,a ,handbook to  ,agra and the ,taj     
,sikandra1 ,fatehpur-,sikri and the     
,neighbourhood    by  ,e4,b4 ,havell1   
,,arca4      #aijd        ,preface      
,this little book is not intended for a 
history or archological  treatise1 but  
to assist those who visit1 or have      
visited1 ,agra1 to  an intelligent      
understanding of one of the greatest    
epochs of ,indian  ,art4 ,in the        
historical part of it1 ,i have omitted  
unimportant names and  dates1 and only  
attempted to give such a sketch of the  
personality of  the greatest of the     
,great ,moguls1 and of the times in     
which they lived1  as is necessary for  
an appreciation of the wonderful        
monuments they  left behind them4 ,india
 is the only part of the ,british       
,empire where  art is still a living    
reality1 a portion of the people's      
spiritual  possessions4 ,we1 in our     
ignorance and affectation of            
superiority1  make efforts to improve it
 with ,western ideas2 but1 so far1 have 

only succeeded in doing it incalculable 
harm4 ,it would be wiser if  we would   
first attempt to understand it4         
,among many works to which ,i owe       
valuable information1 ,i should name    
especially ,erskine's translation of    
,babar's ,memoirs2 ,muhammad  ,latifs   
,agra1 ,historical and ,descriptive2 and
 ,edmund ,smith's  ,fatehpur-,sikri4 ,my
 acknowledgments are due to ,babu       
,abanindro  ,nath ,tagore1 ,mr4 ,a4     
,polwhele1 ,executive ,engineer1 ,agra1 
and to  ,mr4 ,j4,h4 ,marshall1          
,director-,general of the ,archological 
,survey of  ,india1 for kind assistance 
rendered4 ,i am particularly indebted to
  ,messrs4 ,johnston and ,hoffman1 of   
,calcutta1 for allowing me to make  use 
of their valuable collection of         
photographs for the illustrations4      
,in quoting from ,bernier's ,travels1 ,i
 have used ,constable's  translation1   
with ,messrs4 ,a4 ,constable  ,co4's    
kind permission4 ,to  the ,editor of the
 ,nineteenth ,century and ,after ,i owe 

permission to  make use of my article on
 ,the ,taj and its ,designers1 published
 in  that ,review1 ,june1 #aijc4        
,,calcutta1    ,january1 #aijd4         
,contents    ,,historical ,,introduction
    ,the ,great ,moguls--,i4            
,babar--,babar's ,connection with       
,agra--,,ii4 ,humayun--,interregnum3    
,shere ,shah--,,iii4 ,akbar--,akbar's   
,connection with ,agra--,,iv4           
,jahangir--,jahangir's ,connection with 
,agra--,v4 ,shah ,jahan--,the ,monuments
 of ,shah ,jahan's ,reign at            
,agra--,,vi4 ,aurangzb--,agra and the   
,later ,mogul ,emperors--,agra in  the  
,mutiny4    ,,the ,,fort    ,the ,mti   
,masjid--,the ,dersane ,darwaza--,the   
,dwan-i-m--,jahangir's  ,cistern--,the  
,tomb of ,mr4 ,colvin--,the ,inner ,mna 
,bazar--,the ,chitore  ,gates--,the     
,hindu ,temple--,the ,machhi            
,bhawan--,the ,najina ,masjid--,the     
,dwan-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 ,sahmgarh4      
,,the ,j,,mi ,,masjid    ,,the ,,taj    
,the building of the ,taj--,the         
,intention of the ,taj--,description4   
,,itm,d-,,ud-,,daulah',s ,,tomb    ,,the
 ,,ch,n-,,ka-,,rauza    ,,the ,,ram     
,,bagh    ,the ,zuhara ,bagh4           
,,sikandra    ,akbar's ,tomb--,the      
,kanch ,mahal--,suraj-,bhan-ka          
,bagh--,mariam ,zmni's  ,tomb4          
,,other ,,buildings ,,and ,,tombs ,,at  
,,or ,,near ,,agra    ,the ,kali        
,masjid--,alawal ,bilawal--,the         
,hamman--,the ,roman ,catholic          
,cemetery4    ,,fatehpur ,,sikri    ,the
 ,agra ,gate--,the ,naubat ,khana--,the 
,mint--,the ,daftar ,khana--,the        
,palace--,the ,kwbgh--,the ,turkish     
,sultana's ,house--,hakim's             
,baths--,pachisi ,board--,the           
,dwan-i-,khs--,the ,ankh-,michauli--,the
  ,yogi's ,seat--,the ,hospital--,the   
,dwan-i-m--,the ,panch ,mahal--,miriam's

