kilometer from Agra is the mausoleum of Akbar.
Construction of this beautiful monument was started by Akbar
himself . This structure has a perfect blending of Hindu,
Christian , Islamic, Buddhist, Jain motifs.
Jama Masjid Or Jami Masjid
Built by Shah Jahan in 1648, the main gate of this mosque
has inscription written on it that it was built by Jahanara
Begum. She was the favorite daughter of Shah Jahan and was
imprisoned with him. The absence of minarets and the shape
of the dome give sit a distinguished character.
Chini-Ka-Rauza
A tomb of glazed tiles is a memorial dedicated to
poet-scholar and later the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan,
Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz.
Dayal Bagh Temple
15-kms from Agra, Dayal Bagh, also known as Soamibagh,
houses the samadhi of the founder of Radha Swami faith, 'Swamiji
Maharaj'. The main structure is a majestic building,
110-feet in height, built of pure white marble. The belief
here is that construction work should never end, making it
into a living monument, hence it is under construction for
almost 100 years.
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb
This tomb belongs to the father of Nur Jahan, Ghias-ud-Din
Beg. He was the Wajir or the Chief Minister of Emperor
Jehangir. This white marble tomb was built by Nur Jahan
between 1622 and 1628. The tomb may not be as mammoth as the
Taj but the inlay designs and carvings are no less than Taj
if not more. The delicate marble latticework in the passages
allows the light to enter the interiors. A similar tomb was
built by Nur Jahan for Jehangir in Lahore. This tomb was the
first complete marble Moghul structure.
Mariyam Tomb
This tomb is dedicated to the wife of Akbar. The red sand
stone tomb was built in 1611 and is on the Delhi- Agra
highway. The carvings on the tomb of Mariyam-us-Zamani are
worth giving a closer look.
Ram Bagh
When Babur came to India he laid the first Mughal gardens
500 m North of the Chini Ka Rauza. This well laid gardens
are not even a fraction of what they used to be. It will
need lots of imagination to picture how these gardens must
have looked in 1558. |
