History plays a very vital part in our lives. From the study of history, we learn about our past, we learn about the incidents that have taken place, who ruled over the lands, and everything old. Moreover, ancient architectures are inscribed with designs that we cannot see in today’s world.
From all of the countries, India boasts of a humongous number of ancient monuments. All of the kings who have ruled in the past had built monuments unique to their cultures and traditions. Whether it was battle or architecture, our ancestors were great in all aspects.
However, Mighty Mughals are the ultimate inspiration in terms of architecture. A large number of Mughal buildings can be found in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Agra was once made the capital in the reign of the Mughal emperor, Akbar himself, but later it was shifted to Delhi.
Actually, Agra is situated on the banks of the river Yamuna. It was established in 1475 by Raja Badal Singh. Agra is known as the City of Love or the City of Taj, but besides the Taj Mahal, there are many other monuments and places that you can visit. Some of them are:
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The Agra Fort
The magnificent Agra Fort was built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565-73 on the western bank of the river Yamuna at the cost of 35 lakh rupees at that time. It is semi-circular in space and has a circuit of about two and a half km. It has 20-meter high masonry walls that are so solid that even a strand of hair cannot find its way into the joints!
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Tomb of I’timād-ul-Daulah
Situated nearly a kilometer ahead of the North of Agra Fort, on the banks of river Yamuna, I’timād-ul-Daulah’s tomb was the first example in India of inlaid work derived from Persian mosaics and also the first of all the marble buildings in Agra.
It is also enclosed with a beautiful and spacious garden. This tomb was a tribute to Giyasuddin (father) by Noor Jahan. In the center of the hall lies the graves of I’timād-ul-Daulah and his wife, and in the surrounding chambers are the graves of other family members.
Akbar himself had chosen this site for his own tomb and started building it. The truncated pyramidal tomb is set in a square garden. The decorative gateway with gold inlay work has four marble minarets. Akbar’s 5 story tomb, built of red sandstone inlaid with white, lies in the garden’s center.
Built-in the style of a Buddhist Vihara, Panch Mahal is really a sight to see. This five-storeyed building has 84 pillars on the ground floor and only four pillars at the top. All these pillars are different from each other.
To get relief from the heat of summer, this building is gradually narrowed towards the top so that there is enough breeze and passage for air circulation. Akbar also used the entire structure for recreation with his wives.
Mehtab Bagh was the last of eleven gardens built by the Mughals along the riverside of Yamuna. It is said that once the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had identified a site from a crescent-shaped, grassy flood-plain across the river Yamuna as the ideal place for viewing the Taj Mahal, it was then created as a moonlight pleasure garden, now known to all of us by the name of Mehtab Bagh.
So next time you visit Agra, remember that it has more to offer than just the Taj Mahal.