Agra and Environs
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1. Agra Fort
A succession of Mughal emperors lived within the red sandstone walls of this World Heritage site, and it was from here that they governed the country. As with similar Mughal facilities in Delhi and Lahore, the word "fort" is misleading: the complex is really a fortified palace, containing royal apartments, mosques, assembly halls, a dungeon, and the largest state treasury and mint—the entire cityscape of an imperial capital. A massive wall 2½ km (1½ miles) long and 69 feet high surrounds the fort's roughly triangular shape. With the Yamuna River running at its base, the fort was also protected by a moat and another wall, presenting a daunting barrier to anyone hoping to access the treasures within. The structure was originally a brick fort, and Ibrahim Lodi held it for nine years until he was defeated and killed in the battle of Panipat in 1526. The Mughals captured the fort along with masses of treasure, which included one of the most famous gems in the world, the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The emperor Babur stayed in the fort in the palace of Ibrahim, while Humayun was crowned here in 1530. Emperor Akbar decided to make it his capital when he arrived in Agra in 1558. He rebuilt it with red sandstone from the Barauli area in Rajasthan, and the whole process took eight years. The architecture of the current fort reflects the collective creative brilliance of Akbar, his son Jahangir, and grandson Shah Jahan. The fort's entrance is accessible through the Amar Singh Gate (also called the Lahore Gate, for the city in modern-day Pakistan that it faces). It was named for Amar Singh Rathore, a legendary general who served the Mughals. North of this entrance sits the fort's largest private residence, the Jahangiri Mahal, built by Jahangir as a harem, mainly for his Rajput wives. (Akbar's own palace, closer to the entrance, is in ruins.) Measuring 250 feet by 300 feet, the Jahangiri Mahal juxtaposes jarokhas (balconies) and other elements of Hindu architecture with pointed arches and other Central Asian influences imported by the Mughals. The palace's central court is lined with two-story facades bearing remnants of the rich, gilded decoration that once covered much of the structure. After Jahangir's death in 1628, Shah Jahan assumed the throne and started his own buildings inside the fort, often tearing down those built by his father and grandfather and adding marble decorations (it is said that he was partial to the material). The Anguri Bagh (Grape Arbor) shows the outlines of a geometric garden built around delicate water channels and chutes. The 1637 Khas Mahal (Private Palace) is an early masterpiece of Shah Jahan's craftsmen. The central pavilion, made of white marble, follows the classic Mughal pattern: three arches on each side, five in front, and two turrets rising out of the roof. Of the two flanking pavilions where Shah Jahan's two daughters resided, one is of white marble and was supposedly decorated with gold leaf; the other is made of red stone. The arched roofs of all three pavilions are stone interpretations of the bamboo architecture of Bengal. In one part of the Khas Mahal a staircase leads down to the palace's "air-conditioned" quarters—cool underground rooms that were used in summer. It's famous for its paintings on marble. The octagonal tower of the Mussaman Burj has fine inlay work and a splendid view down the river to the Taj Mahal. This is where Shah Jahan is said to have spent the last seven years of his life, imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb but still able to look out on his greatest monument, the Taj Mahal. He may have built the tower for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (for whom he also built the Taj Mahal). On the northeastern end of the Khas Mahal courtyard stands the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), built in 1637 as a bath for the private palace and dressing room for the harem. Each of the two chambers contained a bathing tank fed by marble channels. The emperor received foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries in the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), built by Shah Jahan in 1636–37. Outside, the marble throne terrace holds a pair of black and white thrones. The black throne, carved from a single block of marble, overlooks the Yamuna and, according to the inscription, was used by Shah Jahan; the white throne is made of several marble blocks and was his father's seat of power. Both thrones face the Machhi Bhavan, an enclosure of fountains and shallow pools, and a number of imperial offices. To the empire's citizens and to the European emissaries who came to see these powerful monarchs, the most impressive part of the fort was the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), set within a large quadrangle. This huge, low structure rests on a 4-foot platform, its nine cusped Mughal arches held up by rows of slender supporting pillars. Here the emperor sat and dispensed justice to his subjects, sitting on the legendary Peacock Throne, now lost. Northeast of the Diwan-i-Khas is the Nagina Masjid, a private mosque raised by Shah Jahan for the women of his harem. Made of white marble and walled in on three sides, it has typical cusped arches, a marble courtyard, and three graceful domes. While in the Nagina Masjid, royal ladies could buy beautiful items from tradesmen who set up a temporary bazaar for them in front of its balcony. Nearby is the lovely Moti Masjid, a perfectly proportioned pearl mosque (moti means pearl) built in white marble by Shah Jahan.
