Agra Fort

Introduction:
Agra, once the capital of entire India during medieval period has endless array of charming tourist spots that are beyond imagination. Beside Taj Mahal, the epitome of eternal love, Agra has many more things to offer its guests.

Agra Fort, as the name suggest is a fort that is built just 2km northwest of Taj Mahal and constructed on the bank of river Yamuna. During the Mughal reign, Emperor Akbar has laid the foundation of this massive fortress, built between 1565 and 1573 in the form of a half moon, on the ruins of a previous Rajput fortifications. Later on, Emperor Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar has erected most of the buildings inside the citadel.

Agra Fort also known as Red Fort of Agra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its architectural and historical significance. In the Mughal era, it served as the power seat and developed as a stronghold of the Mughal empire for successive generations.

Architectural Significance Of Agra Fort :
Agra Fort is one of the important testimony of Mughal architecture. It is also finest exemplar of Hindu and Islam architecture. It has a semi-circular plan and has chord lying parallel to the river. The walls of this huge fort are seventy feet and has four gates for entrance. The two most notable gates out of the four are 'Delhi Gate' and 'Lahore Gate'. Delhi Gate is the biggest gate of the four and positioned at the western side of the fort. It was the formal gate of the King's and decorated with inlay work of white marble.

Agra fort is a red sand stone citadel and has various buildings that has beautiful designs of Bengal and Gujrat. Bengali Mahal which is later on divided into Akbari Mahal and Jehangiri Mahal. Some of the buildings of this fort are embellished with images of living creatures like dragons, elephants, and birds.

Important Buildings Of Agra Fort:
Agra Fort a myriad of beautiful buildings that can captivate your attention at the very first sight. Some of the famous monuments of Agra Fort are

Diwan-i-am: Diwan-i-am or Hall of Public Audience which once housed the peacock throne, was used by the rulers to speak and listen to the plight of their subjects.

Diwan-i-khas: Diwan-i-khas or Hall of Private Audience which has the black throne of Emperor Jehangir and used to receive Kings, dignitaries and other special guests.

Jehangir Mahal: As the name suggest, this palace was for Emperor Jehangir and was built by his father Emperor Akbar.

Sheesh Mahal: Also known as Mirror Palace is the royal dressing room featuring tiny mirror like glass mosaic decorations on the wall.

Khas Mahal: It is white marble palace and has best paintings drawn on marble.

Apart from these buildings, there are some more alluring monuments available inside the fort are
Macchi Bhawan, Mina Masjid, Moti Masjid, Musamman Burj, Nagina Masjid, Naubat Khana, Rang Mahal, Shahi Burj and Anguri Bagh.

Things To Do In Agra Fort:
Sight seeing: Agra Fort is an ideal place to capture the grandeur of the Mughal dynasty. It has several monuments that are build by the various Mughal rulers that show cases the might and prowess.

Light And Sound Show: Similar to the Red Fort of Delhi, the impressive Agra fort has a special thing to woo its guests. Every evening from 7 P.M, tourism board of Uttar Pradesh organizes a wonderful light and sound show that displays the history of Agra Fort.