Agra is the architectural garden of the Moghuls. The Moghul rule was most powerful and prosperous during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan, all having governed from Agra till Shahjahan built a new capital in Delhi (Shahjahanabad). This power and prosperity shows in the architecture of Agra.
The Agra Fort is one of the largest in India and was the seat of this power. The entrance is over a moat and through a long incline with fortified walls to repel any enemy force trying to gain access.
The Fort shows a progression of styles from the rugged power of its ramparts and outer walls to the ornate carvings on its columns. Its 16 different palaces span three rulers and a variety of designs - from Akbar's heavy reliance of Rajput building style to Shahjehan's finesse in marble and motifs. The Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) is small and ornate, while the Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) is large, columnar and symmetrical.
Agra is home to some important Mughal tombs and I will present these on a progressing time scale.
Akbar's tomb is at Sikandra, about 10 km from Agra on the road to Delhi. When I last visited it over 10 years ago, it was still a small sleepy village. Today, there are traffic jams on the road right in front of Akbar's magnificent tomb. He built is during his reign and it shows in the richness of design, the jalis (screens) and the motifs. The gate to enter the tomb is impressive. The tomb itself shows the influence of Hindu/Rajput architecture on early Mughal tombs in India, mixed with a typical Mughal layout with the tomb in the middle of a square garden.
Not far from Akbar's tomb is the tomb of his wife Mariam Zamani, the Rajput princess Jodha. Unlike the Emperor's tomb, it is hard to find and you will miss it unless you really look for it. It is about 1 km upstream (towards Delhi), on the opposite side of the road. It is plain and uses an earlier 'baradari' to house the tomb. Makes sense as it was built not by a loving husband, but by a son who was by then the king, and much under the influence of his own wife - the powerful Nur Jehan.
Nur Jehan, wife of Jehangir, the fourth Mughal emperor is associated with one of the most beautiful tombs in Agra - the Itamadud-daulah Tomb, locally known as "Baby Taj". This is the tomb of her father, a Persian nobleman and minister in Jehangir's court. The tomb is small, set in the middle of a garden, with three gates and one pavilion by the river Yamuna.
The inlay work, the motifs and the jalis (screens) on this tomb are just exquisite. Most tourists in a rush miss this tomb, on the other bank of Yamuna from the Fort and the Taj Mahal.
Further down from Itamadud-daulah's Tomb on the same bank of Yamuna is the delightful Mehtab Bagh, a garden developed recently, but one used by Shahjahan and the later Mughals to view the Taj Mahal on a moonlit night. At sundown, Mehtab Bagh offers a view of the Taj Mahal different from that seen by most tourists, and you dont have to jostle with the crowds.
The Taj Mahal, the ultimate expression of love, was built by the fifth Mughal emporer Shahjahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The beauty, symmetry and presentation of this most famous Mughal tomb can only be experienced; it cannot be described. It is different from other Mughal tombs in that it is not in the centre of a garden, but at one end of it. The Taj Mahal is from an era in which Mughal power reached its pinnacle of power and prosperity, and this shows in its finesse. No more descriptions, just enjoy.
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