An unedited version of my story published in
the September 2015 edition of the in-flight magazine, JetWings
Swooshing through the
sandstone maze of monuments, the 16th century slowly crept up on me
- I saw first-hand the genius of Akbar’s thought-process, the meticulousness of
Shah-Jahan’s embellishment, and the flamboyance of generations of Mughal Emperors.
Mughal Architecture has left us with a heritage of buildings which were not
only monumental in their appearances, but also poignant in their inspirations; buildings were built as dedications to people, as symbols of love, or as
re-creations of a world far away, a world they left behind in Persia. Their
architecture, though, was not an imposition on the milieu that existed – the
Mughals seamlessly blended and adapted local styles to create architecture that
was aesthetically appealing as well as climatically and geographically
sensitive.
Akbar, the most
prolific architect amongst Mughal emperors, has left behind a treasure trove in
Agra – a treasure his successors added to. Agra, to most, is synonymous only
with the Taj Mahal. Though not begrudging the Taj its status, I feel for
visitors who miss out on what is undoubtedly the largest collection of
monumental Mughal Architecture in a region – Agra, Sikandra and Fatehpur Sikri
– an Agra beyond the Taj Mahal.
Agra Fort
Early evenings add
their own glamour to the red sandstone, setting them aflame. One of the rare
forts built on level ground, the Agra Fort looks deceptively easy to breach. Completed
in 1573 AD, Akbar and his team designed the semicircular fort over the ruins of
an existing fort called ‘Badalgarh’. The Yamuna runs parallel to the chord of
the semicircle, and was tapped by Akbar for beautiful river-side panoramas from
all the buildings lining that edge.
The non-river-facing
side is where visitors enter from, through the Amar Singh (Lahore) Gate. A
steep ramp leads from this gate to the inner gate, but the unexpected work-out
was made more bearable by my guide peppering the walk with history and
anecdotes about the crocodile-infested moats, the Peacock Throne, and the
emperors’ opulent lifestyles.
Of the fort’s four
gates, the Delhi Gate – the biggest - can only be brought alive through your
guide’s stories, as it falls within the inaccessible area of the fort being
used by the Indian military. Built by Akbar as his formal entrance, a moat had
to be crossed using a drawbridge, to reach the Delhi Gate. From there, the
inner gate ‘Hathi Pol’ was reached after a 90 degree turn, so that enemies’
elephants couldn’t run straight through the outer and inner gates to break them
down, as was frequently done in battles. Such was the architectural genius
employed, which, with other stratagems like a double rampart separated by the
12 m deep moat, 70 feet high walls, forward-sloping lower ramparts to prevent
scaling, and massive turrets, made the fort impregnable.
 |
| The ramp leading into the fort, from Amar Singh Gate |
Written records sing paeans
to the 500 buildings built within, by Akbar. However, his progeny Shah Jahan
demolished many of them to make way for his marble buildings – a later
evolution in Mughal Architecture. Some of what was spared by Shah Jahan was
destroyed by the British in the 19th century, to construct military
barracks. Only about 30 of the buildings are said to have survived today.
What sets the
architecture of the Agra Fort apart from other forts is the presence of
expansive, manicured gardens and lawns. Also, the buildings have an interesting
mix of architectural styles – Akbar’s initial designs were heavily inspired by
the architecture of Gujarat and Bengal, while Shah Jahan used the Indo-Islamic
style. Breaking convention, a lot of the surface decorations are non-Islamic -
dragons, elephants, and birds - as opposed to the sanctioned calligraphy.
 |
| Jahangiri
Mahal, with one of the fort's many lawns in the foreground. |
Faint strains of visitors’
chatter and history lessons doled out by copious tour guides followed me
through the buildings: Diwan-i-am, Diwan-i-khas, Jahangiri Mahal, Bengali
Mahal, Moti Masjid, and Seesh Mahal. At Mussamman Burj, my last stop, a strain
of melancholy was added to the air – this octagonal, multi-tiered marble tower
was where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb; the tower which
probably added to his longing by offering views of the Taj Mahal in the
distance; the tower where he breathed his last in 1666 AD. The delicate floral
inlay work in the Mussamman Burj almost mocked the harshness of Shah Jahan’s
situation.
 |
| The
Taj Mahal and Yamuna, as seen from Mussamman Burj, where Shah Jahan was
imprisoned. |
Walking out of the
fort on this poignant note, I looked up at the ramparts one last time. Embrasures
(slits) and machicolations (openings) lined the wall, for soldiers to shoot from
or throw objects on marauding armies without being shot at in return. Below these,
my eye caught remnants of intricate blue and white mosaic work. Had I been a soldier
in the marauding army, I most certainly would have been killed by hot oil
falling from a machicolation, whilst admiring the craftsmanship!
