Agra
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- This article is about a city in India. For other uses, see Agra (disambiguation).
| Agra आगरा اغره |
|
  Agra
आगरा اغره |
|
| State - District(s) |
Uttar Pradesh - Agra |
| Coordinates | |
| Area - Elevation |
- 171 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population (2001) - Density |
1,259,979 - |
| Codes - Postal - Telephone - Vehicle |
- 282 001 - +0562 - UP-80 |
Agra pronunciation (Hindi: आगरा, Urdu: اغره), (IPA: ɑːɣrə) is a medevial city on the banks of the Yamuna River in India. It was founded by Sultan Sikandar Lodi in the year 1506. It lies currently in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Agra is situated [1], on the bank of Yamuna river. It has an average elevation of 171 metres (561 feet). On the north it is bounded by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on the east by Firozabad, on the south-east by Fatehabad and on the west by Bharatpur. Agra is the third biggest city in Uttar Pradesh.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2000 India censusGRIndia, Agra had a population of 1,259,979. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Agra has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 76% of the males and 53% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] History
Agra is a medieval city situated on the banks of the river Yamuna. It is generally accepted that Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Ruler of Delhi Sultanate founded it in the year 1506. After the sultans death the city passed on to his son Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. He ruled his Sultanate from Agra till he fell fighting to Babur in the First battle of Panipat fought in 1526.
With the Mughals started the golden age of Agra. It remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan later shifted his capital to Shahjahanabad in the year 1649.
Since Agra was one of the most important cities under the Mughals, it witnessed a lot of building activity. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Aram Bagh or the Garden of Relaxation. His grandson Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort besides making Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city on the outskirts of Agra called Fatehpur Sikri. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.
His son Jahangir had a love of gardens and flora and fauna and layed many gardens inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila. Shah Jahan known for his keen interest in architecture gave Agra its most prized monument, The Taj Mahal. Built in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum was completed in 1643.
Shah Jahan later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but this son Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Agra and had his father imprisoned in the Agra Fort. Agra remained capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb till he shifted it to Aurangabad in the Deccan in 1653. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats before falling into the hands of The British Raj in 1803.
[edit] Places of Interest
[edit] Taj Mahal
Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It is the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
It is closed for visitors every Friday in observance of Muslim holy day.
[edit] Agra Fort
Agra's dominant structure, the Agra Fort (also called the Red Fort), was built by Akbar in 1565. The red sandstone fort was renovated and converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time, and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace), and Musamman Burj.
 Taj Mahal from Agra Fort. Picture by Harmeet S. Chawla |
[edit] Fatehpur Sikri
It is another World Heritage Site in Agra District, 35 km from city of Taj. It was built by the Mughal emperor Akbar. As Agra was the Mughals' capital, there are many forts and old buildings situated there.
[edit] Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb
Empress Nur Jehan built Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.
[edit] Jama Masjid
A large mosque attributed to Princess Jahanara Begum, built in 1648 during the reign of father Shah Jahan. Notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.
[edit] Chini Ka Rauza
A monumental tomb, notable for its dome of blue glazed tiles, dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz.
[edit] Aalsi(Lazy) Bagh
The oldest Mughal garden in India, the Aalsi Bagh was built by the Emperor Babur in 1528. It lies at 27.28° N 78.32° E about 2.34 kms north to Taj Mahal.
It is famous for being the place where Emperor Akbar proposed to his third wife who was a gardner at that place by lying idle over there for 6 days until she was forced to say Yes. Since that day this place is know as Aalsi Bagh. Some people also call it a Aaram Bagh.
[edit] Soami Bagh Samadh
The Soami Bagh Samadh is the mausoleum of Huzur Soamiji Maharaj (Shri Shiv Dayal Singh) in the Dayalbagh section in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the Radhasoami Faith and the Samadh is sacred to its followers. Construction began in 1908, and it is believed that construction will never end. It is often seen as the "next Taj Mahal". The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble, is life-like and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken from the backside and shows only two floors. When completed, the samadh will have a carved dome and a gateway.
[edit] Sikandra (Akbar's tomb)
Sikandra, the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, is only 13 kilometres from the Agra Fort. Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb is set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Tartary custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.
 Pankaj Jain with a lot of monkeys, near Agra, India. |
 Soami Bagh Samadh, in Dayalbagh. |
 Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri. |
[edit] Climate
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official Website of Agra maintained by NIC
- Agra City Guide
- Agra Rugs
- Agra at Wikimapia
- Agra travel guide from Wikitravel
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