Since Akbarabād was one of the most important cities in India under the
Mughals, it witnessed a lot of building activity.
Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Arām Bāgh or the Garden of Relaxation. His grandson
Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort, besides making Agra a center for learning, arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city on the outskirts of Akbarabād called
Fatehpūr Sikrī. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.
His son
Jahāngīr had a love of gardens and flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Lāl Qil'a.
Shāh Jahān ,known for his keen interest in architecture, gave Akbarabād its most prized monument, The
Tāj Mahal. Built in loving memory of his wife
Mumtāz Mahal, the mausoleum was completed in 1653.
Shāh Jahān later shifted the capital to
Delhi during his reign, but his son
Aurangzeb moved the capital back to Akbarabād, usurping his father and imprisoning him in the Fort there. Akbarabād remained the capital of India during the rule of
Aurangzeb until he shifted it to
Aurangabad in the
Deccan in 1653. After the decline of the
Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of
Marathas and
Jats and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the
British Raj in 1803.
Agra, Main Street, c.1858
In 1835 when the
Presidency of Agra was established by the British, the city became the seat of government, and just two year later it was the witness to the
Agra famine of 1837–38. During the
Indian rebellion of 1857 British rule across India was threatened, news of the rebellion had reached Agra on
11 May and on 30 May two companies of native infantry, the 44th and 67th regiments, rebelled and marched to
Delhi. The next morning native Indian troops in Agra were forced to disarm, on
15 June Gwalior (which lies south of Agra) rebelled. By
3 July the British were forced to withdraw into the fort. Two days later a small British force at Sucheta were defeated and forced to withdraw, this lead to a mob sacking the city. However, the rebels moved onto Delhi which allowed the British to restore order by 8 July. Delhi fell to the British in September, the following month rebels who had fled Delhi along with rebels from Central India marched on Agra - but were defeated. After this British rule was again secured over the city until the independence of India in 1947.
[5]Agra is the birth place of the religion known as
Dīn-i Ilāhī, which flourished during the reign of
Akbar and also of the
Radhaswami Faith, which has around two million followers worldwide.
By Rail
Main article:
Railways in AgraAgra is on the main train line between
Delhi (Station Code: NDLS) and
Mumbai (Bombay) (Station Code: CSTM) and between
Delhi and
Chennai (Station Code: MAS) and many trains connect Agra with these cities every day. Some east-bound trains from
Delhi also travel via Agra, so direct connections to points in Eastern India (including
Kolkata) (Calcutta) are also available. There are close to 20 trains to Delhi every day, and at least three or four to both Mumbai and Chennai. There are three main railway stations in Agra:
Agra Cantt (Station Code: AGC) is the main railway station and lies southwest of the Taj and Agra Fort, both of which are a short ride from the station by car, auto-rickshaw, or cycle rickshaw. There's a prepaid taxi stand right outside that charges a flat Rs.120 to any hotel in the city. The station has a pretty good Comesum food court that also sells cheap, hygienic takeaway snacks (sandwiches, samosas, etc).
Agra Fort Railway Station (Station Code: AF) near Agra Fort, is infrequently serviced by the interstate express trains. The station serves trains to the east (
Kanpur,
Gorakhpur,
Kolkata,
Guwahati) some of these trains also stop at Agra Cantt.
Raja Ki Mandi (Station Code: RKM) is a small station. Some of the trains which stop at
Agra Cantt also stop here. It is a very laid back station and springs into life at the arrival of
Intercity Express and
Taj Express.
other stations are Idgah,Billochpura,City Bridge.
The luxury trains - the
Palace on Wheels, and the Royal Rajasthan On Wheels also stop at Agra on their eight day round trip of tourist destinations in
Rajasthan and Agra. The Buddhist Special Train also visits Agra. There is urgent need of Metro Train in Agra that connect all historical monuments (Tajmahal, Red Fort, Sikandara,Eitmaddula and Radha Swami Temple. It will give thrust to tourism as well as provide efficient and rapid public transport.
[
edit] By Road
Idgah Bus Stand and Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) are the major Bus Stands in Agra and is connected to most of the bigger cities in North India.
From
Delhi:
NH2, a modern divided highway, connects the 200 km distance from Delhi to Agra. The drive is about 4 hours. The primary access to the highway is along Mathura Road in Delhi but, if coming from South Delhi or Delhi Airport, it is easier to take Aurobindo Marg (Mehrauli Road) and then work up to NH2 via Tughlakabad.
From
Jaipur:
National Highway 11, a two lane undivided highway, connects Agra with
Jaipur via the bird sanctuary town of
Bharatpur. The distance of around 255 km can be covered in around 4–5 hours.
From
Gwalior A distance of around 120 km, takes around 1.5 hours on the
National highway 3, also known as the Agra -
Mumbai Highway.
From
Lucknow /
Kanpur NH2, the divided modern highway, continues on to Kanpur (285 km, 5 hours) and from there to points East ending in
Kolkata. From Kanpur, NH25 heads for the city of
Lucknow (90 km, 2 hours).
