Agra Fort – Most Of The Buildings Within The Agra Fort Are A Blend Of Special Architectural Styles

RED FORT 

AT

AGRA

Agra Fort is a UNESCO World heritage site located in Agra, India. The fort is also known as Lal Qila, Fort Rouge and Red Fort of Agra. It is about 2.5km northwest of its much more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal.

The Fort can be more accurately described as a walled palatial city. Akbar was the third Mughal emperor and undoubtedly the greatest. He was crowned the Mughal ruler in 1556 at the tender age of 14, when his father Humayun died suddenly.

Akbar  after consolidated his rule, he began constructing the Agra Fort. It worked both as a military strategic point as well as the royal residence.

Agra played an important center of Mughal Empire. It was in a ruined condition and Akbar decided to make it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558 Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone.

Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 1,444,000 builders worked on it for eight years, completing it in 1573.

At the end of his life, his son Aurangzeb, in the fort, a punishment that might not seem so harsh, considering the luxury of the fort, imprisoned Shah Jahan. Nearly 500 Akbari buildings built in the Bengal and Gujarati traditions only a few have survived, arrayed in a band on the riverfront.

The various buildings within this sprawling fort complex represent the assimilation of different cultures, which was the mark of the Mughal period. Jahangiri Mahal (Jahangiri’s Palace), the fort mainly served military purpose. While by the time of Shahjahan it also served as a palace and court. 

The Fort’s colossal double walls rise 20m in height and measure 2.5km in circumference. The Fort is surrounded by a moat. The magnificent towers, bastions and ramparts and majestic gateways symbolized the confidence and power of the third Mughal emperor.

The Fort contains splendid palaces both in red sandstone and white marbles built by two generations of prolific builders, Akbar and later on by Jahangir and Shahjahan.

Most of the buildings within the Agra Fort are a mixture of different architectural styles. The assimilation of these different styles has given the buildings within the fort a distinctive look.

For instance, the Jahangiri Palace built by Akbar is a good blend of Islamic (persian) and different local Hindu styles. Other buildings either have a mixed style or conform predominantly to the Islamic style.

By Air

Agra’s Kheria airport is also a military base. It is a seasonal commercial airport and is connected only by air india flights from New Delhi. The flight from Delhi to Agra is less than an hour long. Kheria airport is 13 km away from Agra city.

By Train

There are regular trains to Agra from cities like Delhi,Jaipur,Gwalior and Jhansi. Agra is also well connected to cities in other parts of the country. The main railway station is Agra cantt station. Taj Mahal and Agra Fort are a short distance away from Agra Cantt station.

By Bus

Agra is well connected by bus to cities like Delhi, Jaipur,Gwalior, Lucknow and Kanpur. Daily buses ply between these cities.