Agra: Encyclopedia - Agra

Agra

Agra is an ancient city on the Yamuna River in India, within the state of Uttar Pradesh. It achieved prominence as the capital of the Mughal sovereigns from 1526 to 1658 and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the Taj Mahal.

Agra - Location

Agra is situated on the bank of Yamuna river, situated between 27°11' North latitude and 78°0' degree to 78°2' East longitude, at 169 meters above sea level. On the north it is bounded by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on the east by Firozabad, and on the west by Bharatpur.

Agra - History

Agra is an ancient city, called Agrabana in the epic Mahabharata. Ptolemy marked Agra on a third-century map of the world. The Persian poet Salman described a twelfth century assault on Agra.

The city was fortified by Badal Singh ca 1475, whose Fort, Badalgarh stood near the site of the present Red Fort. Agra was a capital of the Lodi kingdom, defeated by the first Mughal Emperor, Babar. The Mughals also began to use it as a capital.

Agra's importance grew during the reigns of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan, and became a major center of art, culture, commerce and learning. These emperors undertook major building projects.

Agra - Population

The population of the city in 1991 (in thousands):

• Total: 2,751.02
  • Male: 1,501.93
  • Female: 1,249.09
• Rural: 1,639.94
• Urban: 1,111.09
• Schedule Caste: 638.33
• Schedule Tribes: 0.27

Agra - Notable buildings

Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world. It is the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Agra - Red Fort

Agra's dominant structure, the Agra Fort was rebuilt by Akbar in 1565. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace), and Musamman Burj.

Agra - Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb

Empress Nur Jehan built Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.

Agra - Jama Masjid

A large mosque attributed to Princess Jahanara Begum, built in 1648 during the reign of the father Shah Jahan. Notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.

Agra - Chini Ka Rauza

A memorial dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz, notable for its dome of blue glazed tiles.

Agra - Ram Bagh

The oldest Mughal garden in India, Ram Bagh was built by the Emperor Babur in 1528. It lies about 2.5 kilometres north of Chini ka Rauza. Emperor Babur was temporarily buried there before being reburied in Kabul.

Agra - Climate

• Summer - Max. 45 °C, Min. 21.9 °C
• Winter - Max. 31.7°C, Min. 4.2 °C
• Rainfall: 660 mm (June to September)
• Best Season: October to March

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Agra", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra, used and available under the GNU Free Documentation License.