  ,kothi--,jodh ,ba's ,palace--,rajah   
,birbal's ,house1 or ,birbal's          
,daughter's  ,house--,the ,hathi ,pol   
and ,adjoining ,buildings--,the ,jmi    
,masjid1 or  ,cathedral ,mosque--,the   
,baland ,darwaza--,the ,stone-,cutters' 
,mosque--,the  ,houses of ,abul ,fazl   
and ,faizi4    ,bharatpur and ,other    
,places in the ,vicinity of             
,agra3--,bharatpur--,govardhan--,muttra-
-,bindrban4    ,,index        ,list of  
,illustrations    ,the ,taj ,mahal      
,plate ,i4 ,a ,state ,document with     
,shah ,jahan's ,royal ,hand and ,seal   
,plate ,,ii4 ,shah ,jahan1 ,from an ,old
 ,indian ,miniature    ,plate ,,iii4    
,the ,inner ,delhi ,gate1 or ,hathi     
,pol1 ,agra ,fort    ,plate ,,iv4       
,marble ,balcony1 ,overlooking the      
,inner ,mna ,bazar1 ,agra ,fort         
,plate ,v4 ,the ,samman ,burj1 ,agra    
,fort    ,plate ,,vi4 ,inner ,courtyard 
of the ,jahangiri ,mahal1 ,agra ,fort   
,plate ,,vii4 ,marble ,screen ,enclosing
 the ,tombs of ,mumtaz ,mahal and  ,shah

 ,jahan    ,plate ,,viii4               
,itmd-ud-daulah's ,tomb1 ,agra    ,plate
 ,,ix4 ,interior of the ,upper          
,pavilion1 ,itmd-ud-daulah's ,tomb      
,plate ,x4 ,marble ,sarcophagus on the  
,upper ,story of ,akbar's ,tomb1        
,sikandra    ,plate ,,xi4 ,interior of  
,the ,dwan-i-,khs1 ,fatehpur ,sikri     
,plate ,,xii4 ,rajah ,birbal's          
,daughter's ,house1 ,fatehpur ,sikri    
,plate ,,xiii4 ,the ,baland ,darwaza1   
,fatehpur ,sikri      ,plans    ,agra   
,fort4 ,plan of the ,palaces            
,fatehpur ,sikri4 ,plan ,showing the    
,position of the ,buildings    ,fatehpur
 ,sikri4 ,plan ,showing the ,walls and  
,gates    ,fatehpur ,sikri4 ,plan of    
,jodh ,bai's ,palace            ,,agra  
,historical ,introduction    ,agra has  
two histories3 one of the ancient city  
on the east1 or left1  bank of the river
 ,jumna1 going back so far as to be lost
 in the legends  of ,krishna and of the 
heroes of the ,mhabhrata2 the other of  
the  modern city1 founded by ,akbar in  

,a4,d4 #aeeh1 on the right bank of the  
river1 and among ,muhammadans still     
retaining its name of ,akbarabad1  which
 is intimately associated with the      
romance of the ,great ,moguls1  and     
known throughout the world as the city  
of the ,taj4    ,of ancient ,agra little
 now remains except a few traces of the 
foundations4 ,it was a place of         
importance under various ,hindu         
dynasties previous to the ,muhammadan   
invasions of ,india1 but its  chequered 
fortunes down to the beginning of the   
sixteenth century  are the usual tale of
 siege and capture by ,hindu or         
,mussulman1 and  possess little         
historical interest4    ,in ,a4,d4 #aeje
 ,sultan ,sikandar ,lodi1 the last but  
one of the  ,afghan dynasty at ,delhi1  
rebuilt ,agra and made it the seat of   
government4 ,sikandra1 the burial-place 
of ,akbar1 is named after him1  and     
there he built a garden-house which     
subsequently became the tomb  of ,mariam
 ,zmni1 one of ,akbar's wives4 ,the son 

of ,sultan ,sikandar1  ,ibrahim ,lodi1  
was defeated and slain by ,babar at     
,panipat1 near ,delhi1  in #aebf1 and   
from that time ,agra became one of the  
principal cities  of the ,mogul ,empire 
which ,babar founded4      ,the ,great  
,moguls4--,i4 ,babar4    ,though very   
few memorials of ,babar's short but     
brilliant reign still  exist at ,agra1  
the life of this remarkable man is so   
important a  part of the ,mogul dynasty 
that it must not be passed over by the  
intelligent tourist or student of ,mogul
 art4 ,it was ,babar's sunny            
disposition1 and the love of nature     
characteristic of his race1 that        
brought back into ,indian art the note  
of joyousness which it had not  known   
since the days of ,buddhism4 ,babar is  
one of the most striking  figures in    
,eastern history4 ,he was descended from
 ,tamerlane1 or ,timur1  on his father's
 side1 and1 on his mother's1 from       
,chinghiz ,khan4 ,in  the year #adid1 at
 the age of twelve1 he became king of   

