Tj Mahal
Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra. Completed in 1653, the Tj Mahal was built by the Mughal king Shh Jahn as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtz Mahal. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (16301652) of labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustd 's, the Tj Mahal is on the bank of the Yamuna River. It can be observed from Agra Fort from where Emperor Shh Jahn 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 Tj Mahal was built on a marble platform that stands above a sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Tj 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 Mumtz Mahal. Shah Jahn's tomb was erected next to hers by his son Aurangzeb. The interiors are decorated by fine inlay work, incorporating semi-precious stones.
Agra Fort
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 Shh Jahn's time, and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Dwn-e-'m and Dwn-e-Khs (halls of public and private audience), Jahngr's Palace, Khs Mahal, Shsh 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 palace by his grandson Shh Jahn, being reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque or Mot Masjid,
theDwn-e-'m and Dwn-e-Khs (halls of public and private audience), Jahngr's Palace, Khs Mahal, Shsh 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 9 meters (30 ft) wide and 10 meters (33 ft) deep moat surrounds the outer wall. Chhatrapati Shvaj visited the Agra Fort, as a result of the conditions of the Treaty of Purandar entered into with Mirz Rj Jaisingh to meet Aurangzeb in the Dwn-i-Khs (Special Audience Chamber). In the audience he was deliberately placed behind men of lower rank. An insulted Shvaj 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 Shvaj 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 differentiated from that of the South. In the South, the majority forts were built on the seabed like the one at Bekal in Kerala
Fatehpr Sikr
Dwn-i-Khs Hall of Private Audience
The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpr Sikr 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 Bbar defeated R Sng in a battle at a place called Sikr (about 40 km from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to make Fatehpr Sikr 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 Darwza or 'the lofty gateway' was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 CE. at Fatehpr Sikr. Akbar built the Buland Darwza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. The Buland Darwza is approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwza 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 Darwza demonstrates Akbar's religious broad-mindedness, it is a message from Jesus advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.
I'timd-Ud-Daulah
Main article: Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb
The 'Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb at Agra'
The Empress Nr Jahn built I'timd-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the 'Baby Tj', for her father, Mirz Ghiys Beg, the Chief Minister of the Emperor Jahngr. Located on the left bank of theYamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The mausoleum itself covers about 23 square metres (250 sq ft), 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 latticeworkpresage many elements of the Tj 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 jl screens of intricately carved white marble. Many of Nr Jahn'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 Taj Mahal.
Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra
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 Jahngr completed construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613. The 99 names of Allah have been inscribed on the tomb.
Swm Bgh Samdhi
The Swm Bgh Samdhi is a monument to hold the ashes of Huzr Swmij Mahrj (Shr Shiv Dayl Singh Seth) in the Swmbgh section, on the high road that goes from Bhagwan Talkies to Dayl Bgh, in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the Radhswm Faith and the Samdhi is sacred to its followers. Construction began in February 1904 and still continues. Many believe that construction will never end at Swm Bgh it is often seen as the next Tj 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 Samdhi will have a carved dome and a gateway.
Mankameshwar Temple
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 Jma Masjid and is about 2.5 kilometers from the Tj 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.
Indrabhan Girls' Inter College
It is widespreadly considered to be the birth place of great poet Mirza Ghalib. It is located near the Mankameshwar Temple and is about 3 kilometers from the Tj Mahal and less than 1 km 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.
Gur k Tal
Gur k Tal was originally a reservoir meant to collect and conserve rainwater built in Agra, near Sikandra, during Jahngr's reign next to the Tomb of I'tibr Khn Khwjasara in 1610. In 1970s a gurdwra was erected here. Gur k 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 gurdwra 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.
Jam Masjid
The Jma 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.
Chn k Rauza
Chn k Rauza
Notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the Chn k Rauza is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shh Jahn, 'Allma Afzal Khl Mull Shukrullh of Shirz.
Rm Bgh
The oldest Mughal garden in India, the Rm Bgh was built by the Emperor Bbar in 1528 on the bank of the Yamuna. It lies about 2.34 km north of the Tj 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 rm Bgh, or 'Garden of Relaxation', and this was where the Mughal emperor Bbar used to spend his leisure time and where he eventually died. His body was kept here for sometime before sending it to Kabul.
Mariam's Tomb
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.
Mehtb Bgh
The Mehtb Bgh, or 'Moonlight Garden', is on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna from the Tj Mahal.
Keetham Lake
Also known as Sur Sarovar, Keetham Lake is situated about 7 kilometers from Akbar tomb Agra, within the Surdas Reserved Forest. The lake has an impressive variety of aquatic life and water birds.
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.
