AGRA-a city in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state
Our first stop in India is Agra fort, a great building with red sandstone as it's material which bring all the way from Rajasthan.Some part of the fort were made by marbles. It was said that Shah Jahan was force to spend his final days in the Musamman Burj of the Agra fort by his son as Shah Jahan was said to be crazy after the lost of his wife-Mumtaz Mahal, which was built by him.The Musamman Burj is located on the left of the Khaas Mahal. It is a beautiful octagonal tower with an open pavilion. It is said that Shah Jahan used to view the Taj Mahal from this very place.
Agra Fort overall view
Agra Fort was built in 1573 by Akbar,as the main residence of the Mughals. Since than, the owner has change multiple times and change the structure and appearance of Agra Fort. The total area of Agra Fort is 380,000 square meter and the architecture style is Mughal architecture.
The wall has two gates, the Delhi Gate and the Amar Singh Gate. The original and grandest entrance was through the Delhi Gate, which leads to the inner portal called the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate.But now we can only enter the Agra Fort via the Amar Singh gate(the one and only gate can access by the visitors).
Part of the red fort of Agra
Important Structures Inside the Agra Fort
• Jahangir's Hauz – This is a monolithic tank, and was built by Jahangir. The tank was initially used for bathing. It is now a part of Akbar’s Bengali Mahal.
• Shahjahani Mahal – The Shahjahani Mahal is probably one of the earliest attempts of Emperor Shah Jahan to turn a red sandstone palace into a palace of white marble.
• Babur’s Baoli (step well) – Babur built a stone step well which took care of the water needs in the ancient fort of Agra. This was probably one of the earliest modifications made to the fort.
• Nagina Masjid – Nagina Masjid is a mosque which was built by Shah Jahan. The mosque was built using white marble only and was considered a private place of worship.
• Diwan-I-Am (Hall of Public Audience) – This hall was built by Shah Jahan. Interestingly, the hall was first built using red sandstone but was later shell-plastered, giving it a look of white marble.
• Ghaznin Gate – The Ghaznin gate actually belongs to the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni, one of the rulers of the Ghaznavid Empire. The gate was moved into the fort by the British for political reasons.
• Bengali Mahal –This palace was built by Akbar and was later modified by Shah Jahan. An interesting aspect of this palace is it is said to be housing secret buildings hidden underneath the palace.
• Akbar’s Mahal – The ruins of Akbar’s famous palace still remains in the fort. Akbar breathed his last in this very palace. The entire palace was built using red sandstone.
The first three photo in a row show the part of Agra Fort made with red sandtone, last three show the part made with marble.
Agra Fort is fill with beautifully handcarved brick and marble ornaments.
Beautifully carved marble ornaments.
Beautifully handcarved brick ornaments.
After this, we visited Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaj Mahal after her death in 1631. The architecture style also Mughal. The Architect who design this is Ustad Ahmed Lahori. Total area used is 170000 square meter, with raised platform height 6m. It took 21 years to build and use white marble as the building materials for the main mausoleum, red sandstone for fortifying structure and accents.
The main entrance gateway or Darwaza-e-Rauza
The main entrance gateway or Darwaza-e-Rauza is constructed with red sandstone and is designed in such a way that standing outside the archway one cannot see the Taj, but upon entering it manifests offering a breathtaking effect.
The mosque on the western side of the Taj Mahal and the Nakkar Khana or guest house on the eastern side are made with red sandstone. They are mirror images of each other in design, which in Mughal architectural terms is called Jawab, and enhance the symmetry of the Taj along with emphasizing the translucent beauty of the white marble structure.
Taj Mahal is part of an elaborate complex consisting of a decorative gateway, a beautifully designed garden, a wonderful water system and a mosque. The complex stretches in a south to north incline towards the river and is constructed in steps.
The central focus of the complex is the Tomb structure. Made completely out of white marble, its beauty lies in the symmetry of its architecture. The structure is situated on a raised square plinth, also made of white marble, at a height of 50 m from the river level, at one end of the complex. The tomb itself is situated at the center of the plinth, framed by four equidistant minarets. The four minarets is slightly point towards outside, if earthquake happen the minarets will fall opposite direction from the tomb so it would not damage the it.
There is a bulbous central dome in the main building. The dome is elevated from the top of the building. It is decorated at its top by lotus motif and ends in a gilded finial topped with the Islamic half-moon. The spherical and grand aspect of the central dome is emphasized by incorporation of smaller domes on both sides in the form of chhatris, also capped in gilded finials. Each minaret is divided into three equal segments by two balconies and has an octagonal base. The delicate curve of the dome is emphasized by the tapering structure and slightly angular placement of the minarets. The entrance to the main tomb is framed by a huge arched vault or Iwan which in turn is again framed by two similar but smaller arches on each side. These arches indicate stacked balconies along two different levels. This is called pishtaqs, which is replicated on all the eight edges of the building affording it another dimension of symmetry.
The ornaments and the motif were all hand carved.
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