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Sikandar Lodi chose to make Agra his capital in 1501. The early Mughal emperors too ruled from Agra. Some of the monuments in this city date back to the reigns of the Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun. It was Humayun's son Akbar, who ruled from Fatehpur Sikri between 1570 and 1585 and once again from 1599 to 1605 (having moved to Lahore for a short period of time) and his grandson Jehangir who initiated Agra's ascent to glory! Jehangir, however, chose to spend much of his time in the beautiful Kashmir Valley. It was Shah Jahan who built the Jama Masjid, some of the buildings in Agra Fort and of course, the glorious Taj Mahal! The Mughal capital moved to Delhi in 1648. Later, the city suffered as it passed on to the Jats and later the Marathas and eventually came into the hands of the British in 1803. Fatehpur Sikri
This walled city contains the mausoleum of the Sufi fakir, Saleem Chisti who is said to have granted Akbar and his Hindu queen Jodhabai their wish for a son. The main entrance to Fatehpur Sikri is through the 175 feet Buland Darwaza, the highest gateway in the world. It was built by Akbar to commemorate his victory over Khandesh in Gujarat. The photographs show some of the splendours of the fort city.
One realises that since most
monuments in India are made of sand stone, it is best to
photograph them either during dawn or during dusk.
Generally, 100 ASA film would do fine and in the summers
and the afternoons you should keep the shutter speed
high. If you are clicking at dawn or dusk, you would not
require any filters either since the sandstone structures
do take an identity of their own.
In the first of the adjoining pictures you see a smallish building at dusk. This building at the north eastern end of the walled city is where Akbar founded his religion Din-e-Ilahi, which was an attempt in synthesising all major religions of the world. On the foreground you should be able to see some squarish markings. These markings were painted during Akbar's reign and form a huge chauparh (an ancient Indian game) board. Akbar is said to have played with human game pieces. The Panch Mahal, a five-storeyed tower, the highest point
in Fatehpur Sikri. This extremely airy tower is extremely
is supposed to have been used by one of the emperor's
many queens. The picture taken at dawn shows the western
part of Fatehpur Sikri with the Buland Darwaza at a
distance.
A proper tour through the walled city with an experienced guide, from the Bulund Darwaza upto the rear entrance and moat, would take about 3 hours. Just beyond the moat is an old bungalow, built in 1908 by the British. It is now used by the Archeological Survey of India One can sample the local speciality--the 52 layered Parantha in the eateries outside the Buland Darwaza.The Parantha, a sort of bread rolled out of wheat dough and fried on a pan with butter or ghee has, as its name suggests 52 incredible layers. These Paranthas are 6 inches in diameter and not surprisingly, extremely filling! An added attraction is an old man who performs the somewhat amazing feat of diving from the ramparts of the fort into the moat, from a height of about 60 feet. The Taj Mahal
Planning and construction for the Taj started in 1634 and continued for over two decades. On the banks of the river Yamuna, the Taj is enclosed in a garden amidst fountains and ornamental trees. The walled complex also consists of two mosques and an imposing arched gateway. The tomb is encased in pure white marble brought in from Makrana (in Rajasthan) and Persia (present day Iran). The walls are decorated with flawless sculptures and inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy cut from precious gems. Most of the precious stones have however been removed or stolen over the ages. The Taj has been a visual delight for viewers over the ages. Rarely has any visitor not been spellbound by the beauty of the monument. The monument looks its best on clear full moon nights. It looks its spectacular best in the full moon nights of October, when the skies are clear and the Taj is bathed in the off-white moonlight. However, it is a delight even in the radiance of dawn and the orange glow of sunset. This picture was taken on a hot September afternoon. Other Places. . . Though one normally assocaites Agra with mainly the Taj Mahal, there is much more that Agra has to offer. The narrow lanes of Agra are dotted with numerous pieces of architecture going back to as much as three hundred years ago. Two main pieces of architecture are the Sikandra and the Agra fort. Sikandra Agra Fort was made by Akbar during his reign. Later it was used by his son Jehangir also as the seat of power. Shahjahan modelled his creation, the Red Fort at Delhi on this fort. The Agra fort happens to be on the same bank of the river Yamuna as the Taj Mahal which is visible in all its beauty from one side of the fort. So very ironically, Shahjahan, a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb in his old age was put in a cell from where he could gaze at the Taj Mahal at a distance, from his cell in the Agra Fort. Besides the above there is the tomb of Itmad-ud-Doula and some lawns and parks to see. The city is also in the vicinity of Mathura, which is considered to be the birth place of the Hindu God Krishna. Another nice place to go to is the Bharatpur bird sanctuary which is close to Mathura. This place is choc-a-bloc with migratory birds during the winter. A star attraction at this sanctuary is the famous Siberian crane. Other Stuff. . . Agra can be accessed by train, air or by road. By road its about a 5 hour drive and 2 hours by the superfast Shatabdi Express which originates at the New Delhi railway station. This train is rather convenient since it reaches Agra by about 0900hrs leaving the whole day for touring Agra and take the returning train back for the night. In this respect atleast, it scores over flying to Agra. Agra has quite a few luxury hotels, so staying there is not a problem at all. The big names there are Novotel, the Ashok, the Agra Sheraton and the Taj. Most of these hotels give a view of the Taj and are based around the area called Agra Sadar which is in the vicinity of the sprawling Cantonment area. Eating joints are aplenty. Summers here are rather hot. The summer sets in around March-end and lasts till the middle of October, with the monsoon for about 2 to 3 months in the middle. Winters are pleasant with balmy afternoons. There are plenty of souvenirs available here. The most famous ones are leather goods, marble products and items made of semi precious stones like Jade. |
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27oN11', 78oE01'
These coordinates may sound like an abstraction till one realises that they hone into one of
the most celebrated cities of India: Agra!
The city made famous by the magnificient Taj Mahal--the
seventh wonder of the world! A small city but an
intrinsic part of the Indian tourist triangle of Delhi,
Agra and Jaipur. Once the capital of the Mughal empire,
in the 16th and 17th centuries, strains of its former
glory are still reflected in the city.
16 kms from
the city of Agra, stands Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s
capital. Full credit goes to the Archeological Survey of
India for this perfectly preserved example of a Mughal
city at the height of the empire’s splendour. It is
an attraction no visitor to Agra should miss.
This is Islamic architecture epitomized in its purest form. The Taj was built by the Mughal Emperor
Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After
her untimely death, Shah Jahan had her mortal remains
buried in this mausoleum. And after his own demise he was
placed to rest next to his beloved queen in the same
mausoleum. Under the dome, below the ground level, in a
dimly lit chamber, lie the mortal remains of Shahjahan
and his beloved queen Mumtaz, reminding the world of
their undying love.
is the mausoleum
of Akbar and is on the highway to Delhi, a little off
Agra. The mausoleum complex is surrounded by a walled
structure with its big arched gateway which is typically
Mughal, complete with its own set of minarets and inlaid
work. Inside the compound the main structure is
encompassed by gardens and sprawling lawns. The main
structure is quite big and mostly marble facade. Not too
much artistry (by Taj standards), but nevertheless quite
imposing. This place has a row of beautiful arches and
doorways thus making it a photographer's delight.