Fatehpur Sikri
In 1569 AD, childless Akbar
was blessed with Prince Salim, as prophesised by the Sufi saint Salim Chisti.
As a token of his respect, Akbar built the Mughals’ first planned city at Sikri,
and decided to make it his capital. Named Fatehabad, the city later came to be
known as Fatehpur Sikri. One of the most ephemeral capitals of the Mughal
Empire, Fatehpur Sikri was Akbar’s audacious dream – a dream that he lived in
for 12 years between 1572 and 1585 AD. Audacious, because, defying conventional
wisdom, the city was built on a rocky ridge away from any source of water.
Though Akbar did build an artificial lake and devise efficient water supply and
drainage systems, Fatehpur Sikri had to be abandoned due to water shortage.
Built entirely using
local red sandstone, the architecture of Fatehpur Sikri, as of the Agra Fort,
is an assimilation of Persian, Islamic, Hindu and even Jain styles, to create a
style that has come to be identified with Akbar. The city was designed to meet
all needs – administrative, living, religious, and pleasure – and each of the buildings
had unique architectural tweaks. Like how the residences of Akbar’s Hindu and
Muslim wives reflect their backgrounds. So does Birbal’s house. Administrative
buildings like the Diwan-i-am, Diwan-i-khas, the treasury, and the astrologer’s
seat are fairly nondescript, with the exception of my favourite element – the
central column in the Diwan-i-khas. Embellished with bands of carvings, it
culminates in a head of 36 serpentine brackets supporting a circular platform
where Akbar sat, which is connected to the first floor level via stone
walkways.
 |
| Birbal's
house at Fatehpur Sikri, built in a distinctly Hindu style. |
 |
| The
central column and bridges inside the Diwan-i-khas. |
Breaking the sedate
architecture of the administrative buildings is the informality of the pleasure
and entertainment buildings – with ornate carvings of birds, animals and very life-like
grapes and pomegranates. It wasn’t too difficult to picture royal ladies
giggling from the ornate 5-tiered Panch Mahal, staff moving at Akbar’s command
on the Pachisi (ludo) squares inlaid
in the courtyard’s floor, or even musicians performing from the floating
platform over Anup Talao’s pool – so evocative was the architecture.
 |
| Pachisi squares inlaid in the courtyard, which was played using live courtiers. |
 |
| Anup
Talao, with its central platform. |
My guide had saved another
of my favourites for last – the behemoth that is Buland Darwaza. 180 feet high,
equivalent to an 18-storeyed building, this victory arch was added in 1576 AD
to commemorate Akbar’s successful campaign. I walked up the steep steps leading
to the gateway, which magically transitioned to human scale as I entered the
Jama Masjid. Salim Chisti’s white marble tomb within the masjid brought me full
circle – face to face with the man for whom this entire city was built.
When Jahangir
re-inhabited Fatehpur Sikri for a couple of years during his reign, to escape
from the plague at Agra, it was the last time the city was ever occupied. Its
sparse usage has made it one of the best-preserved collections of Mughal
architecture, besides endearing itself to people as the birth-place of the
legends of Akbar and his courtiers, the navaratnas.
Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra
The Agra-Mathura
highway to Sikandra snaked through some of the most populated belts of Uttar
Pradesh; as vehicles belched noxious fumes into the already insufferable heat, I
wondered how Akbar rests in peace amidst this cacophony. As if on cue, a
massive, red sandstone gateway came into view; with every inch of it covered in
colourful geometric and floral inlays and mosaics, topped with white minarets,
the gateway held promise. Its architectural elements were precursors to the
inlays at Itmad-ud-Daulah and the minarets of the Taj Mahal. The gateway proved
to be a portal to another world – leading on to lush gardens which attract
antelopes, monkeys, peacocks and other birds. The highway was now a distant
memory.
 |
| Entrance
Gateway to Akbar's tomb, with ornate inlay work. |
In accordance with the
Tartary custom of building one’s own tomb, Akbar set about its construction in
1600 AD. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1605 AD, after completing his tomb
and laying out the gardens in the typical char
bagh pattern. His son Jahangir took over until its completion in 1613 AD.
Broad, paved walkways
with channels and pools (which once had water) lead from each of the four gates
to the stepped, 5-storeyed red sandstone building. The uppermost storey is in
white marble – Jahangir’s signature touch to the design. An unusually squat
building by Mughal standards, its linearity adds to its distinctive character,
which is enhanced by the presence of arcaded verandahs on all storeys, as well
as kiosks capped by cupolas (chhatris).
 |
| View of Akbar’s tomb with the
paved walkway, water pools and water channels. |
The interior of the
building sends mixed signals – I was greeted by strikingly rich stucco work in
blue, red and gold, only to move through a narrow, white-washed passage, to a white-washed
room with the false cenotaph. The mystery of the severe interiors was solved by
my guide - Jahangir is said to have brought his ostentatious design
sensibilities to the tomb’s interior design; unfortunately, only bits of the
stucco and none of the precious-stone inlays survived, as the tomb was heavily
looted and disfigured during the reign of Aurangzeb, by rebel Jats.
Jaalis (lattices) in sandstone, pre-dating and competing with the finesse of the marble lattices at the Taj Mahal and Itmad-ud-Daulah, lend a delicacy to the architecture, which lingers with you.
 |
| One
of the surviving examples of the elaborate ornamentation executed by Jahangir
within the building. |
 |
| White-washed interiors of the tomb. |
Itmad-ud-Daulah
Driving across the
Yamuna is an exercise that demands your patience, but rewards you well. This
little-visited area of Agra is home to a landmark building which marked the
transition of monumental Mughal Architecture from its first ‘sandstone phase’,
to its next, which was marble architecture. Pint-sized Itmad-ud-Daulah packs
quite an architectural punch with its design and detailing, envisioned and
executed lovingly by Jahangir’s wife, Empress Nur Jahan, for her deceased father
Mirza Ghiyas Beg. A Persian Amir in exile, Ghiyas Beg had been a Wazir in
Jahangir’s court and was conferred the title of Itmad-ud-Daulah (pillar of the
state).
This marble tomb is a
predecessor to the Taj Mahal, and is said to be its inspiration too. To reflect
her father’s love for Persia, Nur Jahan borrowed heavily from Persian
architectural and interior decoration styles, while adding Indian elements like
chhatris and kalash-shaped finials. The dome-less building set on a red
sandstone plinth within a char bagh
garden, has hexagonal towers in each corner. The overall proportions and
ornamentation of the mausoleum led to it being nicknamed ‘Jewel Box’ and ‘Baby
Taj’.
The building’s white
Rajasthani marble surfaces are covered painstakingly with floral arabesques and
geometric motifs using inlay and mosaic techniques. One sees the extensive use
of the pietra dura technique with
semi-precious stones, which was later employed at a much larger scale in the
Taj Mahal. Another important architectural milestone is the polychromatic
nature of the ornamentation. Jahangir’s influence can be seen in the choice of
Iranian motifs like wine goblets, bouquets and cut fruits. Don’t miss the
beautifully painted dome when you enter the tomb. It’s worn out, but still
displays some of the original colours – brilliant blue, turquoise, red and
gold.
Marble jaalis are used
strategically to create tailored light and shadows within, presenting a solemn
air in contrast to the almost cheery exteriors. Cheer we must, though, for this
path-breaking example of the second phase of Mughal Architecture.
***
Architecture
is the least esoteric way for people to understand a time-period – it doesn’t
require knowledge of exotic languages needed to interpret written text, nor does
it need familiarity with technical details of art. Architecture conveys
messages across centuries without the need for sharing common ground. Agra
offers you tête-a-têtes with Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan; it is up to you to
accept the invitation.
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