Agra Fort, Golden Triangle

As I came into Agra, my first stop was at Itmad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb, a Mughal mausoleum built in the 1620s for Jahangir’s (4th emperor) Chief Minister and father-in-law. The tomb is set inside a walled, square garden with walkways and water channels criss-crossing in the same fashion as Humayun’s tomb. It was the first structure made completely out of marble and beautifully ornamented with latticework and ‘parchin kari’, inlay techniques where gemstones were ‘cut and fit’ in the marble to create floral designs. Hexagonal towers on each corner are topped with dome-shaped pavilions. Unlike most Mughal buildings, the tomb does not have a central dome. Instead, it has a structure called ‘baradari’, a pavilion with three arched openings on each side covered with latticework, except for the two entrances on the north and south side. Inside is a square hall housing the cenotaphs of the Chief Minister and his wife. 

After crossing Yamuna River, I made my way to Agra Fort, the Mughals’ former residence when Agra was the capital of the empire, prior to its relocation to Old Delhi. It was built in the 1560s by Akbar (3rd emperor) as a military base and royal residence. The fort’s bastioned outer wall has a semi-circular shape with two entrances. 

Inside the fort are several buildings of interest. Beginning with the largest building, the Jahangiri Mahal. It was built by Akbar for his son, Jahangir, but it was initially used as a palace for the women of the royal household and, when Jahangir succeeded his father, it was used by his wife, the mother of Shah Jahan. 

The Shish Mahal (The Glass Palace) was part of Shah Jahan’s summer palace. The inner walls and ceilings were inlaid with thousands of small mirrors, twinkling in the semi-dark interior. 

Near Shah’s private hall is a multi-storeyed, octagonal tower with a veranda that was used by his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The marble surface was decorated with parchin kari (gemstone inlays), latticework and deep arched niches and the centre of the room had a scented fountain.  It was here that Shah spent his last few years as a captive of his son Aurangzeb and lay on his deathbed gazing at the Taj Mahal that he built in memory of Mumtaz.