EH 301
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE-IV
S5 B.ARCH 2020
• Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad
AkbarAkbar the third Mughal
emperor, who reigned from 1556 to
1605 gradually enlarged the Mughal
Empire to include much of the Indian
subcontinent
• Mughal India developed a strong and
stable economy, leading to
commercial expansion and greater
patronage of culture
• Akbar's courts at Delhi, Agra,
and Fatehpur Sikri became centres of
the arts, letters, and learning.
• Holy men of many faiths, poets,
architects, and artisans adorned his
court from all over the world for study
and discussion
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
Akbar made Agra fort his capital in 1558. It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt
with red sandstone from Barauli area in Rajasthan. it was built with bricks in the inner core with
sandstone on external surfaces
Later Shahjahan destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own using
white marble. At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort.
Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj
Mahal.
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
•The 94-acre (380,000 m2) fort has a
semicircular plan, its chord lies
parallel to the river and its walls are
seventy feet high.
•Massive double walls 21.4m height
with circular bastions
•4 gateways - Delhi gate,Lahori
gate, Akbari gate & Khizri gate
• Abul Fazal recorded that five
hundred buildings in the beautiful
designs of Bengal and Gujarat were
built in the fort
•Hardly thirty Mughal buildings have
survived -Of these, the Delhi gate
and Akbar Gate and one palace –
“Jahangiri Mahal"
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
Amar singh gate/Akbari gate
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
RESIDENTIAL ZONE:
The Jehangir's palace was built by Akbar as a residence for his son Salim. The
Man Mandir at Gwalior was the inspiration for this palace. The Mahal is
reached through an impressive gateway.
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
The Jahangiri Mahal is essentially a configuration of rooms freely dispersed around two courts
that are aligned along a central axis. The court overlooking the Yamuna river was obviously the
private zenana court while near the entrance was the reception court.
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
The entire scheme consisting of typical Jain toranas sprung across trabeate openings, richly
carved stone piers and brackets and inclined struts supporting chajjas and roofs is evocative of
that of the palace of Man Singh at Gwalior.
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
AKBAR: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
RESIDENTIAL PALACES BY SHAH JAHAN
SHAH JAHAN: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
Structures by Shah Jahan:the Khas Mahal or the Private
Palace , Nagina Masjid and Mina Masjid, the Musamman
Burj, an octagonal tower , Diwan-I-Khas (hall of private
audience), Sheesh Mahal or the Glass Palace. , the
Macchhi Bhawan, the Shah Burj- airy apartment,
SHAH JAHAN: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
KHAS MAHAL –SHAHJAHAN (1637)
SHAH JAHAN: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
MACHHI BHAVAN
Nagina Masjid
SHAH JAHAN: AGRA FORT,AGRA (AD1558-1573)
