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Agra: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Agra
The name Agra originates from the Hindi word agar, meaning salt pan, a designation given to the region due to its brackish soil where salt was once produced through evaporation. This etymological root contrasts sharply with another popular theory suggesting the name derives from the Sanskrit word agra, meaning front, referring to the first of many small forests where the Hindu deity Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan. Before the city rose to prominence, the site was merely a village, and its ancient history is largely lost to legend, with only faint traces of foundations remaining from the era of the Mahabharata. The modern city's true historical importance began in 1504, 1505 when Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Afghan ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, rebuilt the settlement and made it the seat of government. Sikandar Lodi appointed a commission to survey both sides of the Yamuna river from Delhi to Etawah, ultimately choosing a location on the left bank, or east side, of the river. This decision transformed Agra into a large, flourishing town filled with royal presence, officials, merchants, scholars, theologians, and artists, establishing it as one of the most important centers of Islamic learning in India. The sultan also founded the village of Sikandra in the northern suburbs, where he built a Baradari of red sandstone in 1495, a structure that would later be converted into a tomb by Jahangir and now stands as the Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, Akbar's empress.
The Golden Age of the Mughals
The golden age of Agra began with the Mughals, transforming the city into the foremost metropolis of the Indian subcontinent and the capital of the Mughal Empire under a succession of powerful emperors. Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, acquired Agra after defeating the Lodis and the Tomaras of Gwalior in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. He sent his son Humayun to occupy the town without opposition, and in gratitude for Humayun's magnanimous treatment of the Raja of Gwalior's family, they presented him with a quantity of jewels, including the famous diamond Koh-i-nur. Babur laid out the first formal Mughal garden in India, the Aram Bagh, or Garden of Relaxation, on the banks of the Yamuna river, though he was almost dissuaded from establishing his government there due to the desolate appearance of the region. The city's true transformation occurred under Akbar, who built the modern city of Agra on the right bank of the Yamuna, where the majority of its part still lies today. Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Agra Fort and converted the city into a great center of political, cultural, and economic importance, connecting it with the various parts of his vast empire. He also built a new capital city of Fatehpur Sikri, located about 35 kilometers from Agra, which was later abandoned. Before his death, Agra had become probably one of the biggest cities in the east, with huge amounts of trade and commerce happening through its bazaars, as noted by English travelers Ralph Fitch and William Finch in the late 16th century. Akbar's successor Jahangir continued to expand the city, laying many gardens inside the Red Fort and completing Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra, while also constructing the Jahangiri Mahal in Agra Fort and the tomb of Itmad-ud-daulah.
The name Agra originates from the Hindi word agar, meaning salt pan, a designation given to the region due to its brackish soil where salt was once produced through evaporation. Another popular theory suggests the name derives from the Sanskrit word agra, meaning front, referring to the first of many small forests where the Hindu deity Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan.
When did Sultan Sikandar Lodi make Agra the seat of government?
Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the Afghan ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, rebuilt the settlement and made it the seat of government in 1504 or 1505. He appointed a commission to survey both sides of the Yamuna river from Delhi to Etawah, ultimately choosing a location on the left bank, or east side, of the river.
Who built the Taj Mahal and when was it completed?
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. The mausoleum was completed in 1653 after a construction period spanning 22 years.
When did Agra become the capital of the North-Western Province?
Agra served as the capital of the North-Western Province from 1836 to 1858. The capital was shifted from Agra to Allahabad in 1858 after British rule was secured.
What is the significance of the Agra Fort in Mughal history?
The Agra Fort is a large 16th-century fortress of red sandstone commissioned by Akbar in 1565 and took around eight years to build. The fort served as a prison for Shah Jahan when Aurangzeb confined him there from 1658 until his death in 1666.
What are the main economic activities in modern Agra?
Agra has developed into an industrial town with a booming tourism industry, along with footwear, leather, and other manufacturing. The economy relies heavily on agriculture, with 40% of the population depending largely on farming, while others work in the leather and footwear business and iron foundries.
Shah Jahan, who reigned from 1628 to 1658, raised Agra to the pinnacle of its glory through his building activity, giving the city its most prized monument, the Taj Mahal. Built in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631, the mausoleum was completed in 1653 after a construction period spanning 22 years. The chief architect was probably the Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, and the project employed upwards of twenty thousand workers from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe. The complex, covering 42 acres, includes a main gateway, garden, mosque, jawab, and the mausoleum with its four minarets, featuring verses of the Quran inscribed on it and 22 small domes at the top of the gate signifying the years it took to build. However, the emperor's reign ended in tragedy when his son Aurangzeb confined him to the Agra Fort from 1658 until his death in 1666. Shah Jahan spent the last eight years of his life gazing at the Taj Mahal from a window in the fort, a prisoner of his own son. The Taj Mahal, distinguished as the finest example of Mughal architecture, is a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles, with its most elegant and largest dome having a diameter of 35 meters and a height of 73 meters. The interiors are decorated with fine pietra dura inlay work, incorporating semi-precious stones, and Shah Jahan's tomb was erected next to his wife's by Aurangzeb. Despite its grandeur, the monument has faced significant damage due to air pollution from nearby foundries and motor vehicles, causing the white marble to turn yellow and green, leading to the creation of the Taj Trapezium Zone to enforce strict pollution restrictions following a 1996 Supreme Court ruling.
