ABOUT AGRA

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History of Agra

Agra has found its mention in the famous 
Hindu epic Mahabharat as the forest of 
Agraban close to Mathura. Badal Singh 
founded the city in 1475. Sikandar Lodhi 
made Agra his capital city. Later, Babur
 defeated the Lodhis to capture the city
situated on the banks of River Yamuna and 
thus,the long association of Mughals with 
Agra started. The Mughal love of architec
_ture translated into beautiful monuments 
such as Taj Mahal,Agra Fort,Fatehpur Sikri 
and Sikandra. The glory of Agra was at its 
peak during the reign of Akbar,Jehangir and 
Shah Jahan. Akbar made it the center of art, 
culture, commerce and learning and Shah Jahan
saw it in full bloom. In fact,it is said that 
it was Akbar who laid the foundation of the 
modern city that we see now in 1558 and was 
known as Akbarabad. Most of the buildings belo
_ng to the period between mid-16th century and 
17th century and were of high quality. These 
monuments were built in the contemporary Mughal 
style. Mughlai cuisine and the skilled craftsmen 
can still be seen in the narrow lanes of the city
as a reminiscent of the lost times.
The construction of Taj Mahal was started in AD 1631 
and completed at the end of 1648AD.For seventeen years,
twenty thousand workmen are said to be employed on it 
daily,for their accommodation a small town,named after 
the deceased empress'Mumtazabad, now known as Taj Ganj,
 was built adjacent to it. Amanat Khan Shirazi was the 
calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at the end of 
an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet 
Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the tombstone,while 
Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad 
Hanif was the superintendent of Masons. The designer of 
Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The material was brought 
in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet 
of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The central 
dome is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought 
from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from
 China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from 
Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from 
Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones 
were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building 
material, the white marble was brought from the quarries of 
Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan.

TAJ MAHAL: 

It is estimated to have taken more than 22,000 people to build this 
impressive building including labourers, painters, stonecutters, 
embroidery artists, and many others.According to legend it is believed 
that Emperor Shah Jahan had planned to construct another Taj Mahal in 
black marble on the other side of the river but the war with his sons 
interrupted his plans.The Taj Mahal takes on different colouring at 
different times of the day, from a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white 
in the evening and golden at night when lit by the moon. They say the 
changing colour resembles the changing mood of females - in particular the 
Emperor's queen.Built in memory of the Emperors third and most favourite 
wife Mumtāz Mahal, the Taj Mahal took 17 years to be completed.It is said 
that the death so crushed the Emperor that all his hair and beard were said 
to have grown snow white within just a few months.The four sides of the Taj 
Mahal are perfectly identical creating an astonishingly mirrored image on 
each side. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and symmetry 
of architectural elements.The Taj Mahal is surrounded by significant gardens 
and a number of other buildings including  a mosque and guest houses which 
make up the 17 hectares of land within the complex walls.The full height of 
the Taj Mahal is 171 metres (561 feet).More than 1,000 elephants were employed 
to transport the construction materials used to build the Taj.Many precious 
stones were ripped off from its walls by the British during the Indian rebellion 
of 1857.A visit to the Taj Mahal is easily included as part of a Golden Triangle 
tour of North India, or as part of a longer India Tour. The Taj Mahal is found 
in Agra which is approximately two hours from Delhi by train, so it can easily 
be arranged as a day trip.

AGRA FORT:

Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, India. 
The fort is also known as Lal Qila,Fort Rouge and Red Fort of Agra. 
It is about 2.5 km northwest of its much more famous sister monument, 
the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled 
palatial city.Agra Fort built by Akbar in Red Sandstone when he was 
through with the consolidation of his power after accession to power in 
1654, Agra Fort worked both as a military strategic point as well as the 
royal residence.Ever since Babur defeated and killed Ibrahin Lodi at 
Panipat in 1526, Agra played an important center of Mughal Empire it was 
in a ruined condition and Akbar decided to make it his capital and arrived 
in Agra in 1558 Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone. Architects laid 
the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone 
on external surfaces. Some 1,444,000 builders worked on it for eight years, 
completing it in 1573.At the end of his life, his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort,
a punishment that might not seem so harsh, considering the luxury of the fort,
imprisoned Shah Jahan. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, 
a tower with a marble balcony with an excellent view of the Taj Mahal.The fort 
contains splendid palaces both in red sandstone and white marble built by two 
generations of prolific builders Akbar and later Jehangir and Shahjahan. Of the 
nearly 500 Akbari buildings built in the Bengal and Gujarati traditions only a 
few have survived, arrayed in a band on the riverfront.

PLACE TO VISIT IN AGRA

1. TAJ MAHAL

2. AGRA FORT

3. CHINI KA RAUZA

4. SAMADHI OF SOAMIJI MAHARAJ

5. ITIMAD-UD-DAULA'S(BABY TAJ)

6. MARIYAM'S TOMB

7. JAMA MASJID

8. BAUDDHMATHB

9. GURUDWARAS

10.JAIN TEMPLES