Agra the former capital of Hindustan, is a city on
the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It
is 363 kilometres (226 mi) west of the state capital, Lucknow, and 200
kilometres (124 mi) south of the national capital New Delhi. With a population
of 1,686,976 (2010 est.), it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar
Pradesh and the 19th most populous in India. Agra can also refer to the
administrative district that has its headquarters in Agra city.
The city is mentioned in the epic Mahābhārata, where
it was called Agrevaṇa . Legend ascribes the founding of the city to Raja Badal
Singh, a Sikarwar Rajput king , whose fort, Badalgarh, stood on or near the
site of the present fort. However, the 11th century Persian poet Mas'ūd Sa'd
Salmān writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by the
Shāhī King Jayapala, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Sultan Sikandar Lodī was the
first to move his capital from Delhi to Agra in 1506. He died in 1517 and his
son, Ibrāhīm Lodī, remained in power there for nine more years, finally being
defeated at the Battle of Panipat in 1526. Between 1540 and 1556, Afghans,
beginning with Sher Shah Suri, and Hindu King Hem Chandra Vikramaditya (also
called Hemu), ruled the area. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal
Empire from 1556 to 1658. It is a major tourist destination because of its many
splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort and
Fatehpūr Sikrī, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
History
Though Agra's history is largely recognised with
Mughal Empire, the place was established much before it and has linkages since
Mahabharat period and Mahirshi Angira in 1000 BC. It is generally accepted that
Sultan Sikandar Lodī, the Ruler of the Delhi Sultanate founded Agra in the year
1504. After the Sultan's death the city passed on to his son Sultan Ibrāhīm
Lodī. He ruled his Sultanate from Agra until he fell fighting to Bābar in the
First battle of Panipat fought in 1526.
In the year 1556, the great Hindu warrior Hemu
Vikramaditya, also known as Samrat Hem Chander Vikramaditya, won the state of
Agra as the prime minister cum Chief of Army of Adil Shah of the Afghan Sūrī
Dynasty. The commander of Humāyūn / Akbar's forces in Agra, Tardi Beg Khan, was
so scared of Hemu that he retreated from the city without a fight. This was
Hemu's 21st continuous win since 1554, and he later went on to conquer Delhi,
having his coronation at Purānā Qil'a in Delhi on 7 October 1556 and
re-established the Hindu Kingdom and the Vikramaditya Dynasty in North India.
The golden age of the city began with the Mughals.
It was known then as Akbarabād and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire
under the Emperors Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. Shāh Jahān later shifted his
capital to Shāhjahānabād in the year 1649.
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 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 years
later it was 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 led 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.
Agra is the birthplace 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. Agra has historic
linkages with Shauripur of Jainism and Runukta of Hinduism, of 1000 BC.
Tāj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri are all
UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Places
to travel in Agra
The Taj Mahal is one of
the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favourite
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of
three World Heritage Sites in Agra.
Tombs of Shah Jahan and his beloved wife, Mumtaz
Mahal.
Completed in 1653, the Tāj Mahal was built by the
Mughal king Shah Jahan 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
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 south 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 with fine inlay work, incorporating
semi-precious stones.
Amar 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 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
kilometres (1.5 mi), and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red
sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A moat 9 metres (30 ft)
wide and 10 metres (33 ft) deep 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, effectively showing how the North Indian style of fort
construction differed from that of the South. In the South, the majority of
forts were built on the seabed like the one at Bekal in Kerala.
Dīwān-i-Khās – Hall of
Private Audience
The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpūr Sikrī about
35 km (22 mi) 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 (25 mi) 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.
it 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.
The 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 are of the mausoleum itself is
about 23 m2 (250 sq ft), and is built on a base that is about 50 m2 (540 sq ft)
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 are the tombs of
her father and mother, which have been set side-by-side, a formation replicated
in the Taj Mahal.
Tomb of Akbar the Great
Sikandra, 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
langurs 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 99 names of Allah have been
inscribed on the tomb.
The 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 lifelike 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.
The 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
kilometres from the Tāj Mahal and less than 1 km (1 mi) from Agra Fort. Being
located in the old city, the temple is surrounded by markets, many of which
date back to the Mughal Era.
- Indrabhan
Girls' Inter College
It is widespreadly
considered to be the birthplace of great poet Mirza Ghalib. It is located near
the Mankameshwar Temple and is about 3 kilometres from the Tāj Mahal and less
than 1 km (1 mi) from Agra Fort. Being located in the old city, the College is
surrounded by markets. Approximately four or five years back, the birth room of
Mirza Ghalib was hidden behind the wall by the Management of the college to
keep the identity of the place secret.
Guru ka Tal was
originally a reservoir meant to collect and conserve rainwater built in Agra,
near Sikandra, during Jahangir's reign next to the Tomb of I'tibār Khān
Khwājasara in 1610. In 1970s a gurudwara was erected here. Guru ka 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
shrine attracts a large number of devotees and tourists. Boasting elaborate
stone carvings and eight of the twelve original towers. It is located by
national (Delhi-Agra) highway-2.
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 cost Rs 5 Lakhs at that time for its
completion.
Notable 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 Shiraz.
The 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 (1 mi) 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 some time before sending it to
Kabul.
Mariams Tomb, is the
tomb of Mariam, the wife of great Mughal Emperor Akbar. The tomb is within the
compound of the Christian Missionary Society.
Plan of the Taj complex
with the Mehtab Bagh gardens to the left
The Mehtāb Bāgh, or 'Moonlight Garden', is on the
opposite bank of the River Yamuna from the Tāj Mahal.
Also known as Sur
Sarovar, Keetham Lake is situated about 7 kilometres from akbar tomb Agra,
within the Surdas Reserved Forest. The lake has an impressive variety of
aquatic life and water birds.
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 improve their living environments
through infrastructure services and integration within the city.
The Mughal Heritage Walk is a one kilometre 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.
- The
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra.
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