[
edit] Local Transportation
Auto rickshaw and
Cycle Rickshaw are the main modes of transport in Agra and are readily available.
While passengers need to negotiate rates for the rickshaws and they are usually expensive, there is a system of (what is called) 'Tempo' which are autorickshaws that run on specific routes called out by drivers. Tempos take around 6 people simultaneously and work out to be most economical and practical.
There are City Buses but they are infrequent.
Polluting vehicles are not allowed near
Tāj Mahal, so one needs to take electric Auto's or
Tanga (Tonga) from a few kilometres outside the
Tāj Mahal.
Tāj Mahal
Main article:
Taj MahalThe
Taj MahalAgra's
Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of
Shah Jahān's favorite wife,
Mumtāz Mahal. It is one of the
New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of three
World Heritage Sites in Agra.
Completed in 1653 CE., the Tāj Mahal was built by the Mughal king Shāh Jahān as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtāz Mahal. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustād 'Īsā, the Tāj Mahal is on the bank of the
Yamuna River. It can be observed from
Agra Fort from where Emperor Shāh Jahān gazed at it, for the last eight years of his life, a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is an acknowledged masterpiece of symmetry. Verses of the
Koran are inscribed on it and at the top of the gate are twenty-two small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to build. The Tāj Mahal was built on a marble platform that stands above a sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Tāj Mahal has a diameter of 60 feet (18 m), and rises to a height of 80 feet (24 m); directly under this dome is the tomb of Mumtāz Mahal. Shah Jahān's tomb was erected next to hers by his son Aurangzeb. The interiors are decorated by fine inlay work, incorporating semi-precious stones.
[
edit] Agra Fort
Main article:
Agra FortAmar Singh Gate,one of two entrances into Agra's Red Fort
Agra Fort (sometimes called the Red Fort), was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor
Akbar in 1565, and is another of Agra's
World Heritage Sites. A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that it had been built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during
Shāh Jahān's time, and reworked extensively with
marble and
pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the
Pearl Mosque, the Dīwān-e-'Ām and Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience),
Jahāngīr's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace), and the
Musamman Burj.
The great Mughal Emperor
Akbar commissioned the construction of the Agra Fort in 1565 CE., although it was converted into a place by his grandson
Shāh Jahān, being reworked extensively with
marble and
pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the
Pearl Mosque or Motī Masjid, the Dīwān-e-'Ām and
Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience),
Jahāngīr's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace), and the
Musamman Burj. The forbidding exteriors of this fort conceal an inner paradise. 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 m. wide and 10 m. deep moat surrounds the outer wall.
Chhatrapati
Shīvajī visited the Agra Fort, as a result of the conditions of the
Treaty of Purandar entered into with Mirzā Rājā Jaisingh to meet
Aurangzeb in the Dīwān-i-Khās (Special Audience Chamber). In the audience he was deliberately placed behind men of lower rank. An insulted Shīvajī stormed out of the imperial audience and was confined to Jai Sing's quarters on 12 May 1666. Fearing the dungeons and execution he escaped on 17 August 1666. A heroic equestrian statue of Shīvajī has been erected outside the fort.
The fort is a typical example of Mughal architecture.It shows how the North Indian style of fort construction differentiated from that of the South. In the South the majority of the beautiful forts were built on the seabed like the one at
Bekal in
Kerala.
[6]]
[
edit] Fatehpūr Sikrī
Main article:
Fatehpur SikriDiwan-i-Khas – Hall of Private Audience
The Mughal Emperor
Akbar built Fatehpūr Sikrī about 35 km from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A
World Heritage Site, it is often visited by tourists. The name of the place came about after the Mughal Emperor
Bābar defeated
Rāṇā Sāngā in a battle at a place called Sikrī (about 40 km from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to make Fatehpūr Sikrī his head quarters, so he built a majestic fort; due to shortage of water, however, he had to ultimately move his headquarters to Agra Fort.
Buland Darwāza or 'the lofty gateway' was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpūr Sikrī. Akbar built the Buland Darwāza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwāza is approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwāza is 53.63 m high and 35 meters wide. The Buland Darwāza is made of red and buff sandstone, decorated by carving and black and white marble inlays. An inscription on the central face of the Buland Darwāza demonstrates Akbar's religious broadmindedness, it is a message from Jesus advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.
[
edit] I'timād-Ud-Daulah
Main article:
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's TombThe '
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb at Agra'
The Empress
Nūr Jahān built
I'timād-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the 'Baby Tāj', for her father,
Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, the Chief Minister of the Emperor Jahāngīr. Located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The mausoleum itself covers about twenty-three square meters, and is built on a base about fifty meters square and about one meter high. On each corner are hexagonal towers, about thirteen meters tall. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and
latticework presage many elements of the Tāj Mahal.
