Agra

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:India city infobox

For other uses, see Agra (disambiguation).

Agra is an ancient city on the bank of Yamuna River in India, within the state of Uttar Pradesh having three World Heritage Sites. 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 Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

Contents

[edit]

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.

[edit]

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.

[edit]

Population

Agra is the third biggest city in Uttar Pradesh. The population of the city in 2001:

  • Total: 1,316,177
    • Male: 705,953
    • Female: 610,224
[edit]

Notable buildings

Image:Taj Mahal in March 2004.jpg

[edit]

Taj Mahal

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

[edit]

Agra Fort

Agra's dominant structure and the World Heritage Site, the Agra Fort, also called the Red Fort, was rebuilt by Akbar in 1565. The red sandstone fort was renovated and converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time, and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. 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.

[edit]

Sikandra

This place is known an akbar's tomb.

Image:Fatehpur-sikri-6-panch-mahal.JPG

[edit]

Fatehpur Sikri

It is yet Another World Heritage Site in Agra District, 35 km from city of Taj.

[edit]

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. Image:Dayal-bagh-12.JPG

[edit]

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.

[edit]

Chini Ka Rauza

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

[edit]

Ram Bagh

The oldest Mughal garden in India, the 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.

[edit]

Swamiji Maharaj

The Swamiji Maharaj is a temple in the Dayal Bagh section of town. The temple is sacred to the followers of the Radha Swami faith. Construction was started in 1908, and it is believed that construction will never end. It is often seen as the "next Taj Mahal".

[edit]

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
[edit]

External links

de:Agra (Indien) es:Agra fr:Âgrâ gl:Agra - आगरा ko:아그라 hi:आगरा id:Agra it:Agra (India) he:אגרה (עיר) kn:ಆಗ್ರಾ lt:Agra nl:Agra (India) ja:アーグラ pl:Agra pt:Agra (Índia) ro:Agra ru:Агра fi:Agra sv:Agra ta:ஆக்ரா uk:Агра zh:阿格拉

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Agra"