MONUMENTS IN AGRA: TAJ MAHAL
The Taj Mahal is situated on the right bank of the Yamuna River in a large Mughal Garden that spans over 17 hectares in the Uttar Pradesh district of Agra. It was created in honour of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal, with work beginning in 1632 AD and finishing in 1648 AD, with the mosque, guest house, and main gateway on the south, and the outer courtyard and its cloisters added later and completed in 1653 AD. The availability of various historical and Quranic inscriptions in Arabic script has aided in determining the Taj Mahal’s chronology. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders, and other artists were requisitioned from across the empire to help build it. Ustad Ahmad Lahori was the chief architect of the monument.
Its architectonic beauty has an unbeatable rhythmic combination of concaves and convexness, domes and arches, and solids and voids. The amalgamation of red path, white structure, lush greenery and the overlooking blue sky gives the entire atmosphere of this place different tints and moods. The relief work with marble and inlay with precious stones make it a monument.
MONUMENTS IN AGRA: AGRA FORT
Raja Badal Singh, a Rajput king, built the Agra Fort. The fort has been owned by several dynasties over time, including the Lodhi Dynasty, the Mughal Empire, and the British Empire, to name a few. After the battle of Panipat in 1526, the Mughals occupied the fort. The fort was rebuilt during Akbar’s reign, and its architectural style was influenced by him. Other historic sites within the fort include Ghaznin Gate, Shah Jahani Mahal, Shish Mahal, and many more.
The Fort was built in red sandstone in 1573 by Akbar. It took around eight years to rebuild the Fort. The Fort was primarily built to serve as a military instalment. This is the reason the Fort has a 70-foot-high wall. Later, Shah Jahan had built various beautiful marble sections within it. The Fort also has a secret tunnel which interestingly connects it to Delhi’s Red Fort, but it stands sealed by the government
MONUMENTS IN AGRA: ITMAD – UD- DAULAH
Mirza Ghiyas Beg, the father of his adored wife Noor Jahan, was bestowed with the title Itimad-ud-Daulah by Mughal emperor Jahangir, the son of Akbar the Great. However, Itmad-ud- Daulah as well as that of his wife Asmat Jahan, was completed between 1622 and 1628 by their daughter Noor Jahan. The mausoleum’s grandeur and beauty are so revered that it is regarded as a forerunner or draught of the Taj Mahal and is so known as the Baby Taj or the Jewel Box. The tomb, which spans 23 square metres, is located on the east side of the Yamuna, only two kilometres from Ram Bagh Circle on NH-2. It is constructed on top of a red stone plinth that stands among the famous Persian Gardens called the Char Bagh.
The garden is crisscrossed with streams of water built upon raised pathways interspersed with tanks and cascades. This in totality lends all the more beauty to the place.
