This article is part of the Traveling India: North to South Series.
The popularity of the Taj Mahal certainly eclipses what other significant historical monuments the Indian town of Agra has to offer. Agra, situated just 204 kilometers (176 miles) from Delhi, is a small town, connected with the all-new 165 kilometers (103 miles) six-lane Yamuna Expressway, which considerably reduces traveling time to just three hours. The Yamuna expressway has become famous for another reason. It was used by the Indian Air Force to land the French Assault Mirage-2000 fighter plane as part of their training.
The entry point into the Agra Fort already affords a beautiful view of the fort walls. - image by MBS Photography
AGRA FORT - A HISTORY WRITTEN IN BLOOD
The second attraction we visited after our time at the Taj Mahal, was at the Agra Fort. An imposing fortification and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located nearby.
There may be only a few forts that have witnessed constant fighting and bloodshed, and have changed hands more than the Agra Fort. People mistakenly assume this fort to be the legacy of the Mughals, but the credit for construction goes to Raja Badal Singh, the Hindu Sikarwar Rajput, who built it in the 11th Century with bricks. It was then known as Badalgarh.
The fort fell for the first time in 1080 CE to Sikandar Lodi, who made it his second capital after Delhi. Subsequently, his son, Ibrahim Lodi, held it for nine years, but was defeated and killed in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 CE by Babur, who shifted to his palace.
Humayun, son of Babur, was crowned in this fort in 1530 CE, but in 1540 CE, Sher Shah Suri annexed the fort and ruled here until 1555 CE. Humayun managed to recapture the fort, only to lose it once again to a Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, a Hindu king, who went on to capture Delhi. However, in the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556, Humayun’s son, Akbar, defeated Vikramaditya, and regained the fort, re-establishing Agra as the capital.
It was Akbar who started the renovation work to the Fort of Agra in earnest. Employing four thousand men, he rebuilt it in eight years in 1573. Afterwards, Shah Jahan, the marble-loving Akbar’s son, replaced some buildings with marble ones.
Maratha warriors leaving for the Hunt, Gwalior by Edwin Lord Weeks (1887)
For the Agra Fort, this was not the end of the story. Marathas, the fierce Hindu warriors, captured it in the early 18th century from the Mughals. The ding-dong battle of capture and recapture continued till Ahmad Shah Abdali, defeated the Marathas in 1761 CE in the Third Battle of Panipat. It took some years for the Marathas to recoup and recapture the fort once again in 1785 CE. Later, they lost it to the British in the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803 CE.
A monolithic tank (hauz) used for bathing - 1610 AD - image by MBS-Photography
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AGRA FORT
The strategic location of the Agra Fort, spread over an area of 94 acres in a half-moon shape, with its straight east edge running along the Yamuna River, made it highly dependable. The Mughals turned the fort almost impregnable by reinforcing and raising its walls to 21 meters (70 feet) that traversed a circumference of two-and-a-half kilometers all around. They added double ramparts with uniformly placed colossal circular bastions with battlements and other defensive features.
The fort has three gates – Khizri Gate (Water Gate) opening to the river, Delhi Gate and Lahore Gate or Amar Singh Gate, named after Amar Singh Rathore; it was also known as Akbar Darwaza (Akbar Gate). Of these, Delhi Gate is most ornately designed with white marble and red stone. A wooden drawbridge runs across the moat to an inner gateway called Hathi Pol (Elephant Gate) adorned by two life-sized stone mounted elephants. These two gates were so placed as to deny a straight run to the invading elephants for head-butting and demolishing the gates.
Presently, Delhi Gate is out of bounds, since the area is occupied by the Indian Army. The main entrance for tourists is only through Amar Singh Gate, similar in design to Delhi Gate, where the ticket counter is located.
In those times, the fort enclosed a walled city that had as many as 500 buildings in the Bengal and Gujarat architectural style. However, with the arrival of Mughals, most of them were replaced with marble palaces and later by military barracks by the British. Today, you can see around 30 Mughal monuments inside.
A TOUR OF THE AGRA FORT
It is good to be informed as regards to what is viewable inside the Agra Fort. (There are some not-to-be-missed sites within.)
Since we had already purchased our tickets beforehand at the Taj Mahal, which cost INR 550 (Indian Rupees), that is around $8.50, we were able to enter through Amar Singh Gate and begin our tour. View our photo tour of the Agra Fort here, and learn more about each attraction located inside:
If for nothing else, but to get a unique experience and to relive its cherished history, a visit to the Agra Fort becomes indispensable.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE AGRA FORT
● Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior, met Aurangzeb in the Diwan-i-Khas in 1666.
● Nazam, a water-carrier, was crowned here as an emperor for half-a-day, since he had saved Humayun from drowning.
● The grave of John Colvin, Lieutenant Governor, Northwest Provinces, who died of an illness in the fort during the 1857 First War of Independence, can be seen here.
RELATED ROUTES IN AGRA - The Taj Mahal:
REFERENCES
1 - http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_agrafort.asp
2 - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/uttar-pradesh/agra/sights/military/agra-fort
3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_Fort
4 - http://www.agrafort.gov.in/
5 - http://agra.nic.in/historyofredfort.html
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