View Tours and ActivitiesYamuna Kinara Rd., Agra, Uttar Pradesh, 282003, IndiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Rs. 550, Daily sunrise–sunset -
2. Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb
The empress Nur Jahan (Jahangir's favorite wife) built this small, gorgeous tomb for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg (pronounced Baig), a Persian nobleman who became Jahangir's chief minister. Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan. The monument, one of Agra's loveliest, was supposedly built by workers from Persia. The tomb incorporates a great deal of brown and yellow Persian marble and marks the first use of Persian-style marble inlay in India—both features that would later characterize the style of Shah Jahan. Particularly in its use of intricate marble inlay, this building was a precursor of, and very likely an inspiration for, the Taj Mahal (for this reason it has earned the somewhat goofy nickname of the "Baby Taj"). The roof is arched in the style of Bengali terra-cotta temples, and the minarets are octagonal, much broader than the slender cylinders of the Taj Mahal—in its fine proportions this mausoleum almost equals that masterpiece. Inside, where the elegant decoration continues, the central chamber holds the tombs of Itimad-ud-Daulah and his wife; other relations are buried in adjacent rooms. Most travelers to Agra never see this place, but its beauty and tranquillity are extraordinary, and its well-maintained gardens make it a wonderful place to pause and reflect.
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Rs. 210, Daily sunrise–sunset -
3. Taj Mahal
The tale of love and loss that supposedly sparked the existence of the Taj Mahal (literally, the "Crown Palace") sometimes seems as incredible as the monument's beauty. It is said that Shah Jahan fell in love with his favorite wife, Arjuman Banu, at first sight, and went on to revere her for her generosity, intelligence, and the 14 children she bore. She became his Mumtaz Mahal (the Exalted of the Palace), and her love for him was apparently just as great—on her deathbed, or so the legend goes, she begged the king to build a monument so beautiful that the world would never forget their love. Five months later, a huge procession brought Mumtaz Mahal's body to Agra, where Shah Jahan began the process of honoring her request. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine a grander gesture throughout history, but the design, execution, and end result is what truly makes the Taj Mahal a must-see. It took 20,000 laborers 17 years (starting in 1632) to complete the vast tomb of white marble on the banks of the Yamuna River, making it the most stunning example of the elaborate aesthetic world that the Mughals created in India. The Taj Mahal stands at the end of a large, four-quartered garden, or charbagh, symbolizing paradise, extending about 1,000 feet in each direction from a small central pool. You enter the grounds through a huge sandstone gateway emblazoned with an inlaid Koranic inscription. Ahead, facing the long reflecting pool, the Taj Mahal stands on two bases, one of sandstone and, above it, a marble platform measuring 313 square feet and worked into a chessboard design. A slender marble minaret stands at each corner of the platform, blending so well into the general composition that it's hard to believe each one is 137 feet tall. The minarets were built at a slight tilt away from the tomb so that, in case of an earthquake, they'd fall away from the building. Facing the Taj Mahal from beneath its platform are two majestic sandstone buildings, a mosque on the left and its mirror image (built purely for symmetry) on the right. Behind the tomb, the Yamuna winds along its broad, sandy bed. The tomb's central archway is deeply recessed, as are the smaller pairs of companion archways along the sides and the beveled corners of the 190-square-foot structure. The Taj Mahal's most extraordinary feature is its onion dome, crowned by a brass finial mounted in a scalloped ornament, which is an inverted Hindu motif of the lotus. The dome uses the Central Asian technique of placing a central inner dome, in this case 81 feet high, inside an outer shell to attain the extraordinary exterior height of 200 feet; between the two is an area nearly the size of the interior hall itself. Raising the dome above the minarets was the builders' great stroke of genius. Large chattras (umbrellalike domes), another feature borrowed from Hindu design, balance the dome. Inside the mausoleum, the changing light creeps softly in through marble screens that have been chiseled like silver filigree. Look closely at the tiny flowers drawn in inlaid semiprecious stones and the detailed stonework on each petal and leaf. The work is so fine that not even a magnifying glass reveals the tiny breaks between stones, yet a single 1-inch flower on the queen's tomb has 60 pieces. Directly under the marble dome lie the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, surrounded by a jali (latticed) screen carved from a single block of marble, with a design as intricate as lace. In the center of the enclosure, diminishing rectangles lead up to what looks like a coffin; in fact, both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are buried in a crypt below these tombs in deference to the Islamic tradition that no one should walk upon their graves. After his death, Shah Jahan was buried next to his wife by his son Aurangzeb, upsetting the perfect symmetry, most likely a cost-cutting measure that forms an ironic postscript to the munificence of Shah Jahan. But it's fitting that the emperor lies in perpetuity next to his favorite wife. In early morning, the pale rays of the sun give the marble of the Taj Mahal a soft pink luster; at sunset the west side of the monument turns lemon yellow, then pumpkin orange. Once the sun goes down, the marble is pure white against a black sky. The small Taj Mahal Museum stands near the mosque to the left of the Taj. It holds Mughal memorabilia and provides some historical background to the Taj, as well as paintings of the famous couple, manuscripts, letters, and a display of precious stones used in the construction of the Taj.
