About 2 km from the Taj, on the banks of the river Yamuna, stands
the imposing Agra Fort. It was during the reign of Emperor Akbar that the
city of Agra reached its pinnacle of glory. During his reign, the main part
of the Agra fort was built. The fort, which was first constructed in AD1156
and was finished by Akbar in the year 1605. Most of the buildings inside the
fortress were erected by Shahjahan. While most parts of the fort was used as
a military bastion, a portion of it was used as a court as by Shahjahan.
Structure of the Fort
The fort stretches almost 2.5 km alongside the Yamuna river. It is
enclosed by a wall built in red sandstone and has several buildings inside.
Though the fort has two gates- the Delhi Gate and the Amar Singh Gate-
access can be gained only via the Amar Singh Gate. The entire fort is not
opened to tourists, for part of it is nowadays used by the Indian Army. But
still it has enough to give an insight into the 16th century Mughal
lifestyle. It was the very place where Emperor Shahjahan was confined till
death by his son Aurangzeb. Shahjahan is said to have died in the Musamman
Burj, a tower with a beautiful marble balcony, which provides the most
captivating views of the Taj.
Inside the fort
Inside the fort there is the Great Courtyard, towards the right of
which lies the multi- pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), built
by Shahjahan in 1628. Next, there are the Royal Pavilions. The fort houses
two beautiful mosques- Nagina Masjid & Mina Masjid. There are the
splendid palaces- Macchi Bhavan, Khas Mahal, Shish Mahal and Shah Jahani
Mahal. Besides, there is also the Zenana Mina Bazaar. Many of the buildings
are made of pure marble and embellished exquisite carvings. An interesting
feature of the rooms in the marble pavilions is that the walls were hollow
and filled with running water to provide a cooling effect. The balconies in
the pavilions provide some eyeful views of the Yamuna and the Taj.
Entry Fee: Foreigners- Rs 300.00; Indian Nationals- Rs
20.00.
Tourist Timings: 6:00AM- 5:30PM daily
