Agra Fort

Agra has a gorgeous fort too. In fact you can see a lot of similarities between the Red Fort in Delhi, the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. Not so strange, since they were built by the same Mughal dynasty in the same era.


From wikipedia:

Agra Fort, is  located in Agra, about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. After the First Battle of Panipat, in 1526 Mughals captured the fort and a vast treasure - which included a diamond later known as the Koh-i-Noor diamond - was seized.

The fort was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone. Some 1,444,000 builders worked on it for eight years, completing it in 1573.

It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Legend has it that Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan also built the Red Fort in Delhi.

At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was taken prisoner by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died inside the fort, locked up in a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

Let's have a look now:

A giant fort with high and thick walls. These forts often had two rings around it: a 'wet' one (with alligators) and a dry one (with lions and tigers). Amazing!

There are lots of interesting stories to tell. E.g. that these towers and the small windows high up were for the different wives of Sjah Jahan, so that they could wave him farewell from their own tower if he went traveling.

Lots of gorgeous details in decorations.

 Hindu style for the Hindu wife.

Courtyard water fountain; no water now.

Besides red sandstone, there are also buildings in marble:

Here were rooms for the concubines, because he had not only two wives (a Hindu one and a Muslim one), but also 100 concubines or so. Busy man, that Sjah Jahan!

A larger fountain.

And then there is the tower where Sjah Jahan was placed under housearrest by his own son, (7 years, till his death!) who wanted to take over the power and the familymoney. (He also killed his brothers, since he was not the eldest son)

The father could see the Taj Mahal from his balcony, the giant mausoleum he built for his deceased wife.

At least he had a fountain and a balcony in his prison tower;-).

Well, that's it for our day trip to Agra. 

There is more to share about our trip in Delhi, but I will save that for later.

Tomorrow I bring you back to Pune for some sightseeing over there.