Content deleted Content added
Automated bot repair and update. Added links to racial definitions. |
m rv changes: please cite sources fo rthis information. Also, per consensus, Agra, not Akbarabad. |
||
Line 1:
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
<!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Indian cities]] for details -->
| native_name = Agra
| type = city
| locator_position = left
| latd = 27.18|longd = 78.02
| state_name = Uttar Pradesh
| district = [[Agra district|Agra]]
| altitude = 171
| population_as_of = 2001
| population_total = 1400000
| population_density =
| area_magnitude = 6
| area_total =
| area_telephone = 0562
| postal_code = 282 XXX
| vehicle_code_range = UP-80
| footnotes =
}}
'''Agra''' {{audio|Agra.ogg|pronunciation}} ({{lang-hi|आगरा}}, {{lang-ur|آگرا}}), ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: {{IPA|ɑːɣrə}}) is a city on the banks of the [[Yamuna|Yamuna River]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]. It finds mention in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana are Paradise. [[Ptolemy]], the famous second century A.D. geographer, marked it on his map of the world as Agra. Tradition and legend ascribe the present city of Raja Badal Singh (around 1475 A.D.) whose Fort, Badalgarh, Stood on or near the site of the present Fort. However, the 12th century A.D. Persian poet Salman writes of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra, then held by one King Jaipal, by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. <ref name="Indian Government Website">[http://agra.nic.in/hist.htm]</ref> It was ruled by Sultan [[Sikandar Lodi]] in the year [[1506]]. It achieved fame as the capital of the [[Mughal]] emperors from [[1526]] to [[1658]] and remains a major tourist destination because of its many splendid Mughal-era buildings, most notably the [[Taj Mahal]], [[Agra Fort]] and [[Fatehpur Sikri]], all three of which are [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Sites]].
==
Agra is situated {{coor d|27.18|N|78.02|E|}}<ref>[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/36/Agra.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Agra]</ref>, on the bank of [[Yamuna river]]. It has an average elevation of 171 [[metre]]s (561 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]]). On the north it is bounded by Mathura, on the south by Dhaulpur, on the east by [[Firozabad]], on the south-east by [[Fatehabad, Agra|Fatehabad]] and on the west by Bharatpur. Agra is the third biggest city in [[Uttar Pradesh]].
==
[[As of 2000]] India [[census]]{{GR|India}}, Agra had a population of 1400000. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Agra has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 63.5%; with 76% of the males and 53% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
==History==
[[Image:Taj Mahal in March 2004.jpg|thumb|240px|Taj Mahal.]]
Agra is a medieval city situated on the banks of the river [[Yamuna]]. It is generally accepted that Sultan [[Sikandar Lodi]], the Ruler of [[Delhi Sultanate]] founded it in the year [[1504]]. After the sultan's death the city passed on to his son Sultan [[Ibrahim Lodi]]. He ruled his Sultanate from Agra until he fell fighting to [[Babur]] in the [[First battle of Panipat]] fought in [[1526]].
The golden age of the city began with the [[Mughals]]. It was known then as Akbarabad and remained the capital of the [[Mughal Empire]] under Emperor [[Akbar]], [[Jahangir]] and [[Shah Jahan]]. [[Shah Jahan]] later shifted his capital to [[Shahjahanabad]] in the year [[1649]].
Since Akbarabad was one of the most important cities in India under the [[Mughals]], it witnessed a lot of building activity. [[Babar]], the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Aram Bagh or the Garden of Relaxation. His grandson [[Akbar]] raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort besides making Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city on the outskirts of Akbarabad called [[Fatehpur Sikri]]. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.
His son [[Jahangir]] had a love of gardens and flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila. [[Shah Jahan]] known for his keen interest in architecture gave Akbarabad its most prized monument, The [[Taj Mahal]]. Built in loving memory of his wife [[Mumtaz Mahal]], the mausoleum was completed in [[1648]].
