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Places
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Agra
Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the
world-the Taj Mahal. The architectural splendor of the mausoleums, the fort and
the palaces is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces is
a vivid reminder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
A pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay
work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are descendant of those who worked
under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery
and leather shoes.
Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire and
even today it seems to linger in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal emperors
with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the finest structures
in the world . It is very easy to slip away here through the centuries into the
grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal court .
Agra is an old city and it
is said that its name was derived from Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in
the epic Mahabharata.
Agra continued to retain its importance and Shah
Jahan, Akbar's grandson ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture
- the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within the Agra fort
.
PLACES TO SEE :
Taj
Mahal
Agra is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders
of the world- the Taj Mahal The architectural splendor of the mausoleums, the
fort and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort and the
palaces is a vivid reminder of the capital in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Agra Fort
Built by the great Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D. the fort Is a masterpiece of
design and construction. Within the fort are a number of exquisite buildings,
including the Moti Masjid, Diwane-E-Am, Diwani-E-Khaas and Musanman Burj, where
the Emperor Shah Jahan died in imprisonment beside Jahangir's place, Khaas Mahal
and the Sheesh Mahal.
Itmad
- Ud - Daula
To the north of the fort and across the river yamuna
are several fine examples of mughal architecture. The itmad -ud -daula was build
by the empress Noor Jehan as a memorial to her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg, is beautifully
ornamented with pietra dura inlay and lattice work marble screens.
Chini
Ka Rauza
The tomb of Afzal khan, the persian poet and minister
at Shah Jahan's court gets its name from the brightly coloured glazed tiles that
decorate it, lies just 1km beyond itmad-ud-daula.
Sikandra
Fort
12km the tomb of Akbar, begun by the emperor himself and completed
by his son, Jehangir. This richly decorated structure is a quaint mixture of styles.
Radhaswamy Satsang, Dayalbagh
This highly ornate memorial to the founder of the Radhaswamy satsang has been
in the making for several years and is still being worked upon. It is entirely
in marble, upon which every manner of ornamentation has been applied.
Mathura
Mathura
the birthplace of lord Krishna is an important place of pilgrimage and thousands
of devotees throng the city throughout the year.
It lies at the heart
that the young Krishna was nurtured. The little towns and hamlets in this area
still alive with the tales of his mischievous pranks, his extraordinary exploits
and still seem to echo with the sound of his flute. An ancient habitation, mathura's
strategic location ensured its position as a center of trade and a meeting point
of cultures, a major city during the time of the Buddha ( 5th century BC) it became
the eastern capital of the Kushan emperor Kanishka,. Mathura continued to be a
center of power during the enlightened rule of emperor Ashoka (3rd centre BC)
and up to the Gupta era (4th century AD) .
The arts flourished and at
the Mathura museum one can trace the evolution of the Mathura school from the
time of the Kushan emperors To the Gupta period.
Today, Mathura with
its many temples and splendid ghats along the river yamuna is a Bustling pilgrimage
town. Lying midway in between Delhi and Agra , Mathura is easy to visit.
PLACES TO SEE :
Shri
Krishna Janmasthan:
The splendid temple Katra Keshav Dev is built
over the little prison cell believed to be the birthplace of lord Krishna.
Gita Mandir:
A beautiful temple located on the Mathura - Vrindavan road, has a fine image
of lord Krishna. The Bhagwadgita is inscribed on the walls.
Dwarakadhish
Temple:
Mathura's most popular shrine was built in 1815 by Seth
Gokuldas Parikh, treasurer or the state of Gwalior.
Vishram
Ghat:
A long line of picturesque ghats, steps leading to the water's
edge , punctuated by arched gateways and temple spires, extend along the right
bank of the river Yamuna. There are about 25 ghats of which the Vishram Ghat is
the most important.
It is here that lord Krishna is supposed to have
rested after killing his wicked uncle Kansa, the ruler of Mathura The aarti at
this ghat is a splendid sight, for hundreds of little oil lamps float out on the
river at dusk as offering.
Kans
Qila:
This ruined fort on the banks of the river Yamuna was
built by Raja Mansingh of Jaipur. An observatory was built here at a later sate
by that keen astronomer Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Amer.
Sati
Burj:
The 17 m tall, 4 stored, red sandstone tower built in 1570
AD, commemorates the death of the widow of Raja Biharimal of Amer who committed
sati.
The Government
Museum:
Housed in a fine octagonal building at damper park, the
museum is a repository of sculpture styles, terracotta and artifacts from the
Kushan and Gupta periods. Among its most impressive exhibits are the headless
figure of emperor kanishka dressed in central Asian robes and boots and various
Buddha images.
Closely linked to Lord Krishna's youth and to stories
of his playful pranks, Vrindavan is as important a place of pilgrimage as mathura.
Today it is a temple town with ghats along the river and numerous shrines.
