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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 epitomize 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 splendor from the golden
age of the Great Mughals.
The Chosen City
Agra was the chosen city of the Mughal emperors during the early years.
It was here that the founder of the dynasty, Babar, 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.
Shah Jehan 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, Noor Jehan, designed an exquisite marble-inlaid tomb for her
parents. But Agra's crowning glory remains the Taj Mahal, a monument
to love built by Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved queen, Mumtaz
Mahal.
Population : Approx 2 million
Climate : Agra has a climate of extremes. The summer lasts
from mid-March to the end of June, with average maximum and minimum
temperatures of 36º C and 25º C respectively. The monsoons follow
the hot summer, continuing till the end of September with an average
rainfall of about 26 inches. The winter extends from late November
to mid-February. The coldest month is January, when both the maximum
and minimum temperatures are at their lowest - 21º C and 7º C respectively.
Best times to visit : October to March. |
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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.
Shah Jehan 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 Shah Jehan 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.
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.
Dayalbagh (Soami Bagh)
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.
Excursions : Include visit to Fatehpur Sikri, the capital
of Emperor Akbar for 16 years; Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna;
Bharatpur, best known for its bird sanctuary. |
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By Road :
204 Kms. from Delhi
By Air : Daily Air services connects Agra to Delhi, Khajuraho,
and Varanasi
By Rail : Express trains from Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Calcutta
and Chennai (Madras) also halt at Agra. |
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