[[Shah Jahan]] later shifted the capital to [[Delhi]] during his reign, but this son [[Aurangzeb]] shifted the capital back to Akbarabad and had his father imprisoned in the Fort there. Akbarabad remained capital of India during the rule of [[Aurangzeb]] until he shifted it to [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] in the [[Deccan]] in [[1653]]. After the decline of the [[Mughal Empire]], the city came under the influence of [[Marathas]] and [[Jats]] and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the [[British Raj]] in [[1803]].
==Places of Interest==
[[Image:TM_from_Red_Fort.jpg|thumb|240px|Taj Mahal from Agra fort]]
===Taj Mahal===
Agra's [[Taj Mahal]] is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, [[Mumtaz Mahal]]. One of three [[World Heritage Sites|World Heritage Site]] in Agra, other being Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Completed in 1653 A.D., The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favourite Queen, Mumtaz. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa, The Taj Mahal is on the bank of the Yamuna river. It can be observed like a mirage from the Agra Fort from where Emperor Shah Jahan stared at it, for the last eight years his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is a masterpiece of symmetry, seeming to be floating in the air from a distance, and each revealed as an illusion experienced as one enters through the main gate. The verses of Holy Koran as inscribed on it and at the top of gate 22 small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to build. The Taj Mahal has been built on a marble platform that stands above a sandstone one. The most elegant dome of the Taj, with diameter of 60 feet, rises 80 feet, over the building and directly under the dome is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan's tomb has been erected next to hers by his son Aurangzeb. Fantastic inlay works using semi-precious stones decorate the interiors.
Open Time : 6 A.M. to 7.30 P.M. (Friday is closed)
===Agra Fort===
Another world heritage site in Agra. Agra's dominant structure, the [[Agra Fort]] (sometimes called the ''Red Fort''), was built by Akbar in [[1565]]. The red sandstone fort was renovated and converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time, and reworked extensively with [[marble]] and [[pietra dura]] inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the [[Pearl Mosque]], the Diwan-e-Am and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of public and private audience), Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace), and Musamman Burj.
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 hide an inner paradise. The fort is crescent shaped, flattened 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.
===Fatehpur Sikri===
The Mughal Emperor [[Akbar]] built [[Fatehpur Sikri]] about 35 km from Agra, and moved his capital there. Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical importance. A [[World Heritage Sites|World Heritage Site]], it is often visited by tourists to Agra.
===Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb===
Empress [[Nur Jehan]] built [[Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb]], sometimes called the ''Baby Taj'', for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and [[latticework]] presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.
===Jama Masjid===
The [[Jama Masjid (Agra)|Jama Masjid]] is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter, Princess [[Jahanara Begum]], built in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets.
===Chini Ka Rauza===
Notable for its [[Persian architecture|Persian]] influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the [[Chini Ka Rauza]] is dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan, Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz.
===Ram Bagh===
The oldest [[Mughal garden]] in India, the [[Ram Bagh]] was built by the Emperor [[Babur]] in [[1528]]. It lies about 2.34 km north of Taj Mahal.
===Soami Bagh Samadh===
The Soami Bagh Samadh is the mausoleum of Huzur [[Shiv Dayal Singh|Soamiji Maharaj]] ([[Shiv Dayal Singh|Shri Shiv Dayal Singh]]) in the [[Dayalbagh]] section in the outskirts of the city. He was the founder of the [[Radha Soami|Radhasoami Faith]] and the Samadh is sacred to its followers. Construction began in 1908, and it is believed that construction will never end. It is often seen as the "next Taj Mahal". The carvings in stone, using a combination or coloured marble, is life-like and not seen anywhere else in India. The picture shown is taken from the backside and shows only two floors. When completed, the samadh will have a carved dome and a gateway.
===Sikandra (Akbar's tomb)===
[[Sikandra]], the last resting place of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Emperor]] [[Akbar]], is only 13 kilometres from the [[Agra Fort]]. [[Akbar]]'s tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb is set amidst a lush garden. [[Akbar]] himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a [[Tartary]] custom which the [[Mughal]]s followed religiously. [[Akbar]]'s son [[Jahangir]] completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.
===Mariam's Tomb===
[[Mariams Tomb]], enroute to Sikandra, is the last resting place of Akbar's Christian wife.