PLACES TO SEE :
The imposing
Govind Deo Temple
built at an enormous cost of one crore rupees by Raja man singh of jaipur in 1590
AD. Constructed in red sandstone in the shape of a greek cross, it was once a
magnificent seven storied structure.
The
Rangaji Temple built
in the dravidian style, the
Madan Mohan Temple - the oldest in Vrindavan,
the popular
Banke Bihari Temple, the famous
Radha Vallabh Temple
and the ornate
Shahji Temple built in 1876 by a wealthy jeweller Shah Kundan
Lal of Lucknow, are some of its more interesting shrines.
The International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has also built an ornamental marble
temple at Vrindavan.
Adjoining the temple is the Samadhi of Shri Prabhupada,
the founder of this.
Deeg
Deeg is a small town situated in the north Indian state of Rajasthan, around
152 km away from Delhi. Once the summer resort of the rulers of Bharatpur, it
served as the second capital of the region. This interesting town is strewn with
massive fortifications, beautiful gardens, magnificent palaces, and a colorful
bazaar.
Deeg is in the district of Bharatpur. Approaching the town, one
can see the battlements of the fort built by Surajmal. This was constructed in
the form of a square, measuring about 274 m. The walls are about 20 m high and
rise impressively, although the outer coating of plaster has peeled off in many
places and shrubs grow from the bottom of the ramparts.
The entrance
to the fort is from the north. An outer gateway leads to an L-shaped bridge. Inside
the fort is a palace (haveli). This is now in ruins, but one can still see what
was once its entrance, an ornate red sandstone construction with a pointed arch.
The forecourt was added later and for many years served as a prison. One can see
a couple of canons on nearby mounts and, at the top of the northwestern battlement,
known as Larkha Burj, another canon lies on its side discarded.
It is
from the top of the western wall of the fort that one may view the palace below,
built beyond a pond-the Rup Sagar-and alongside the former Purana Mahal. The entrance
is to the north. Known as the Singh Pol, it is ornately but simply carved with
a couple of lions above the gateway. This building apparently dates from a later
period, but was never finished.
Once through it, one is at the edge of
the gardens that are built in the char-bagh style, essentially four separate gardens
around the same center. The style of both the gardens and buildings are from the
Mughal period and yet with a distinctive flavor-a result of the Jats' own aesthetic
vision that flourished at a time when the Mughal architecture started to deteriorate.
The most striking feature is the fountains numbering about 500. One can see the
bases of these sticking up all around the palace, but unless one visits on a Saturday
in August, one is unlikely to see the water display operational for it requires
a great amount of water. This builds up during the monsoon and is collected in
a huge tank at the top of one building that can be seen almost directly opposite
the entrance.
It is from the tank that, when the sluices are open, the
water flows down and out of the many fountainheads below. These can be seen all
around the garden area. A full tank takes only a few hours to empty and about
a week to fill. This was achieved by means of bullocks that brought up the water
in leather buckets through special chutes at the side of the tower.
The
main building in the complex is the Gopal Bhawan, which was the actual residence
of the Raja. Here one can see a spacious hall where the Raja was able to greet
and address guests while upstairs were the Royal apartments. These can still be
seen as they were when used; in one room, there is a raised elliptical dining
table, while at the back there is a dining room in the western style.
LOHAGARH
FORT OR THE 'IRON FORT'
The Lohagarh Fort, true to its name stood
solidly in front of many British attacks, and frustrated them to ends. It faced
the British onslaught four times and after a long siege they had to withdraw,
but Lord Lake, however was successful in capturing it in 1804.
It is
very different from the other forts in state, there is no flamboyance associated
to fort but it generates an aura of strength and magnificence. The fort is surrounded
with moat which was previously filled with water to ward off the enemy attacks.
The sandy ramparts were strengthened by sandy battlements, thus the enemy guns
proved of no avail.
Some interesting monuments in the fort are Kishori
Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas. Moti Mahal and towers like Jawahar Burj and
Fateh Burj were erected to commemorate the victory over the Mughals and the British
army . The Gateway has paintings of huge elephants.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
The building Kamra Khas within the fort has been converted into a museum,
displaying a rich collection of antiquaries, exquisite sculptures and some ancient
inscriptions. The sculptures speak volumes about the art of a by gone era and
culture typical of this area. The inscriptions are of immense historical vault
and helps in tracing back the royal lineage as well as the local life.
Timings : 10 AM to 4 PM
Entry Fee : RS. 3/-
(Closed
on Friday)
THE PALACE
It is a fine blend of Mughal
and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas. The magnificent
apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles with exquisite intricate
designs. The museum occupies the main central wing depicting collections dating
back to 2nd century, which reflect the art and skill of the region.
»
What a wonderful place to stay while visiting a truly beautiful and exciting park.
The tiger was wonderful, the birds fun to watch and all the other animals were
great - but your people were the best. - Christina and Eric Holenda 
