A Handbook to Agra and the Taj Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood

A Handbook to Agra and the Taj Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood

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Title: A Handbook to Agra and the Taj Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood
Author: E. B. Havell
Release Date: April 12, 2004 [EBook #12006]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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A Handbook to Agra and the Taj Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood
by E.B. Havell, ARCA.
1904

Preface
This little book is not intended for a history or arch?ological treatise, but to assist those who visit, or have visited, Agra, to an intelligent understanding of one of the greatest epochs of Indian Art. In the historical part of it, I have omitted unimportant names and dates, and only attempted to give such a sketch of the personality of the greatest of the Great Moguls, and of the times in which they lived, as is necessary for an appreciation of the wonderful monuments they left behind them. India is the only part of the British Empire where art is still a living reality, a portion of the people's spiritual possessions. We, in our ignorance and affectation of superiority, make efforts to improve it with Western ideas; but, so far, have only succeeded in doing it incalculable harm. It would be wiser if we would first attempt to understand it.
Among many works to which I owe valuable information, I should name especially Erskine's translation of Babar's "Memoirs;" Muhammad Latifs "Agra, Historical and Descriptive;" and Edmund Smith's "Fatehpur-Sikri." My acknowledgments are due to Babu Abanindro Nath Tagore, Mr. A. Polwhele, Executive Engineer, Agra, and to Mr. J.H. Marshall, Director-General of the Arch?ological Survey of India, for kind assistance rendered. I am particularly indebted to Messrs. Johnston and Hoffman, of Calcutta, for allowing me to make use of their valuable collection of photographs for the illustrations.
In quoting from "Bernier's Travels," I have used Constable's translation, with Messrs. A. Constable & Co.'s kind permission. To the Editor of the Nineteenth Century and After I owe permission to make use of my article on "The Taj and its Designers," published in that Review, June, 1903.
CALCUTTA,
January, 1904.

Contents
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
The Great Moguls--I. Babar--Babar's Connection with Agra--II. Humayun--Interregnum: Shere Shah--III. Akbar--Akbar's Connection with Agra--IV. Jahangir--Jahangir's Connection with Agra--V. Shah Jahan--The Monuments of Shah Jahan's Reign at Agra--VI. Aurangz?b--Agra and the Later Mogul Emperors--Agra in the Mutiny.
THE FORT
The M?ti Masjid--The Dersane Darwaza--The D?wan-i-am--Jahangir's Cistern--The Tomb of Mr. Colvin--The Inner M?na Bazar--The Chitore Gates--The Hindu Temple--The Machhi Bhawan--The Najina Masjid--The D?wan-i-Khas--Jahangir's Throne--The Baths--The Samman Burj--The Khas Mahal--The Underground Chambers--The Anguri Bagh--Shish Mahal--The "Somnath" Gates--The Jahangiri Mahal--The Sahmgarh.
THE J?MI MASJID
THE TAJ
The building of the Taj--The Intention of the Taj--Description.
ITM?D-UD-DAULAH'S TOMB
THE CH?N?-KA-RAUZA
THE RAM BAGH
The Zuhara Bagh.
SIKANDRA
Akbar's Tomb--The Kanch Mahal--Suraj-Bhan-ka Bagh--Mariam Zamani's Tomb.
OTHER BUILDINGS AND TOMBS AT OR NEAR AGRA
The Kali Masjid--Alawal Bilawal--The Hamman--The Roman Catholic Cemetery.
FATEHPUR SIKRI
The Agra Gate--The Naubat Khana--The Mint--The Daftar Khana--The Palace--The Kwabgah--The Turkish Sultana's House--Hakim's Baths--Pachisi Board--The D?wan-i-Khas--The Ankh-Michauli--The Yogi's Seat--The Hospital--The D?wan-i-am--The Panch Mahal--Miriam's Kothi--Jodh Ba��'s Palace--Rajah Birbal's House, or Birbal's Daughter's House--The Hathi Pol and Adjoining Buildings--The Jami Masjid, or Cathedral Mosque--The Baland Darwaza--The Stone-Cutters' Mosque--The Houses of Abul Fazl and Faizi.
Bharatpur and Other Places in the Vicinity of Agra:--Bharatpur--Govardhan--Muttra--Bindraban.
INDEX

List of Illustrations
The Taj Mahal
Plate I. A State Document with Shah Jahan's "Royal Hand and Seal"
Plate II. Shah Jahan, From an Old Indian Miniature
Plate III. The Inner Delhi Gate, or Hathi Pol, Agra Fort
Plate IV. Marble Balcony, Overlooking the Inner M?na Bazar, Agra Fort
Plate V. The Samman Burj, Agra Fort
Plate VI. Inner Courtyard of the Jahangiri Mahal, Agra Fort
Plate VII. Marble Screen Enclosing the Tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan
Plate VIII. Itmad-ud-daulah's Tomb, Agra
Plate IX. Interior of the Upper Pavilion, Itmad-ud-daulah's Tomb
Plate X. Marble Sarcophagus on the Upper Story of Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra
Plate XI. Interior of The D?wan-i-Khas, Fatehpur Sikri
Plate XII. Rajah Birbal's Daughter's House, Fatehpur Sikri
Plate XIII. The Baland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri
Plans
Agra Fort. Plan of the Palaces
Fatehpur Sikri. Plan Showing the Position of the Buildings
Fatehpur Sikri. Plan Showing the Walls and Gates
Fatehpur Sikri. Plan of Jodh Bai's Palace

AGRA
Historical Introduction
Agra has two histories: one of the ancient city on the east, or left, bank of the river Jumna, going back so far as to be lost in the legends of Krishna and of the heroes of the Mahabharata; the other of the modern city, founded by Akbar in A.D. 1558, on the right bank of the river, and among Muhammadans still retaining its name of Akbarabad, which is intimately associated with the