Agra Fort

Coordinates: 27°10′46″N 78°01′16″E / 27.179542°N 78.021101°E / 27.179542; 78.021101
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Agra Fort
Agra Fort
LocationAgra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Area38 ha (94 acres)
Architectural style(s)Mughal
Owner
CriteriaCultural: (iii)
Reference251
Inscription1984 (8th Session)
Coordinates27°10′46″N 78°01′16″E / 27.179542°N 78.021101°E / 27.179542; 78.021101
Map Map of Agra Fort

The Agra Fort (Qila Agra) is a historical

fort in the city of Agra, and also known as Agra's Red Fort. Mughal emperor Humayun was crowned at this fort. It was later renovated by the Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565 and the present-day structure was completed in 1573. It served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. It was also known as the "Lal-Qila" or "Qila-i-Akbari".[1] Before being captured by the British, the last Indian rulers to have occupied it were the Marathas. In 1983, the Agra fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its importance during the Mughal Dynasty.[2] It is about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mi) northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. It was later renovated by Shah Jahan
.

Like the rest of Agra, the history of Agra Fort prior to Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion is unclear. However, in the 15th century, the Chauhan Rajputs occupied it. Soon after, Agra assumed the status of capital when Sikandar Khan Lodi (1487–1517 CE) shifted his capital from Delhi and constructed a few buildings in the preexisting fort at Agra. After the first battle of Panipat (1526 CE), Mughals captured the fort and ruled from it. In 1530 CE, Humayun was crowned in it. The fort was given its present appearance during the reign of Akbar (1556–1605 CE). Later, this fort was under the rule of Jats of Bharatpur for 13 years.

History

Battle of Delhi (1556)
Samuel Bourne, "The Fort. Delhi Gate. Agra", 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, D.C.

After the

baoli (step well) in it. His successor, Humayun, was crowned in the fort in 1530. He was defeated at Bilgram in 1540 by Sher Shah Suri. The fort remained with the Suris till 1555, when Humayun recaptured it. Adil Shah Suri's general, Hemu, recaptured Agra in 1556 and pursued its fleeing governor to Delhi where he met the Mughals in the Battle of Tughlaqabad.[3]

Diwan-i-Aam, Hall of Public Audience

Realising the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. His historian,

Abul Fazl, recorded that this was a brick fort known as 'Badalgarh'. It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area Dhaulpur district, in Rajasthan.[4] Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.[5][6]

It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson,

was victorious among his all brothers, then he imprisoned Shah Jahan in 1658 in the same fort only.

The fort was under the

British East India Company's rule in India and led to a century of direct rule in India by Britain.[4][7]

Scene of the gunpowder explosion at Agra Fort, 29 November 1871

On 30 November 1871, thirty six people died when a cartridge factory located inside the fort exploded.[8]

Layout

Plan of the Red Fort, Agra, from Murray's Handbooks for Travellers 1911

The 380,000 m2 (94-acre) fort has a semicircular plan, its chord lies parallel to the river Yamuna and its walls are seventy feet high. Double ramparts have massive circular bastions at intervals, with

machicolations and string courses. Four gates were provided on its four sides, one Khizri gate opening on to the river. Two of the fort's gates are notable: the "Delhi Gate" and the "Lahore Gate". The Lahore Gate is also popularly also known as the "Amar Singh Gate," for Amar Singh Rathore.[4]

The monumental Delhi Gate, which faces the city on the western side of the fort, is considered the grandest of the four gates and a masterpiece of

elephants with their riders – added another layer of security. The drawbridge, slight ascent, and 90-degree turn between the outer and inner gates make the entrance impregnable. During a siege, attackers would employ elephants to crush a fort's gates. Without a level, straight run-up to gather speed, however, that is prevented by this layout.[9]

The northern portion of the fort is still used by the Indian military (the Parachute Brigade in particular), so the Delhi Gate cannot be used by the public. Tourists enter via the Amar Singh Gate.[10][citation needed]

The site is very important in terms of architectural history.

Abul Fazal recorded that five hundred buildings in the designs of Bengal and Gujarat were built in the fort. Some of them were demolished by Shah Jahan
to make way for his white marble palaces. Most of the others were destroyed by the British troops of East India Company between 1803 and 1862 for raising barracks. Hardly thirty Mughal buildings have survived on the south-eastern side, facing the river, such as the Delhi Gate and Akbar Gate and one palace – "Bengali Mahal".

