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.
tmad-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.
