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Uttar Pradesh
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Agra Fort The high, red sandstone walls loom over the Yamuna river. Behind this row of battlemens and bastions lies a refined world of marble pavilions, landscaped gardens and serene mosques. The Fort in Agra, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of earliest surviving Mughal buildings in the city. Babur is said to have laid out gardens here but no sign of their remains. Akbarabad The history of Agra as an imperial city begins withAkbar. His predecessors, Babur and Humayun never got the opportunity to plan any grand buildings. It was Akbar who laid the foundation of the empire and then built this majestic citadel to match his achievements. With the new Fort, Agra got a new name - Akbarabad. The site was chosen because the river here acted as a natural moat. An older brick fort built by the Lodi sulans that stood at the site was demolished and, according to the Akbarnama, some 3,000 to 4,000 'skilled masons, hardy labourers and other staff' toiled daily to raise the first-ever fort enclosed by stone walls. The red sandstone walls rose to a height of 22 metres and stretched a distance of over a kilometre. Akbar's son, Jahangir, notes in his memories that Agra Fort and the buildings that Agra Fort and the buildings within it cost the royal exchequer a tidy Rs. 3.5 million. On the city side, there was a deep moat between two layers of high, protective battlements. The Fort was built in a crescent shape following the curve of the river and the walls were pierced by slits to allow musketeers to fire at the enemy. Drawbridges over the moat led to four giant gateways. Two of the gates, the Hathi Pol and the Amar Singh Gate, with Naqqar Khanas or Drum Houses built over them, are still in use. From one generation to the next Agra Fort established the model for all Mughal forts that followed. Akbar himself built forts at Lahore, Allahabad and Fatehpur Sikri. His grandson, Shahjahan, an even greater builder, built the Red Fort, the citadel in his new capital city of Shahjahanabad, with the same layout. The Red Fort Abul Fazl mentions over five hundred buildings within the Fort. However, apart from the alls and the gateways, few of the Akari structures survive today. Shahjahan demolished many of the sandstone buildings, remodelled others and built his own marble palaces. The Fort faced more destruction during the twilight years of the Mughal empire when the marauding Jats took away the marble and pietra dura pillars for their own palaces. The final assault came from the British who sent off the royal baths to London to be exhibited in palaces and destroyed many other buildings, replacing them with ugly army barracks. But enough remains to give the visitor a flavour of the past. What makes it more interesting is the fact that one can trace here the architectural styles of the three emperors who ruled from the Agra Fort. Enter Agra Fort from the soaring portal of the Amar Singh Gate to the south, and turn right to see the only surviving palace built by Akbar. Jahangiri Mahal is said to have been built somewhere around AD 1570 by Akbar for his son Salim, who later took the title of Jahangir. Some scholars feel that the palace could not have been named Jahangiri Mahal during Akbar's lifetime, as his son was then known as Salim. Also, the layout, with its rooms opening onto an inner courtyard, is more on the lines of a harem. Jahangiri Mahal The red sandstone Jahangiri Mahal is the first example of Akbar's attempt to blend ornate Hindu motifs with the more symmetrical Islamic style. The outer walls of the Jahangiri Mahal have a façade of carved blind arches highlighted in marble. The rooms surround an inner courtyard with halls to the north and south. Stone jalis screen the passageways that were used by the women of the household. There is also an open porch that overlooks the river. The rooms have finely-carved columns and niches and the palace may have been used by Jahangir's powerful queen Noor Jahan. >The rest of the monuments in Agra Fort are built by Shahjahan and from robust sandstrone we move to the era of lustrous marble. In 1636 Shahjahan built his luxurious personal palace, Khas Mahal. He also added two flanking pavilions topped with the curved bangaldar roofs - so termed because the shape recalled village huts of Bengal - and had the Anguri Bagh garden laid out in front. The airy palace with delicate arches, fountains and tapering turrets overlooks the river. The walls and pillars once had exquisite inlay in semi-precious stones. In his last years wen Shahjahan was imprisioned in the Fort by his son Aurangzeb, he was accompanied by his elder daughter Jahanara who lived in the Khas Mahal. The Anguri Bagh, or Garden of Grapes, has no vines but geometric flower beds, water channels and fountains in the traditional charbagh style. The Jasmine Tower At the north-east corner at the Anguri Bagh is the Mussaman Burj or the Octagonal Tower, also known as Jasmine Tower. Crowned with a copper dome, this tower placed on a bastion provides a panoramic view of the river. It is an exquisite little building which is supposed to have been Mumtaz Mahal's private quarters and has all the elegant appurtenances fit for a queen - from walls and columns covered with delicate pietra dura, a sculpted ornamental pool in the floor, jali screens and rows of carved niches to hold the queen's personal effects. Diwan-i-Khas Steps lead up from the Mussaman Burj to the Diwan-i-Khas or the hall of Private Audience, where important matters of state were conducted. Completed in 1637, the open hall has lavishly carved marble columns and arches with inlay work as well as carvings in relief. At the other end of its terrace are two thrones, one in white marble and the other in black, which was the one Jahangir used. The terrace overlooks a courtyard quaintly named Machhi Bhavan, or the Palace of Fishes, which points to the garden in front of it once containing ornamental fish ponds. This courtyard was where the court's ladies held their special bazaars and festivals. To the west of Machhi Bhavan, steps lead down to the red sandstone Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audience, which is the template for the one in Delhi's Red Fort. It is a superbly proportioned, colonnaded building with three-rows of cusped arches supported by slender pillars. There is a high decorated recess in the rear wall which was where Shahjahan sat in state on the bejewelled Peacock Throne, dealing with administrative matters, making pronouncements, hearing petitions and dispensing justice. The three Mosques There are three mosques within the Fort. Nagina Masjid has three graceful domes and was used by the women of the harem. Then, there is the tiny Mina Masjid, located near the Mussaman Burj which is now closed to the public. The third is the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, which was built by Shahjahan for his personal use. |
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