Akbar Darwazza (Akbar Gate) was renamed Amar Singh Gate by Shah Jahan. The gate is similar in design to the Delhi Gate. Both are built of red sandstone.[4]

The Bengali Mahal is built of red sandstone and is now split into Akbari Mahal and Jahangiri Mahal.[11]

Historical sites

Jahangir's Hauz, 1916–18
  • Jahangir's Hauz (tank) (1610 AD): this monolithic tank (hauz) was used for bathing. It is 5 feet high, 8 feet in diameter and 25 feet in circumference. On the external side of the rim there is an inscription in Persian which mentions it as Hauz-e-Jahangir. It was first discovered near the courtyard of Akbar's palace. In 1843 AD and later it was placed in front of Diwan-e-Am. In 1862, it was shifted to public garden (Company Bagh) where it suffered much damage. Later, Sir John Marshall brought it back to Agra Fort and placed there. Due to this hauz, the palace became famous as Jahangiri Mahal though it is part of Akbar's Bengali mahal.
  • Shahjahani Mahal (1628–35 AD): it is situated in between the white marble Khas Mahal and the red stone Jahangiri Mahal and is set transitionally in between these two residential complexes of two different ages. It is the earliest attempt of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan to convert an existing red stone building in accordance with his taste and it was his earliest palace in Agra Fort. It has a large hall, side rooms and an octagonal tower on the riverside. The skeletal construction of brick and red stone was all redone with a thick white stucco plaster and colourfully painted in floral designs. The whole palace once glistened white like white marble. On the face towards the Khas Mahal, is a large spacious white marble dalan, composed of five arches, supported on double pillars and protected externally by a chhajja. Its closed western bay houses, the Ghaznin gate, Babur's baoli and a well are situated beneath it.
The Ghaznin Gate, taken in 1842 from the tomb of Mahmud of Ghazni in Ghazni, Afghanistan

In popular culture

Gallery

  • Plan of Agra Fort on display at the fort, 2012
    Plan of Agra Fort on display at the fort, 2012
  • Exterior of Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience
    Exterior of Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience
  • Interior of Diwan I Am (Hall of Public Audience)
    Interior of Diwan I Am (Hall of Public Audience)
  • Persian Calligraphy in Agra Fort
    Persian Calligraphy in Agra Fort
  • Agra Fort Diwan I Am (Hall of Public Audience)
    Agra Fort Diwan I Am (Hall of Public Audience)
  • Amar Singh Gate, Agra
    Amar Singh Gate, Agra
  • Jahangir Palace
    Jahangir Palace
  • Diwan-i-Khas
    Diwan-i-Khas
  • Delhi gate, by Seeta Ram, 1814–15
    Delhi gate, by Seeta Ram, 1814–15
  • Agra Fort insides
    Agra Fort insides
  • Decorated column
    Decorated column
  • Decorations on the ceiling
    Decorations on the ceiling
  • Weeks Edwin Gate of the Fortress at Agra India
    Weeks Edwin Gate of the Fortress at Agra India
  • Inside the Fort's extensive compound
    Inside the Fort's extensive compound
  • Rampart of Agra Fort
    Rampart of Agra Fort
  • Bathtub of Jahangir
    Bathtub of Jahangir
  • Taj Mahal and Yamuna river
    Taj Mahal and Yamuna river
  • Musamman Burj inside
    Musamman Burj
    inside
  • Anguri Bagh, the garden in the courtyard
    Anguri Bagh, the garden in the courtyard
  • Agra Fort: Shish Mahal
    Agra Fort: Shish Mahal
  • Agra Fort: Hon'ble John Russell Colvin's Tomb
    Agra Fort: Hon'ble John Russell Colvin's Tomb
  • Persian calligraphy in Agra Fort
    Persian calligraphy in Agra Fort

See also

References

  1. ^ "Agra Fort". www.tajmahal.gov.in. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Agra Fort - World HeritageCentre". UNESCO.ORG. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  3. .
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ "The Akbarnama of Abul Fazl Vol. 2". 1907.
  6. ^ "Agra Fort (1983), Uttar Pradesh – Archaeological Survey of India". Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  7. .
  8. ^ "The Explosion at Agra". No. Volume 6. The Illustrated London News. 6 January 1872. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 28 December 2020. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  9. .
  10. ^ explorer, the india (3 July 2023). "Agra Fort: A Glimpse into Mughal Splendor". the india explorer. nishi. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  11. ^ "The Bengali-Mahal, adfagra.org". Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  12. ^ Agra Museum notice

External links