Agra |
||
|
||
| TAJ MAHAL | ||
| Agra is the city of the Taj Mahal. It is a sublime experience of the greatest love story ever told. Today, India's most fascinating and beautiful masterpiece, this perfectly symmetrical edifice is set amidst landscaped gardens on the banks of the Yamuna. This perfectly symmetrical monument took years of hard labour and 20,000 labourers to build. The Taj was built to enshrine the remains of Begum Mumtaz Mahal, the consort of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Built by the Persian Architect Ustad Isa, the Taj has the verses of the holy Quran inscribed on it, with the gate being crowned by 22 small domes. The Taj has been constructed on a 313 square feet marble platform that stands above a sandstone one. The entire portion is enclosed within a high boundary wall with broad octagonal pavilions at corners. The most elegant dome of the monument has a diametre of 60 feet that rises 80 feet over the building. Semi-precious stones are inlaid into the marble in beautiful patterns and with superb craftsmanship in a process known as pietra dura. |
|
|
| AGRA FORT | ||
 |
Within a radius of 3km, on the banks of river Yamuna, rises the crescent-like Agra Fort. Designed and built by Akbar in 1565 A.D., the fort is surrounded by a 70 foot high wall.It houses the beautiful Pearl Mosque and numerous palaces including the Jahangiri Mahal, Khas Mahal, Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am, Machihi Bhawan and Moti Masjid. The fort has four gates and is enclosed by a double battlemented wall of red sand stone. | |
| ITMAD-UD-DAULAH | ||
| The Itmad-ud-daulah was the first Mughal structure totally constucted of marble and the first to make extensive use of pietra dura, inlay work of marble which is so much a part of the Taj. The mausoleum is small and squat compared to the soaring Taj, but the smaller, more human scale somehow makes it more attractive, and the beautifully patterned surface of the tomb is superb. There are also extremely fine marble lattice-work passages admitting light to the interior. | ||
| SIKANDRA | ||
| Six miles north of Agra, is a glorious introduction to the city of Mughal wonders, Sikandra. The site of Akbar's mausoleum, Sikandra was begun by Akbar and completed by his son Jehangir in 1613 AD. It reflects the fusion of Hindu and Muslim art and architecture which characterised the era. The tomb is situated in the centre of a large garden and four identical red sandstone gates lead to the tomb complex. The building, with three-storey minarets at each corner, is built of red sandstone with white marble polygonal patterns inlaid. Sikandra is named after Sikandra Lodi, the Delhi ruler who was in power from 1488 to 1517. | ||
| CHINA-KA-RAUZA | ||
| The `China tomb' is a km north of the Itmad-ud-daulah. The squat, square tomb, surmounted by a single huge dome, was constructed in his own life-time by Afzal Khan who died in Lahore in 1639. He was a high official in the court of Shah Jahan. The exterior was covered in brightly coloured enamelled tiles and the whole building clearly displayed its Persian influence. Today it is much decayed and neglected and the remaining tilework only hints at the building's former glory. | ||
| RAM BAGH | ||
| Laid out by the Emperor Babur, first of the Mughals, in 1528 this is the earliest Mughal garden. It is said that Babur was burried here before being permanently interred at Kabul in Afghanistan. The Ram Bagh is two to three km further north of the China-ka-Rauza on the riverside. | ||
| JAMI MASJID | ||
| Across the railway tracks from the Delhi Gate of Agra Fort, the Jami Masjid was built by Shah Jahan in 1648. An inscription over the main gate indicates that it was built in the name of Jahanara, Shah Jahan's daughter, who was imrisoned with Shah Jahan by Aurangzeb. | ||
| DAYAL BAGH TEMPLE | ||
| 10 km north of Agra, the Dayal Bagh consists of a marble temple of the Radha Soami Hindu sect decorated with pietra dura inlaid work. | ||
| FATEHPUR SIKRI | ||
| 37 Km west of Agra lies Fatehpur Sikri, the amazing capital of Akbar the Great.Described as an epic poem in red sandstone, Fatehpur Sikri owes its foundation to Akbar. The legend relates that Akbar was without a male heir and made a pilgrimage to this spot to see the saint Sheikh Salim Chisti to ask for his blessings for a son, who when born was named Salim and Akbar decided to shift his capital here. |
|
|
 |
The buildings in the city can be divided into two categories, the religious and the secular. On the one hand is the imposing Jama Masjid with the most spectacular gateway of India,the Buland Darwaza, and the exquisite `dargah' of Sheikh Salim Chisti within the courts. On the other hand are the many varied secular buildings such as Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khaas, the palace of Jodha Bai, Birbal's house, the Naubat Khana (Drum house), Takshal, Karkhanas (Royal workshop), the Khazana (Treasury) and the Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti. |
|
| The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri is a combination of both the Hindu and Muslim styles. The city, however, remained a capital for only a short while for it had to be abandoned due to a shortage of water. |
|
|
