Agra has long been renowned as the city of the
Taj Mahal. This has often overshadowed the fact
that this royal Mughal has, in addition to the
legendary Taj, many magnificent monuments that
epitomise the high point of the Mughal architectural
achievement. Not even Delhi the seat of kings
and emperors for over a thousand years, can boast
such a heritage of architectural and cultural
splendour from the golden age of the Great Mughals.
Agra was the chosen city of the Mughal emperors
during the early years. It was here that the
founder of the dynasty, Babur,
laid out the first formal Persian garden on
the banks of the River Yamuna. Here, Akbar,
his grandson, raised the towering ramparts of
the great Red Fort. Within its walls, Jehangir
built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens.
Shahjehan embellished it with marbled mosques,
palaces and pavilions of gem-inlaid white marble.
At Sikandra, on the outskirts of Agra, Akbar
built his own garden mausoleum. And at Fatehpur
Sikri he created a whole new city — a
leap of the imagination that made real a unique
concept of planning and design and gave expression
to a style of architecture that was a perfect
blend of Islamic spatial concepts and the Hindu
genius for decorative sculpture. Across the
river, Jehangir's gifted queen, Noorjehan, designed
an exquisite marble-inlaid tomb for her parents.
But Agra's crowning glory remains the Taj Mahal,
a monument to love built by Shahjehan in memory
of his beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal.
Taj Mahal A Monument
of Love
The Taj Mahal stands serene and perfect in its
garden of cypresses and reflecting pools on
the banks of the River Yamuna. Its pure white
marble shimmers silver in the moonlight, glows
softly pink at dawn, and at close of day reflects
the fiery tints of the setting sun. The Taj
in all its timeless beauty is still the inspiration
of poets and painters, writers and photographers.
And lovers still meet here in the moonlight
in the shadow of the world's most famous monument
to love.
Shahjehan built the Taj in
memory of Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth
to their 14th child. No cost was spared to make
it the most beautiful monument the world had
ever seen. White marble and red sandstone, silver
and gold, camelian and jasper, moonstone and
jade, lapiz lazuli and coral were fashioned
by 20,000 skilled workers to make the emperor's
dream a reality. It took 22 years to complete
— a symbol of eternal love where Shahjehan
too lies buried, re-united at last with his
beloved Mumtaz.
Set at the north end of a formal Persian garden
with water courses, paved walkways and rows
of dark cypresses, the Taj rises on a high red
sandstone base topped by a huge white marble
terrace, its flawless double dome flanked by
four tapering minarets. Within lies the jewel-inlaid
cenotaph of the queen, and a little to one side
— the only asymmetrical feature in the
Taj — the richly decorated casket of the
emperor. Both are enclosed by an octagonal screen
of finely pierced marble. So perfect are the
proportions of the Taj, so exquisite its workmanship,
that it has been described as having been designed
by giants and finished by jewellers.
Places to see
:
Agra Fort :
Few forts in the world have a more fascinating
story to tell than the Great Fort of Agra. Originally
planned as an impregnable military structure
by Akbar, the Agra Fort, over a period of time,
acquired all the elegance, lavishness and majesty
of an imperial palace.
Situated 3 km upstream of the Taj Mahal on the
right bank of the Yamuna, the Agra Fort was
built under the direction of Akbar, by Mohammed
Quasim Khan, his Commander-in-Chief and Governor
of Kabul. It took eight years to complete and
entailed an expenditure of three and a half
million rupees.
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb :
About 4 km north of the Taj, on the left bank
of the Yamuna, is the perfectly proportioned
marble mausoleum of ltmad-ud-Daulah. Noor Jehan
constructed this splendid marble monument in
her father's memory. This double-storied marble
tomb is replete with mosaic, inlaid with semi-precious
stones.
Sikandra :
Sikandra is 8 km north-east on the Agra-Delhi
road. It is on the same side of the river Yamuna
as the Taj. Sikandra was built in 1492 by Sikander
Lodhi, a ruler of one of the last dynasties
of the Delhi Sultanate.
Akbar, in his time, ordered the construction
of Sikandra again, this time as a site for his
mausoleum, but he died before it could be completed.
The work was completed by his son Jehangir in
1613. The tomb is a combination of Muslim and
Hindu architectural styles. The building of
red sandstone is four storeys tall, approximately
31 metres in height. The first three storeys
are of red sandstone, while the fourth is entirely
of marble.
Dayal Bagh (Soami Bagh) :
Situated 12 km from the hotel, this is the headquarter
of the Radhasoami religious sect, founded in
1861 by Shri Shiv Dayal Singh, also known as
Swamiji Maharaj. Being built to commemorate
the Supreme Creator, this tall, unfinished facade
of marble, lined with exquisitely carved pillars
and panels, was estimated to cost about five
million rupees when it was conceived. Today,
the cost of work finished and work still to
be done will run into ten million.
About 500 devotees stay in the colony adjoining
the samadhi. It is claimed that it may rival
the Taj Mahal in splendour when it is completed.
Travel Information
:
Road : 204 Kms. from Delhi
Air : Daily Air services connects
Agra to Delhi, Khajuraho, and Varanasi
Rail : Agra Is connected most
of the parts of india through rail network.