View Tours and ActivitiesTaj Rd., Agra, Uttar Pradesh, 282001, India562-233–0498Sight Details
Rate Includes: Rs. 1000, Closed Fri. -
4. Akbar's Tomb
Akbar's resting place, in what's now the small town of Sikandra, was begun by the emperor himself in 1602 and completed after his death by Jahangir. Topped with white marble and flanked by graceful minarets, this mausoleum of rough red sandstone sits in a typical Mughal garden called a charbagh—four quadrants separated by waterways. The garden, however, is not well tended, and Jat raiders (who invaded Agra after the fall of the Mughal empire) destroyed much of the gold work that once adorned the tomb, though the British partially restored it. In a domed chamber three stories high, the crypt is inscribed with the 99 names of Allah, plus the phrases Allah-o-Akbar (God is great) at the head and Jalla Jalalahu (Great is His glory) at the foot. It's a charming spot to visit; you'll spot many langurs (long-tailed monkeys) and deer in the gardens. Akbar had originally meant this to be the official resting place for the Mughals, but it didn't turn out that way: only two of his daughters are buried here. You can actually see the tomb's enormous gateway, topped with bright tilework, from the train from Delhi—look out the left window 10 or 15 minutes before the train is due to reach Agra.
Sikandra, Uttar Pradesh, 282007, IndiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Rs. 210, Daily sunrise–sunset -
5. Fatehpur Sikri
The usual starting point for exploring Fatehpur Sikri is the Buland Darwaza (Great Gate) of the Jama Masjid, near the parking lot, but the cluster of hawkers and guides nearby can be unrelenting. If you arrive by car, you can avoid this minor annoyance by asking to be dropped at the subsidiary entrance at the northeastern end of the city, Agra Gate, where the following self-guided tour begins (ask your driver to pick you up at the exit at the Buland Darwaza, or "Great Gate"). Approach the Fatehpur Sikri complex, and walk through the Naubat Khana, a gate that was manned by drummers and musicians during imperial processions. Just ahead on the right is the Mint, a workshop that may have minted coins. Next, a few steps from an archaeological museum is the Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience), a large courtyard 366 feet wide by 181 feet long with colonnades on three sides. Ahead is the balcony where the emperor sat on his throne to meet subjects or observe celebrations and other spectacles. Through chiseled marble screens, the women of the court would watch as Akbar, the empire's chief justice, handed down his decisions: it's said that those condemned to die were impaled, hanged, or trampled under the feet of an elephant. What looks like a square two-story building with domed cupolas at each corner is the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience). Inside it's actually one tall room where Akbar sat on an elaborate elevated platform and, it's thought, conducted meetings with his ministers. Supported by a stone column topped with a giant lotus flower intricately carved in stone, it's connected by causeways to four balconies with window seats on which the ministers sat. The throne's position is thought to have symbolized the center of the world or, alternatively, the one god sought by several major religions; it also may have had a practical side, shielding the emperor from would-be assassins. Across from the hall is the Treasury, also known as Ankh Michali (Hide and Seek), said to be named for Akbar's playful habit of playing the game with his harem inside the broad rooms and narrow passageways. The deep recesses in the walls, though, suggest that it may have been used as a treasury. Adjacent is the Astrologer's Seat, a platform where Akbar's royal astrologer sat. Pass through the courtyard paved with a board on which Akbar played pachisi (an early form of parcheesi that used slave girls as pieces), into the pavilion centered by the Anup Talao (Peerless Pool), a square pool with a central platform, connected by four bridges. Below the basement of the pavilion is an excavated underground palace whose entrances cleverly concealed it until archaeologists, led by reports from Akbar's day, discovered it. The emperor would come to these rooms, constructed at the center of a water-filled tank, to escape the summer heat. Unearthed within them was the 12-foot-high stone bowl (now displayed on the pavilion) used to store water transported from the Ganges—the only water Akbar would drink. At the edge of the pool is the Turkish Sultana's Pavilion, a charming structure covered with elaborate Persian carvings in floral and zigzag