Mughal Architecture: India's Heritage
Buland Darwaza, the triumphal Gateway, was erected by Akbar in 1601 in commemoration of his victory over Khandesh and Ahmednagar in Southern India. Buland Darwaza is the greatest monumental structure of Akbar’s entire reign. Even now it has no parallel and is the largest, loftiest and most stately in the whole of India. In its own class, it is one of the greatest in the world. Here, marble and sandstone have been used in effective combination in its decoration, which only the masons of the Mughal period knew. The inlaid marble work in the arches and the Hindu style of architecture in the gallery above the entrance are worth a
visit. The total height of the Gate above the pavement is 176 ft.The great gate
itself is quite plain. The three horizontal panels of buff stone noticeable in
Badshahi Darwaza is also present here. The plain red sandstone spandrels
are framed n white marble with a flower-like ornament inlaid in white marble
at the apex of the arch, and a flattish rosette, centred with the narrow panel
above it, on either side. The cusped ornament, large and bold in fact, but
small and delicate when seen from below, is carried down below the
springing of the arch. Two pieces have been broken off from the left-hand side
and eight from the right.Visitors to the Gate will find that up to several feet
beyond human reach, the door is covered with horseshoes of other draft
cattle.
FATEHPUR SIKRI
this magnificent fortified ancient city, 40km west of Agra, was the short-lived capital of the Mughal empire between 1571 and 1585, during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Akbar visited the village of Sikri to consult the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti, who predicted the birth of an heir to the Mughal throne. When the prophecy came true, Akbar built his new capital here, including a stunning mosque – still in use .The city was an Indo-Islamic masterpiece, but erected in an area that supposedly suffered from water shortages and so was abandoned shortly after Akbar’s death.
Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughals. The sloping levels of the city were connected into terraces which were utilised for various complexes such as Jami masjid, Buland-Darwazah and tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti; Khass Mahal, Shahi-Bazar, Mina-Bazar, the Panch-Mahal, Khwabgah, Diwan-i-Khass, Anup-Talao, Chaupar and Diwan-i-Am. The efficient system of drainage and water-supply adopted here suggest an extremely intelligent town-planning by the Mughal emperor.
The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri has a definite all-India character. It is prolific and versatile Indo-Muslim composite style, which is a fussion of the composite cultures of indigenous and foreign origins.
With the Taj Mahal overshadowing it, one can easily forget that Agra has one of the finest Mughal forts in India. Construction of the massive red sandstone fort, on the bank of the Yamuna River, was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565.
Further additions were made, particularly by his grandson Shah Jahan, using his favourite building material – white marble. The fort was built primarily as a military structure, but Shah Jahan transformed it into a palace, and later it became his gilded prison for eight years after his son Aurangzeb seized power in 1658.
It contains a maze of buildings, forming a city within a city, including vast underground sections, though many of the structures were destroyed over the years by Nadir Shah, the Marathas, the Jats and finally the British, who used the fort as a garrison. Even today, much of the fort is used by the military and so is off-limits to the general public.
The Amar Singh Gate to the south is the sole entry point to the fort these days and where you buy your entrance ticket. Its dogleg design was meant to confuse attackers who made it past the first line of defence – the crocodile-infested moat.
A path leads straight from here up to the large Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), which is always closed. To your right, just before you reach Moti Masjid, is the large open Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audiences), which was used by Shah Jahan for domestic government business, and features a throne room where the emperor listened to petitioners.
BULAND DARWAZA
Agra Fort
