Agra
The Yamuna River flows past a city whose name remains a subject of linguistic debate. Some scholars point to the Hindi word agar, meaning salt pan, because brackish soil once allowed locals to produce salt through evaporation. Others trace the root to Sanskrit agra, which translates as front or first. This second theory links the name to Hindu mythology, suggesting Agra was the first of many small forests where Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan. The term Agravana hence means grove forest. Ancient traces of this earlier settlement exist on the east bank of the river, but they are lost in legend and Mahabharata stories. Sultan Sikandar Lodi rebuilt the site between 1504 and 1505, establishing it as a seat of government on that same left bank. By 1526, the city had passed from his control after he was defeated by Mughal Emperor Babur at the First Battle of Panipat.
Agra became the foremost city of the Indian subcontinent under the Mughals during the early 16th century. Babur acquired the town immediately after defeating the Lodis and Tomaras of Gwalior in 1526. He sent forward his son Humayun, who occupied the town without opposition. Babur laid out the first formal Mughal garden in India, the Aram Bagh, also known as the Garden of Relaxation, on the banks of the Yamuna River. Akbar built the modern city of Agra on the right bank of the Yamuna, where the majority of its part still lies today. He raised the towering ramparts of the Agra Fort and converted the city into a great center for political, cultural, and economic importance. The English traveler Ralph Fitch visited Agra in September 1585 and wrote about the town's bustling bazaars. William Finch, another European visitor, corroborated these impressions of trade and commerce. Jahangir continued to expand the city, laying many gardens inside the Red Fort and completing Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra. Shah Jahan later shifted the capital to Delhi in 1648, but Agra remained the second capital of the empire until Aurangzeb moved the entire court there in 1658.
Shah Jahan gave Agra its most prized monument, the Taj Mahal, constructed between 1632 and 1648 in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction commenced with upwards of twenty thousand workers from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe working to complete the mausoleum itself by 1639. The adjunct buildings were finished by 1643, with decoration work continuing until at least 1647. The complex spans 42 acres or 17 hectares over a period of 22 years. The chief architect was probably the Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The marble platform stands above a sandstone base, and the largest dome has a height that reaches toward the sky. Verses of the Quran are inscribed on it, and 22 small domes sit atop the gate, signifying the number of years the monument took to build. The Agra Fort lies on the right bank of the Yamuna River, commissioned by Akbar in 1565 and taking around eight years to build. Its red sandstone walls have a perimeter of about 2.5 kilometers and rise 21 meters high. Shah Jahan gazed at the Taj Mahal for the last eight years of his life while confined as a prisoner within the fort by his son Aurangzeb.
The decline of the Mughal empire caused the emergence of several regional kingdoms in the late 18th century. Control of the city fell successively to the Jats, the Marathas, the Mughals, and finally the British East India Company. The Hindu Jats of Bharatpur conquered Agra on the 12th of June 1761 after a month-long siege. They melted the silver doors of the Taj Mahal before losing control again in 1774. The city was conquered in 1785 by the Marathas and then fell into the hands of the British East India Company in 1803 after the Second Anglo-Maratha War. During the Indian rebellion of 1857, news of the mutiny reached Agra on the 14th of May. On the 3rd of July, some 6000 Europeans moved into the Agra Fort for safety against advancing mutineers. The Lieutenant-Governor, J.R. Colvin, died there and was later buried in front of the Diwan-i-am. After British rule was secured, the capital shifted from Agra to Allahabad in 1858. Gradually, Agra declined to the position of a mere provincial town until independence in 1947.
The white-marble Taj Mahal is turning yellow and green because of filthy air in the world's eighth-most polluted city. Air pollution caused by emissions from foundries and other nearby factories has damaged the monument's marble facade. The Yamuna River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, with Agra as the second largest contributor to its pollution after Delhi. The river has as many as 90 nalas or drains opening into it. Polythene, plastic waste, leather cuttings from shoe factories, and construction material are all thrown into the river. Less than 7% of the Agra district is under forest cover. The region around Agra is prone to extreme fog in the winter months due to natural factors like low winds and air pollution. This phenomenon often leads to big delays and sometimes cancellation of trains due to poor visibility. In a study conducted by WHO using data from years 2010, 2016, Agra ranked as the 8th most polluted city in India.
Agra has developed into an industrial city with a booming tourism industry following Indian independence. Upwards of 9.5 million tourists visited Agra and surrounding monuments in 2019. More than 1.5 lakh pairs of shoes per day are manufactured in Agra by various footwear units. About 431 of every 1,000 employed males were self-employed in the city according to 1999, 2000 data, which grew to 603 per 1,000 in 2004, 05. The Taj Mahal attracts nearly 6.9 million visitors annually, making it the most visited tourist spot in India. Sanjay Place serves as the trade center of Agra, hosting about 7,200 small-scale industrial units producing electrical goods and leather items. The city amassed a GDP of 40.21 billion rupees for the year 2018, 19, ranking third in the state. The Taj Mahotsav cultural festival started in 1992 and is held from 18 to the 27th of February every year near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. As of January 2025, the Agra Metro project has made significant progress with a priority corridor beginning operations on the 6th of March 2024.
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Common questions
What is the origin of the name Agra?
The name Agra derives from either the Hindi word agar meaning salt pan or the Sanskrit word agra translating as front. Some scholars link the term to Hindu mythology where it represents the first forest where Krishna frolicked with the gopis of Vrindavan.
When did Sultan Sikandar Lodi rebuild Agra and who defeated him in 1526?
Sultan Sikandar Lodi rebuilt the site between 1504 and 1505 establishing it as a seat of government on the left bank. Mughal Emperor Babur defeated him at the First Battle of Panipat by 1526 causing the city to pass from his control.
Who commissioned the Taj Mahal and when was construction completed?
Shah Jahan gave Agra its most prized monument the Taj Mahal constructed between 1632 and 1648 in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction commenced with upwards of twenty thousand workers completing the mausoleum itself by 1639 while decoration work continued until at least 1647.
Which groups controlled Agra during the late 18th century decline of the Mughal empire?
Control of the city fell successively to the Jats the Marathas the Mughals and finally the British East India Company. The Hindu Jats of Bharatpur conquered Agra on the 12th of June 1761 after a month-long siege before losing control again in 1774.
Why is the white-marble Taj Mahal turning yellow and green today?
The white-marble Taj Mahal is turning yellow and green because of filthy air in the world's eighth-most polluted city. Air pollution caused by emissions from foundries and other nearby factories has damaged the monument's marble facade.