my agra visit..
Being the most important fort during the
Mughal Empire and historically recorded many
significant events that occurred centuries ago,
we chose Agra Fort aka Red Fort of Agra to
be our first destination in the city of
Taj. In fact, this was our first visit to a
heritage site for this trip. Located by the
River Yamuna, built by King Akbar around
1570 A.D. and about 1 km from the Taj Mahal East gate,
Agra Fort can be easily reached from the town center.
We got to its south entrance (the only entrance)
by auto-rickshaw for Rs.50 from our hotel.
From outside the fortress, the most obvious
criteria of the monument was the red
sandstone structure and the Mughal-style
Amar Singh Gate (Akbar Darwaza). This is
the only gate that opened to public access.
Right under Amar Singh Gate
Previously known as Akbari gate, it was later
changed to Amar Singh Gate by Shah Jahan.
Another gate, the Delhi Gate used to be the
entrance specially for kings and it leads to
another section called Hathi Pol (Elephant Gate).
Founded by King Akbar the Great, son of Humayun,
Agra Fort was the greatest fortress of all. It is the
greatest because all great Mughal kings used to reside
here and some governed their kingdoms from here, the
capital of Mughal Empire.
There were plenty of street sellers trying to make
a living by selling variety of souvenir items, books, and
postcards just outside the Amar Singh Gate. There
were also a few guys who introduced themselves as
guides and they would show their authority cards to
confirm that. I heard some offered Rs.50 per hour and some other for Rs.200 per
visit. We didn't need no guide as we can always
check the fact of any monuments from the Net or guidebooks. One guy
even came with a very ridiculous approach by telling us
that it will be a waste of time without hiring any of them. Ciitt (spit).
Get a ticket before you enter
Each visitor should buy a ticket from the ticket
counter located to the left after passing Amar
Singh Gate. The ticket cost Rs.300 per person,
for foreigners. Locals only pay Rs.20 each.
That's a huge difference huh. If you look like an Indian,
try to speak Hindi to the ticket guy. You might be paying
the local fare. As we walked through the fortress
entrance towards the ticket checking post, several
men still offering their guide services. Only after
our tickets checked, none of those people could get
pass this point and we were finally free.
Approaching Jehangiri Mahal
Jehangiri Mahal
Without further delay, we ventured deeper into the
fort before we reached at Jehangiri Mahal, a
big palace-like building with Mughal architecture.
This palace is made mostly of red sandstone
and was the most significant building during Akbar's reign.
One of Jehangiri's towers
Right in front of Jehangiri Mahal was a big bath
vat (Jahangir's Hauz) which was built in 1610 A.D.
This mobile circular bath tank measured 5 feet high and
8 feet in diameter.
I first thought it was a big cooking pot when first
looked at it but quickly my question was answered
(I heard a guide telling a group of tourists)it was a bath tub
of jehangir gifted to him by his brother in law..
On both sides of the palace stood an octagonal tower.
We walked passed its gateway into a courtyard where
we could see the Taj Mahal from a distance. The view was
breathtaking even in a hazy afternoon.
Jehangiri on Yamuna side
Dance India dance?
Khas Mahal & Anguri Bagh
Exited Jehangiri Mahal into a white marble
building. It was Khas Mahal, a gift from
Shah Jahan to his two daughters. Khas
Mahal consists of two pavilions on each
side separated by a central hall and marble wall.
In fact the building was entirely built of white marble
up to the ceiling. It was then painted in gold and blue,
the royal colors. But I saw only white and some
brownish stains (of water or sands) on most parts.
Door to somewhere?
There's also a water pond right in front of the central hall.
The open space facing Khas Mahal is the
Anguri Bagh (Garden of grapes) which was an
idea of Shah Jahan as a private garden for his royal ladies.
Anguri Bagh with Khas Mahal on the background
Musamman Burj
We walked westward to an area where quite a
number of tourists were busy taking pictures. As
a result of poor signage, I had no idea what the
place was at the moment and almost skipped it completely.
That particular structure was where Emperor Shah Jahan
had lived for years, imprisoned by his own son,
Aurangzeb before he died. This place is a double storey pavilion with an octagonal dome called Musamman Burj (Jasmine Tower).
The walls and pillars of this pavilion were decorated
with colorful arts including pietra dura, which
can also be found inside Taj Mahal. However, public
were not allowed into the tower building.
Famous pietra dura
Shish Mahal
So we walked past a few tightly closed doors.
From the map, I guessed those were
Shish Mahal (Glass Palace) and perhaps
Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private audience) as well. When
I peek inside Shish Mahal, it's actually a bathing room or
hammam. I could see some glowing glasses or mirrors
which were used as part of the structure, especially
on its door. According to some, those mirrors
were imported from Aleppo, Syria.
Diwan-i-Am
We followed the pathway to another section
of the fort and saw the Diwan-i-Am
(Hall of public audience) on our right.
This piece of structure was built by Shah
Jahan too and it was used as a place where the
emperor addressed the public. This hall is easy to
spot as it has plenty of unique arches and pillars
(40 of them). There is a tomb of someone
right in front of this hall but I don't remember exactly the detail.
Almost empty hall
From a distant we could see Nagina Masjid's
(Gem Mosque) domes on the other side
which entry was prohibited. Maybe some
renovations were in progress or something.
Nevermind, we were then delighted by some
cute squirrel-like (I guess they're squirrel) creatures who
were hungry for food.
Come to papa
Not long after that, we walked out of Agra Fort
as time did not permit us for further
exploration inside this old, greatest fortification structure
of old India.