The Siege and the Shifting Capitals
The decline of the Mughal empire in the late 18th century caused the control of Agra to fall successively to the Jats, the Marathas, and finally the British East India Company. The Hindu Jats of Bharatpur waged many wars against the Mughal Empire, and in 1761, Maharaja Suraj Mal conquered Agra after a month-long siege, culminating in the Mughals surrendering to the Jat army. Following this victory, the Jats melted the silver doors of the Taj Mahal, a destructive act that remains a dark chapter in the monument's history. Agra remained under Jat control until 1774, when the Mughal Commander Mirza Najaf Khan recaptured it, only for the city to be conquered again in 1785 by the Marathas before falling into the hands of the British East India Company in 1803 after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. In the years 1834, 1836, Agra served as the capital of the short-lived Presidency of Agra, administered by a Governor, and was then the capital of the North-Western Province from 1836 to 1858. The city became one of the centers of the Indian rebellion of 1857, where the news of the mutiny at Meerut reached Agra on the 14th of May. On the 3rd of July, some 6000 Europeans and associated people moved into the Agra Fort for safety, and the Lieutenant-Governor, J.R. Colvin, died there and was later buried in front of the Diwan-i-am. The mutineers moved over to Delhi, and despite an uprising by a mob and extreme disorder in the city, the British managed to restore partial order by the 8th of July. After British rule was secured, the capital of the North Western Provinces was shifted from Agra to Allahabad in 1858, and gradually, Agra declined to the position of a mere provincial town, its prosperity waning as the British Raj ruled the city until the independence of India in 1947.
The River of Slime and the City of Leather
Today, Agra is a city of stark contrasts, where the white marble of the Taj Mahal turns yellow and green due to the filthy air of the world's eighth-most polluted city. The Yamuna River, which flanks the Taj Mahal, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, with Agra being the second largest contributor to its pollution after Delhi. The river has as many as 90 nalas or drains opening into it, and the riverbed between Itmad-ud-Daula and the Taj Mahal has become a dumping ground for pollutants, including polythene, plastic waste, leather cuttings from shoe factories, and construction material. This pollution has caused several problems for the Taj Mahal, such as attacks by bugs and their green slime, foul stench, and corrosion of the monument's foundation. Despite these environmental challenges, Agra has developed into an industrial town with a booming tourism industry, along with footwear, leather, and other manufacturing. The city is home to Asia's largest spa, Kaya Kalp , The Royal Spa, and produces over 1.5 lakh pairs of shoes per day. The economy relies heavily on agriculture, with 40% of the population depending largely on farming, while others work in the leather and footwear business and iron foundries. Agra amassed a GDP of 40.21 billion dollars in 2018, 19, ranking third in the state, and has been recognized as the 3rd best National Clean Air City under Category 1>10L Population cities in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results, showing a significant improvement from its previous rankings.
The Gardens of Relaxation and the Silent Fort
Beyond the Taj Mahal, Agra is home to a collection of architectural marvels that tell the story of the Mughal Empire's evolution. The Agra Fort, a large 16th-century fortress of red sandstone, was commissioned by Akbar in 1565 and took around eight years to build. The fort lies on the right bank of the Yamuna River and is connected to the Taj Mahal by a stretch of parkland. The red sandstone walls have a perimeter of about 2.5 kilometers, rise 21 meters high, and are surrounded by a moat. Within the fort, the Jahangiri Mahal stands as the largest residence, built by Akbar as a private palace for his Rajput wives, while the Diwan-i-Am served as the Hall of Public Audience where the emperor would listen to public petitions. The Diwan-i-Khas, or Hall of Private Audience, was used for receiving distinguished visitors and once housed the famous Peacock Throne. The fort also contains the Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower that was the residence of Shah Jahan's favorite empress, Mumtaz Mahal, and the Moti Masjid, a structure made entirely of white marble constructed by Shah Jahan. The fort served as a prison for Shah Jahan when Aurangzeb confined him there from 1658 until his death in 1666. Another significant site is the I'timād-ud-Daulah's tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, commissioned by Nur Jahan for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg. This mausoleum, built on a base that is about 110 meters long and 110 meters wide, is set in a large cruciform garden and is sometimes described as a jewel box, with its garden layout and use of white marble presaging many elements of the Taj Mahal.
The Breath of the City and the Sound of History
Agra's cultural identity is deeply rooted in its cuisine and the Braj region, where the local language is Braj Bhakha. The city is known for its Braj cuisine, sharing a common culinary heritage with the twin cities of Mathura and Vrindavan. Among Muslims of Agra, non-vegetarian food is popular, and the city is famous for Petha, a sweet made using ash gourd, available in many varieties. Another dish endemic to Agra is dalmoth, a dry snack made with spicy fried lentils, nuts, and raisins. Breakfast specialties include Bedai, a puffy kachori made with all-purpose flour and deep-fried, served with spicy aloo bhaaji and dahi. The city also hosts the Taj Mahotsav, a cultural festival and craft fair that started in 1992 and is held from 18 to the 27th of February every year, providing encouragement to artisans and making works of art and craft available at reasonable prices. The city's educational landscape is equally rich, with Agra University established on the 1st of July 1927, and institutions like Agra College, one of the oldest colleges in India, founded in 1823. The city is also home to the Central Institute of Hindi, the only government-run institution in India established solely for research and teaching of Hindi as a foreign and second language. Agra's media scene includes the Dainik Jagran, the most read Hindi newspaper in India, and various English and Urdu dailies, while the city is served by multiple railway stations, including Agra Cantonment and Agra Fort, and is connected to major cities via national highways and expressways like the Yamuna Expressway and Agra Lucknow Expressway.