patterns. It is said to have been the home of the emperor's Turkish wife, but was more likely a place to relax by the pool and have a quiet conversation. Separated from the sultana's pavilion as well as from the official buildings of the palace by the Anup Talao are Akbar's private chambers. The Imperial Harem, where the women of Akbar's household resided, consists of several buildings connected by covered passages and screened from view of the more public areas. The Panch Mahal is a breeze-catching structure with five (panch in Hindi) arcaded stories, each smaller than the one below. Its 176 columns are carved with tiny flowers or other motifs (no two of the first floor's 56 columns have the same design). As Fatehpur Sikri's tallest building, it affords grand views of the city and the surrounding landscape from its upper stories. When the women prayed, they did so behind the screened arches of the Najina Masjid (Small or Jewel Mosque), behind the Panch Mahal across a small garden. The largest residence in the complex is the Gujarati-influenced Jodh Bai Palace, more properly called Principal Haram Sara, because behind its eunuch-guarded entrance lived a number of the emperor's wives rather than just that of his Hindu wife, Jodh Bai. The Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) is a cool vantage point from which women could peek out at the court unseen from beautifully carved stone screens. The House of Mariam (on a diagonal between Jodh Bai's Palace and the Panch Mahal) is the home of either Akbar's Christian wife or, more likely, his mother. Look for the faded paintings of horses and elephants on the exterior walls. Some of the brackets supporting the eaves are carved with scenes from mythology. Birbal's Palace, which sits a few yards northwest of Jodh Bai's Palace and the Hawa Mahal, was named for the emperor's playfully irreverent Hindu prime minister. Because it's unlikely that he would have lived inside the harem, the Archaeological Survey of India ascribes it to Akbar's two senior wives. The palace's ornamentation makes use of both Hindu and Islamic motifs. The big open colonnade behind the harem is known as the Royal Stables because the stalls were once thought to have housed elephants and horses; however, it is more likely that it was the quarters of the serving women, and that the open stalls were enclosed by curtains tied to the stone rings once thought to have tethered the animals. At the edge of the city complex, by Sikri Lake, you should be able to see the Hiran Minar tower, decorated with six-pointed stars and hexagons, from which elephant tusks protrude (the originals have been replaced with stone tusks). If it's open, there are 53 steps that take you to the top of the tower, from where you have a bird's-eye view of Fatehpur Sikri. Follow the path down to the east gate of the Jama Masjid (Imperial Mosque); built around 1571 and designed to hold 10,000 worshippers, it's still in active use. Note the deliberate incorporation of Hindu elements in the design, especially the pillar decorations. The Shahi Darwza (Emperor's Gate) is on the eastern side of the mosque; only the emperor and his courtiers were allowed to pass through this gate. The sandstone gateway is fully carved in geometrical design, and has two arches, one on top of the other; a lotus-bud motif runs through the smaller arch. In the courtyard of the Jama Masjid (opposite the Buland Darwaza) lies Salim Chisti's tomb, surrounded by walls of marble lace, each with a different design. Begun upon the saint's death in 1571 and finished nine years later, the tomb was originally faced with red sandstone, but was refinished in marble by Jahangir, the heir Akbar's wife bore after the saint's blessing. From here you can cross the courtyard and exit through the imposing Buland Darwaza. Tombs of those people lucky enough to be buried by the revered saint are in this area. And here is the Buland Darwaza (Great Gate), at the southwestern end of the city. The beautiful inscription etched on it translates to "The world is but a bridge, pass over but build no houses on it." With its beveled walls and inset archways, the southern gate rises 134 feet over a base of steps that raise it another 34 feet, dwarfing everything else in sight. Akbar built it after conquering Gujarat, and it set the style for later gateways, which the Mughals built habitually as symbols of their power. The various upper stories of Fatehpur Sikri are now closed to visitors because of the proliferation of graffiti.
Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSight Details
Rate Includes: Rs. 500 -
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