The walls are white marble from
Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations -
cornelian,
jasper,
lapis lazuli,
onyx, and
topaz in images of
cypress trees and wine bottles, or more elaborate decorations like cut fruit or vases containing bouquets. Light penetrates to the interior through delicate
jālī screens of intricately carved white marble.
Many of Nūr Jahān's relatives are interred in the mausoleum. The only asymmetrical element of the entire complex is that the tombs of her father and mother have been set side-by-side, a formation replicated in the Tāj Mahal
[
edit] Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra
Main article:
Tomb of Akbar the GreatTomb of Akbar the GreatSikandra, the last resting place of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, is on the Delhi-Agra Highway, only 13 kilometres from the
Agra Fort.
Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deers, rabbits and
langoors 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
Turkic custom which the
Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son
Jahāngīr completed construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613. The names of the Gods of ninety-nine religious sects have been inscribed on the tomb.
[
edit]
Swāmī Bāgh SamādhiThe Swāmī Bāgh Samādhi is a monument to hold the ashes of Huzūr
Swāmijī Mahārāj (Shrī Shiv Dayāl Singh Seth) in the
Swāmībāgh section, on the high road that goes from Bhagwan Talkies to Dayāl Bāgh, in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the
Radhāswāmī Faith and the Samādhi is sacred to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many believe that construction will never end at Swāmī Bāgh - it is often seen as the next Tāj Mahal. The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble, are life-like and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken from the rear of the building and shows only two floors. When completed, the Samādhi will have a carved dome and a gateway.
[
edit] Mankameshwar Temple
Main article:
Mankameshwar TempleThe
Mankameshwar Temple is one of four ancient temples dedicated to Lord
Shiva located on the four corners of Agra City. It is located near the Jāma Masjid and is about 2.5 kilometers from the
Tāj Mahal and less than 1 km from
Agra Fort. Being located in the old city, the temple is surrounded by markets, many of which date back to the Mughal Era.
[
edit] Gurū kā Tal
Main article:
Guru ka TalGurū kā Tal was originally a reservoir meant to collect and conserve rainwater built in Agra, near Sikandra, during Jahāngīr's reign next to the Tomb of I'tibār Khān Khwājasara in 1610. In 1970s a
gurdwāra was erected here.
Gurū kā Tal is a holy place of worship for the Sikhs. Four of the ten Sikh Gurus are said to have paid it a visit. Enjoying both historical and religious importance, this gurdwāra attracts a large number of devotees and tourists. Boasting elaborate stone carvings and 8 towers of the twelve original towers. It is located by national (Delhi-Agra) highway-2.
[
edit] Jamā Masjid
Main article:
Jama Masjid (Agra)The
Jāma Masjid is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter, Princess
Jahanara Begum, built in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets. The inscription at its entrance shows that it costed Rs 5 Lakhs at that time for its completion
[
edit] Chīnī kā Rauza
Main article:
Chini Ka RauzaNotable for its
Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the
Chīnī kā Rauza is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shāh Jahān, 'Allāma Afzal Khāl Mullā Shukrullāh of Shirāz.
[
edit] Rām Bāgh
Main article:
Ram BaghThe oldest
Mughal garden in India, the
Rām Bāgh was built by the Emperor
Bābar in 1528 on the bank of the Yamuna. It lies about 2.34 km north of the Tāj Mahal. The pavilions in this garden are designed so that the wind from the Yamuna, combined with the greenery, keeps them cool even during the peak of summer. The original name of the gardens was Ārām Bāgh, or 'Garden of Relaxation', and this was where the Mughal emperor
Bābar used to spend his leisure time and where he eventually died. His body was kept here for sometime before sending it to
Kabul[
edit] Mariam's Tomb
Main article:
Mariams TombMariams Tomb, is the tomb of Mariam, the wife of great Mughal Emperor
Akbar. The tomb is within the compound of the Christian Missionary Society.
[
edit] Mehtāb Bāgh
Main article:
Mehtab BaghThe
Mehtāb Bāgh, or 'Moonlight Garden', is on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna from the Tāj Mahal.
[
edit] Keetham Lake
Main article:
Keetham LakeAlso known as Sur Sarovar,
Keetham Lake is situated about 23 kilometres from Agra, within the Surdas Reserved Forest. The lake has an impressive variety of aquatic life and water birds.
[
edit] Mughal Heritage Walk
The Mughal Heritage Walk is a part of community development programme being implemented with support of Agra Municipal corporation, USAID and an NGO; Center for Urban and Regional Excellence. It seeks to build sustainable livelihoods for youth and women from low resource communities and improving their living environments through infrastructure services and integration within the city.
The Mughal Heritage Walk is a one kilometer loop which connects the agricultural fields with the Rajasthani culture, river bank connected with the ancient village of Kuchhpura, the Heritage Structure of
Mehtab Bagh, the Mughal aqueduct system, the
Humanyun Mosque and the
Gyarah Sidi.
[
edit] The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra.
