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| ..Forts
& Palaces of Agra |
Agra Fort:- The great Mughal Emperor
Akbar commissioned the construction of the Agra Fort
in 1565 A.D., although additions were made till the
time of his grandson Shah Jahan. The forbidding exteriors
of this fort hight an inner pardise. The fort is crescent
shaped, flattended on the east with a long, nearly
straight wall facing the river. It has a total perimeter
of 2.4 k.m., and is ringed by double castellated ramparts
of red sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by
bastions. A 9 mt. wide and 10 mt. deep moat surround
the outer wall.

Itmad-ud-Daulah is the tomb of Mirza
Ghyas Beg, a persian who had obtained service in Akbar
Court. The Marvel tomb was made by Emperor Jehangir's
Queen, Noorjahan, for his father Mirza Ghyas Beg during
1622-1628 A.D..
The Craftmanship at Itmad-ud-Daulah foreshadows that
of the Taj Mahal. It was here that. "Pietra Dura"-the
inlay work on marble-so characteristic of the Taj-was
first used
Fatehpur Sikri is an epic in red
sandstone. A city of yeasteryear, today lost in the
mists of time. Fatehpur Sikri was built by the Mughal
Emperor Akbar during 1564 A.D.. Mughal Emperor Akbar
had no heir. He visited holy men to enlist their prayers
for his son. When he visited Sheikh Salim Chishti
who was living at the village of Sikri the saint foretold
the emperor that he would be blessed with a son. When
is son was born, he is gratitude, constructed his
capital city and named it Fatehpur Sikri.
Radha Swami Samadhi:- This is the
head quarter of Radhaswami religion, here the holy
ashes of the founder of the faith have been preserved.
On the sprawing lawns here, is a beautiful marvel
temple with beautiful carving of fruits, flowers,
leavesand plants which have been reduced into stone
true to nature, and are distinctive speciments of
the plastic arts. This is under construction for almost
100 years.
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