The Taj Mahal
Built by a grief
stricken Emperor Shah Jehan as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal , the
Taj Mahal has a structural elegance and pristine beauty that has been rarely
matched . 
It took 20 thousand men nearly 22 years to build the mausoleum
and the finest of skilled artisans were brought in to inlay the white marble
edifice with precious stones and to conjure filigreed marble screens around the
centaphs of the emperor and his beloved queen. There is a jewel - like quality
about the Taj Mahal .
The beautiful proportioned octagonal structure
topped by a perfect dome is balanced by 4 soaring minarets that stand at the
corners of the plinth .
AGRA FORT
Akbar was the third
Mughal emperor and undoubtedly the greatest. He was crowned the Mughal
ruler in 1556 at the tender age of 14, when his father Humayun died
suddenly. After Akbar consolidated his rule, he began constructing the
Agra Fort, which coincided with the building of Humayun’s tomb in Delhi.
Akbar began the construction of this massive fort made of red sandstone on
the banks of the Yamuna in 1565. The fort was ready by 1571, though
additions were made up until the rule of Shahjahan, who was Akbar’s
grandson. During the time of Akbar, the fort mainly served military
purpose, while by the time of Shahjahan it also served as a palace and
court.
The fort’s colossal
double walls rise 20 m in height and measure 2.5 km in circumference. The
fort is surrounded by a moat. The lofty battlements of the Agra fort cast
its protective shadow over the far stretching mansions of nobles and
princes built along the riverfront. The magnificent towers, bastions and
ramparts and majes
tic gateways symbolized the confidence and power of the
third Mughal emperor. The fort contains splendid palaces both in red
sandstone and white marble built by two generations of prolific builders,
Akbar and later on by Jahangir and Shahjahan. Of the nearly 500 Akbari
buildings built in the Bengal and Gujarati traditions, only a few have
survived, arrayed in a band on the riverfront.
ITMAD-UD-DAULAH’S TOMB
Mirza Ghiyas-ud-din or Ghiyas Beg (later known as Itmad-ud-Daulah) was a poor merchant and lived in Persia (modern-day Iran). In the course of time, Ghiyas Beg rose to become a minister and a trusted treasurer in Akbar’s court. After Akbar’s death in 1605, his son Jahangir became the Mughal emperor, who made Ghiyas Beg his chief minister or Wazir. Ghiyas Beg was also honored with the title of Itmad-ud-Daulah or the pillar of the state.
Emperor Jahangir fell in love with her and married her. She soon became a powerful personality in Jahangir’s court and was called Nur Mahal, the light of the palace, and Nur Jahan, light of the world. When Ghiyas Beg (Itmad-ud-Daulah) died in 1622, Nur Jahan undertook the project to build his mausoleum. Nur Jahan had a brother whose daughter was married to Jahangir’s son, Shahjahan. She was known as Mumtaz Mahal in whose memory Shahjahan built the world famous Taj Mahal.
Itmad-ud-Daulah was buried in a tomb that resembles a jewel box and set in a garden. It is the first tomb in India built entirely in white marble. Four small minarets rise at the four corners of the small tomb structure. Due to the profusion of intricate work done on marble and the beautiful marble screen-work, the tomb easily qualifies as a veritable forerunner of the famous Taj Mahal.
AKBAR’S TOMB
Akbar was the third emperor of the Mughal dynasty that ruled India in the medieval period. The architectural prowess of this great monarch is evident from the numerous buildings built by him within the precincts of the great Agra Fort. The buildings at Fatehpur Sikri belong to a composite style of architecture with the predominating Islamic style cleverly blended with local Rajasthani and Gujarati styles. The style of architecture characterized by airy tiered pavilions that emerged at Fatehpur Sikri can best be described as a melting pot of different cultures. Before his death in 1605, Akbar started building the magnificent edifice at Sikandra, which was later completed by his son Jahangir. The tomb, as it stands today, is in a large walled garden on the Delhi–Agra road. The tomb can be entered through an elegant southern gateway, which leads into the huge enclosed garden. This magnificent gateway is covered with floral and geometrical arabesque decoration in white and colored marble is crowned with four elegant minarets in white marble. The gateway is a stately composition. The tomb is predominately bright red-tiered structure, stacked like a castle of playing cards. The tomb is different from previous Mughal buildings in many ways. The building has five levels. The first is a podium of arches. Akbar’s grave lies in the basement, reached through a portico covered with gorgeous stucco paintings in gold, blue, and green floral arabesque of Persian inscriptions.
Since Jahangir completed the structure begun by Akbar, it suffers from stylistic and conceptual incoherence.
Chini Ka Rauza
This was constructed by Afzal Khan - a high official in the court of Shahjahan. Decorated by glazed tiles on the façade, the structure clearly depicts the Persian influence in architecture. Open : Sunrise to sunset.
Ram Bagh
One of the earliest Mughal gardens, it was laid out by Emperor Babar - the founder of the Mughal dynasty. It is said that Babar was temporarily buried here before being permanently interred at Kabul in Afghanistan.
Mariyam's Tomb
This unique tomb in red sandstone was built in 1611 A.D. in memory of Emperor Akbar's Goan-Christian wife - Mariyam. The tomb has some exceptional carvings.
Jama Masjid
This building, with a rectangular open forecourt was constructed in 1648 AD by Shahjahan's daughter, Jehanara Begum in memory of the famous Sheikh Salim Chishti and his grandson Islam Khan. Of particular importance is its wonderful assimilation of Iranian architecture
Dayalbagh
The headquarters of the Radhaswami sect. On the sprawling lawns here, is a beautiful marble temple under construction for almost 100 years now.
