Mughal Agra: A Riverfront Garden City

Futuristic Trends in Social Sciences, Volume 3, Book 16, 2024

The construction is one of the biggest projects especially in the Agra city. Apparently, with the establishment of Agra as a capital city in 1506 A.D., a lot of construction started. Twenty to twenty-five years later Babur found no shortage of expertise or labour when he undertook to construct some buildings of his own. Writing with a sense of pride Babur stated that: "Mulla Sharaf writing in the Zafarnama about the building of Timur Beg's stone Mosque, lays stress on the fact that on it 200 stone-cutters worked, from Azarbaijan, Fars, Hindustan and other countries. But 680 men worked daily on my buildings in Agra and of Agra stone-cutters only; while 1491 stone-cutters worked daily on my buildings in Agra, Sikri, Biana, Dulpur (Dholpur), Gualiar and Kuil (Kol)." 1

Trans Stellar Journals, 2021

Allahabad or Ilahabas, as it was styled by the Mughals, was a subah or province established by Emperor Akbar in 1580 CE. This place has the distinction of being an ancient Hindu pilgrimage-site but for the first time under Akbar, this city gained prominence as a provincial capital. Akbar's Ilahabas, built on the banks of river Yamuna, acted as a gateway to Purab or Eastern empire of the Mughals. Later, Allahabad became a hotbed for many wars of succession which were contested for the Mughal throne. This was the reason why many British chroniclers called it 'the second capital of the Mughal Empire.'; Owing to its strategic importance, the Nawabs of Awadh and Rohilkhand, Marathas and subsequently, British East India Company tried to snaffle the administration of this city by the nineteenth century. Allahabad has the honour of being announced as the capital of India for a day on November 1st, 1858, when Queen Victoria's Proclamation was read here by Lord Charles Canning. In the period that followed the Uprising of 1857, Allahabad was once again chosen as the capital of the NorthWestern Provinces later United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, a position which it held till 1921. This paper gives a chronological description of the events that followed in the rise and fall of the city of Allahabad in the pre-Independence era..

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2008

eBLJ (Electronic British Library Journal), 2017

The riverfront at Agra once formed one of the great sights of Mughal India. As well as the fort and the Taj Mahal, both banks of the River Yamuna were lined with great mansions, palatial garden houses and imperial gardens. When the Mughal capital was moved the Delhi in 1648, the city decayed and it was repeatedly sacked in the course of the eighteenth century. A panoramic scroll over seven metres in length recently acquired by the British Library shows the buildings and gardens on each side of the River Yamuna at Agra as it appeared about 1830. The authors analyse the scroll in detail for its evidence in putting together the complex topographic history of the city.

International Journal of History, 2022

Apart from the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal (Taj Mahal) at Agra, large number of tombs of Emperor and Noble’s men and women were constructed in the vicinity of Agra. The architectural features of these tombs not only imitate the significant features, but it also reflects the cultural relationship between Iranian and Hindustani art of style. Every one of the auxiliary designs of the Taj complex is confronted with red sandstone; exceptional highlights, like arches, might be clad in white marble. The lesser known tombs have the form of single-storey regular octagons surrounded either by pillared verandahs or by eight pishtāqs of equal size. Both versions are surmounted by pronounced bulbous domes. A massive version of the subsidiary tombs, showing in each of its eight faces a pishtāqs with a deep arched niche. This form of art appears in the many funereal buildings of the Mughal period.

2016

India was comprised of many villages before the arrival of Muslim. Those Muslim invaders, who conquered India and established their rule, essentially belonged to the urban ruling classes. In early Turkish Empire (1206 – 1266), ruling classes have developed numerous urban centres across India. In Muslim period, Iqta system provided opportunities to Turko – Afghan communities to have luxurious life style which provoked skill workers, artisan and architect to migrate from villages to urban centres. Early towns and cities flourished around the military garrison. These towns also emerge as cultural centers with the passage of time. Early cities like Daultabad, Fatehpur Sikri and Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) were royal capital cities. Some of the major cities like Kabul, Agra, Allahabad, Lahore and Multan were developed near major road (Grand Trunk Road). Many towns like Dholpur, Jodhpur, Sirohi, Asirgarh and Ajmer were inhabited near non metalled roads . European travelers also narrated the...

Journal of Architectural Design, 2023, 2023

In given article we will try to analyze architecture of Agra Fort and it`s evolution process. Moreover, we will try to clear up the role of Akbar in formation of Baburid architecture. Lastly, we describe how Agra Fort buildings has been created and its development over the years, also, we have given evidence supporting our points

This article gives you information about the Urban Development in India during the Mughal Times ! The third urbanization of India began with the Turko-Afghans. The need for ruling over provinces led to some Turko-Afghan officials and nobles being stationed in the various provinces of the state. They were invariably associated with a few more Muslims belonging to various ranks.