Few cities in India had such an important status as the city of Agra. This city has seen reference in folklore, both Indian and Middle Eastern in the form of the forest of Agraban in the Mahabharata and the city of Agrabah in the story of Aladdin from the classic 1001 Arabian Nights. Agra history is indeed any historian's delight.
Agra is situated on the banks of the river Yamuna nd lies between Surajpur and Mathura. Agra was first an integrated part of the Surasena Empire, which had Mathura as the capital city. The city of Agra was founded by Badal Singh in 1475. This city however, became known only in the 16th century, after Sikander Lodhi, the Sultan of Delhi made it his capital. After the coming of the Mughals into India, Agra became the principle city for the Mughal Empire.
Being important as it was, the city saw a lot of renovation and development from its earlier times. The first Persian garden in Agra history was setup up by Babur. After him, his son Akbar brought great change to the city by making it a center for commerce and arts. He also revamped the entire Red Fort. Akbar's son, Jehangir, made colossal palaces in red sandstone and great gardens within the Red Fort. His son, Shah Jahan gave to the city a building unlike seen anywhere in the world, the Taj Mahal. This building alone took 20 years and 20,000 workers to build, giving a new facede to Agra history.
During his tenure, Shah Jahan's capital was shifted to Delhi. However, Shah Jahan's son imprisoned his father in the Red Fort, took over power, and removed the capital to Agra. Agra then remained the capital till the death of Aurangzeb. On his death, the place first got taken over by the Marathas and the Jats, and then by the British.
There is no two ways to the fact that Agra got ruled over by different people from time. But this one thing is sure. It was only the Mughals who were able to leave such a permanent mark on its history. Even today, walking through the streets of Agra, one gets the feeling of traveling through history it self.
|
