Travelers from abroad who have visited Agra during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan have described the Hammam-I-Shahi apartments as the “ghasal khana” or bathroom. But that was an erroneous conception. They were not bathrooms. Business of important and confidential nature was conducted here. Diwan-I Khaas. The emperor sat on the white marble platform that faced this We saw the Machhi Bhavan, or the Fish Enclosure, just opposite to the enclosure. It once contained marble fountains and pools. Later, these were carried off by, Raja Surajmal, to his palace at Deeg. The imperial offices stood around the Machhi Bhavan.
We saw the Diwan-I Aam in front of the Macchi Bhavan. We went down an internal staircase to approach this place. Visitors who arrive through the gates in the right and left hand walls of the courtyard get an uninterrupted view of the throne because of the clever positioning of the pillars. The “jali” screens on the back walls of the pavilion were beautiful. These screens enabled the women of the court to watch without being seen. My father took solo pictures of each of us with these screens as backdrops. The richly decorated white marble throne alcove looked majestic.
Diwan-I-Aam used to house the “peacock” throne. The throne was removed to the Red Fort, when Shah Jahan moved his capital to Delhi. Two doorways from the corner opposite the Diwan-I-Khaas lead to a view over the small courtyards of the “zenana”. The Nagina Masjid stands further round in the next corner. One has to be barefoot to enter this masjid. Shah Jahan built the Nagina Masjid as a private mosque for the ladies of the court. In those days, the Mina Bazaar was located underneath. Ladies could make purchases from the marble balcony above. We could see the domes of the Moti Masjid, on the right of the Diwan-I-Aam.
I found the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque to be the prettiest structure at Agra Fort. But, at the time of our visit, the Masjid was closed for visitors. We saw the Mina Masjid, situated just above the Sheesh Mahal apartments. It is believed that Shah Jahan constructed the Mina Masjid strictly for private use. The Mina Masjid is enclosed by, high walls on all sides. This marble mosque has three small arches in its façade, which are plain and unadorned. The most impressive feature in this palace-mosque is the small “chhajja” above the arcade, which is balanced on four, intricately carved and molded, small brackets of white marble.
Another thing worth mentioning in the Agra Fort is the Naubat Khana Court with pillared pavilions. It is an impressive structure. We were allowed entry through this gate. From the Agra Fort, we went to Taj Mahal. The first sight of Taj Mahal made us spellbound. We stopped for a few seconds. Then we started progressing towards this renowned structure very slowly, as if in a trance. We tried to soak in whatever we saw around us. The main gate of the Taj faces the Southern Gate. The gateway is 151 ft by 117 ft. It rises to a height of 100 ft. Tourists can enter the main compound by a small gate beside the main gate.
Dear Shalini, I lose my words when I try to describe the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is indeed a marble masterpiece. Its construction, as we all know, is credited to the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. The Emperor erected this mausoleum in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. I have read in history that the original name of Mumtaz was Arjumand Bano Begum. She passed away in 1631 AD. The wish that she last uttered, addressing her husband, was “to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before”. The Emperor set about building this marvel with his heart and soul.
My history professor told, the construction of Taj Mahal began in 1632 AD. It was completed, by the end of the 1648 AD. Twenty thousand people were employed in this construction daily, for a period of seventeen long years. They lived in a small town built specially to accommodate them. It was located adjacent to the Taj site. It was named “Mumtazabad”, after the deceased empress. It is presently known as Taj Ganj. The calligrapher of this mausoleum was Amanat Khan Shirazi. His name is displayed at the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj Mahal.
My interest in history has made me read many books on the Mughal era. I have come to know that the verses on the tombstone were designed by, Poet Ghyasuddin. Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey made the dome. The superintendent of the masons was known as Muhammad Hanif. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was the designer of this wonder of the world. Materials for building this mausoleum were brought in from all over India and Central Asia. A fleet of 1000 elephants was needed to transport these to the site. The central dome of the Taj Mahal is as high as 187 feet.
I have read red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri and Jasper was brought from Punjab. Turquoise was imported from Tibet and Jade and Crystal from China. Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli arrived from Sri Lanka. Diamonds came from Panna, while Coal and Cornelian arrived from Arabia. A total of twenty-eight varieties of rare, precious and semi-precious stones were used for the inlay work of the Taj Mahal. White marble, which was the principal building material, was brought from the quarries of Makrana. Makrana belongs to the district Nagaur of Rajasthan. I vividly remember the main gate made of red sandstone. My father told it had a height of 30 meters.
I remember seeing Arabic inscriptions on the main gate. My mother told those were verses from the Koran. The small domed pavilions on the top signify royalty. They are designed in the Hindu style. What impressed me most about the gateway was that the lettering appeared to be of the same size. The engravers seem to have skillfully lengthened and enlarged the letters. They have been successful in creating an illusion of uniformity. As I entered the gateway, I felt like a chaste dream coming true. Beautiful gardens in the form of a “chaarbagh” are spread on either side of the pavement. My dad told the gardens measured 300 x 300 meters.
