Agra Fort

Written by Partha Majumdar

I had been to Agra Fort twice – first time in 1986 and the second time in 2007. It was, however, the first time for Deepshree. It was a very cold morning on the day we were in Agra. It was on 31st of December, 2016 – a day after Deepshree’s Birthday and day before the New Year Eve.

In 1986, I had come here for collecting data for my project. In 2007, I brought Riya and Ranoo along with my mother for a Delhi, Agra and Jaipur trip. However, on both occasions, I had come to Agra early in the morning and returned to Delhi in the night. This was the fist time that I spent a night in Agra. We stayed in Mariott.

Agra Fort was made by the Mughals and was their capital till they made Red Fort in Delhi. However, most of what exists in Agra Fort has been replicated in the Red Fort. The Fort is huge and only about 25% of the Fort area is open to public. The rest is occupied by the Indian Army.

We travelled to Agra from Delhi in the Bhopal Satabdi Express. We started from Delhi in the morning at 6:00 AM. We were scheduled to reach Agra at 8:00 AM. However, due to heave fog, our train arrived in Agra only at around 10:00 AM. We first went to Taj Mahal. From Taj Mahal, we came to Agra Fort.

The Fort from outside

As we entered

As we entered the Agra Fort, we were greeted by plush lawns. They are immaculately maintained.

We hired a guide to show us around the Fort. The guide also clicked our photographs. The guide took Rs. 300 and took us around the Fort for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I would highly advice hiring a guide as otherwise it would be quite difficult to understand why certain structures were made and how.

Deepshree and I (31-December-2016)

Constructions during Jahangir’s Time

These rooms were used by Jahangir. He had managed to build air conditioning in his rooms at that time. People used to pour water through the walls – cold water during summers and hot water during winters. When the air used to pass through the walls, it would produce heating or cooling effect.

View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

We can get a clear view of Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort. However, the day we were there, it was very misty and thus one can only make the outlines of Taj Mahal. The Yamuna River flows between the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.

Living Rooms of Sahajahan’s Daughters

Sahajahan made identical rooms for his 2 daughters. All structures in Agra Fort which were made in Sahajahan’s time were made of marble.

This photo is taken where the 2 rooms are joined by an arch.

Living Rooms of one of Sahajahan’s daughter. Notice that there were no doors to the rooms in those days.

Sahajahan’s Room when he was imprisoned by Aurangzeb

The Emperor’s Court inside the Palace

The Seat was made of a single stone imported from some country (possibly Belgium). It was damaged during the attack by the Britishers. One can see the crack.

Administration Offices inside the Fort

Diwan-e-Aam

Diwan-e-Aam: The place where the Emperor met the common man.

• Agra
• Agra Fort
• India
• Mughal
• photography
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Partha Majumdar

Am basically a programmer. Have proved to myself and quite a few people over the 24+ years that I am capable of programming on most platforms using quite a few tools for most problems. However, to be viable for earning a living, have learnt a few tricks and techniques of management. Whatever management techniques I have learnt, I try and convert to simple logic flows to keep my decision process simple and transparent. While managing, have been successful in programming a few individuals and teams to meet required objectives. Though I am not creative, I have enormous potential to innovate and extend creative ideas generated and shared by others.