===Mehtab Bagh===
[[Mehtab Bagh]], is on the opposite bank of River Yamuna on which the Taj is present.
<center>
<gallery>
Image:Akbar-tomb.jpg|Mughal Emperor Akbar's Tomb, near Agra, India.
Image:Dayal-bagh-12.JPG|Soami Bagh Samadh, in Dayalbagh.
Image:Fatehpur-sikri-6-panch-mahal.JPG|Panch Mahal in [[Fatehpur Sikri]].
</gallery>
</center>
==Climate==
Agra's climate is [[tropical]] and prone to extremes, reaching as high as 45ºC (113ºF) during the summer and as low as 4ºC (40ºF) in the winter. The rainy season is between June and September and the city receives annual rainfall of 660 millimeters (26 inches).
==Education==
Agra has some good schools and colleges. Some of the schools in Agra are:
* St. Peter's College[http://www.stpetersagra.com/]
* St. Patrick's Junior College
* St. Conrad's Inter College
* St. Joseph Inter College
* St. George's College
* St. Paul's Church School
* St. Andrew's sr. sec. school
* St. Clare's sen. sec. school
* M.D.Jain Inter College
* Maharaja Agrasen Inter College
* T.C.Chandra Inter College
* Agra Public School
* Holy Public School
* Govt. Inter College
* [[Anand Engineering College, Agra]]
* BHARTIYA VIDYAPEETH.
* Smt. Bhagwati Devi Jain Girls Inter College.
* Raja Balwant Singh College (RBS College)
* [[St. John's College]]
* Agra College[1823A.D]
* HOME SCIENCE INSTITUTE
* D.E.I
* INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, AGRA UNIVERSITY
* [[Faculty Of Engineering & Technology, Raja Balwant Singh College]], Bichpuri
* INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY KHANDARI CAMPUS,AGRA
* Institute of Basic Sciences
* SPCJ
* U.P. Electronics Corporation Limited. ([[UP ELcorp ACL]])
(A Software Development & Computer Training Unit under administrative control of Department of Information Technology & Electronics, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh)
* Milton Public School, Awadhpuri, Bodla Road.
== External links ==
* [http://agra.nic.in/ Official Website of Agra maintained by NIC]
* [http://www.agraindia.org.uk/index.html Agra Guide]
* [http://www.travel-uttarpradesh.com/agra.htm Agra Tourism]
* [http://www.agra-india.net/ Agra City Guide]
* [http://www.bizagra.com/ Agra Travel]
* [http://www.oriental-rugs-history.com/india-rugs.html#Agra-Rugs Agra Rugs]
* [http://wikimapia.org/#y=27190000&x=78010000&z=12&l=0&m=a&v=2 Agra at Wikimapia]
* {{wikitravel}}
* [http://agralivein/ Everything about Agra]
* [http://www.visitindiacity.com/agra/ Agra city Guide]
<!--start of Navigation boxes--><br clear=all>
{{Million Plus Cities in India}}
{{Uttar Pradesh}}
<!--end of Navigation boxes-->
[[Category:Cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Agra]]
[[Category:Places of Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[bg:Агра (град Индия)]]
[[da:Agra]]
[[de:Agra (Indien)]]
[[es:Agra]]
[[fr:Âgrâ]]
[[gl:Agra - आगरा]]
[[ko:아그라]]
[[hi:आगरा]]
[[bpy:আগ্রা]]
[[id:Agra]]
[[it:Agra (India)]]
[[he:אגרה (עיר)]]
[[kn:ಆಗ್ರಾ]]
[[lt:Agra]]
[[ms:Agra]]
[[nl:Agra (India)]]
[[new:आग्रा]]
[[ja:アーグラ]]
[[pl:Agra]]
[[pt:Agra (Índia)]]
[[ro:Agra]]
[[ru:Агра]]
[[sr:Агра]]
[[sh:Agra]]
[[fi:Agra]]
[[sv:Agra]]
[[tl:Lungsod ng Agra]]
[[ta:ஆக்ரா]]
[[vi:Agra]]
[[uk:Агра]]
[[ur:آگرہ]]
[[zh:阿格拉]]
| |||