Agra Through the Ages

The architectural beauty of Agra mesmerises all who come to visit it, but not many know about the events that shaped this magnificent city. This blog will make you ponder over some essential questions and will make you understand who created these monumental buildings and why.

The Sultan of Delhi Sultanate, Sikander Lodi founded the city of Agra in 1504. Agra stayed under the Lodi family for more than twenty years until an ambitious descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan named Zahir ud – din Muhammad Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi and established the greatest dynasty of medieval India, the Mughal dynasty. Agra was then known as Akbarabad and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It was Akbar who actually transformed the city into a treasure house.

Fatehpur Sikri was built in honour of Salim Sheikh Chishti, who blessed Akbar with a son. The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri exhibits both Hindu and Muslim architectural influences. The architecture of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal is a blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. It was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Today, Agra is a booming industry for leather goods and tourism. Approximately, seven to eight million people visit Agra every year. The city has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites namely, the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort. Our visit to Agra developed our understanding of the modern world in relation to ancient history.

Writen By Aryan Chugh & Uday Raj Aggarwal (The Shriram Millennium School, Noida Sector-135).

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