,farghana1 a  small kingdom of ,central 
,asia1 now known as ,kokand4 ,his       
sovereignty1  however1 was of a very    
precarious tenure1 for he was surrounded
 on  all sides by a horde of rapacious1 
intriguing relatives1 scrambling  for   
the fragments of ,timur's empire4 ,with 
hardly a trustworthy  ally except a     
remarkably clever and courageous old    
grandmother1 he  struggled for three    
years to retain his birthright4 ,then1  
acting on a  sudden inspiration1 he made
 a dash for ,samarkand1 the ancient     
capital  of ,timur1 and won it4 ,in his 
delightful memoirs ,babar describes how1
  with boyish glee1 he paced the        
ramparts himself1 wandered from palace  
to palace1 and revelled in the          
fruit-gardens of what was then one of   
the finest cities of ,asia4 ,but in less
 than a hundred days1 most of  his      
shifty ,mongol troops1 disappointed in  
not finding as much booty  as they      
expected1 deserted and joined a party of
 his enemies1 who  straightway attacked 

,andijan1 the capital of ,farghana1     
where ,babar  had left his mother and   
grandmother4 ,before he could come to   
their  rescue ,andijan had fallen1 and  
at the same time ,samarkand1 which he   
had left1 was occupied by another of his
 numerous rivals4 ,this double          
misfortune caused still more of his     
followers to leave him1 and he  found   
himself without a kingdom1 except the   
little town of ,khojend1  and with only 
two hundred men4 ,for almost the only   
time in his life  he gave way utterly to
 despair4 ,i became a prey to melancholy
 and  vexation2 ,i was reduced to a sore
 distressed state and wept much4        
,before long1 however1 ,babar1 rejoined 
by his mother and grandmother1  whom the
 captors of ,andijan had spared1 taking 
advantage of another  turn in the wheel 
of fortune1 recovered his kingdom of    
,farghana1  but lost the greater part of
 it again through another desertion of  
his ,mongol rascals4 ,a second time1    
with only a handful of men1 he          

surprised and captured ,samarkand       
7,a4,d4 #aejj74 ,in the following year  
he rashly sallied out against ,shaibani1
 the most formidable of his             
adversaries1 was defeated1 and1 after   
vainly trying to hold the city  against 
the victors1 was forced to fly under    
cover of the night4 ,this  time he did  
not weep1 but consoled himself next     
morning by riding a  headlong race with 
two of his companions4 ,reaching a      
village1 where  they found nice fat     
flesh1 bread of fine flour well baked1  
sweet  melons1 and excellent grapes in  
great abundance1 ,babar declared that   
in all his life he never enjoyed himself
 so much or felt so keenly  the         
pleasures of peace and plenty4    ,he   
now took refuge among the hills near    
,uratipa1 finding amusement  in         
observing the life of the villagers1 and
 especially in conversing  with the     
mother of the headman1 an old lady of a 
hundred and eleven1  whose descendants1 
to the number of ninety-six1 lived in   

the country  round about4 ,one of her   
relatives had served in the army with   
which  ,timur had invaded ,india1 and   
she entertained the future ,emperor of  
,hindustan by telling him stories of his
 ancestor's adventures4    ,after       
several fruitless raids with the few    
troopers who remained  faithful to him1 
he allied himself with his two uncles1  
,mahmud and  ,ahmad ,khan1 in an attack 
against ,tambal1 one of the powerful    
nobles  who had revolted against him and
 set up ,jahangir1 his brother1 on  the 
throne of ,farghana4 ,at a critical     
moment his uncles left ,babar to  the   
mercy of his enemy1 and he was again    
forced to fly for his life1  hotly      
pursued by ,tambal's horsemen4 ,he was  
overtaken by two of them1  who1 not     
daring to pit themselves against        
,babar's prodigious strength  and       
courage1 tried to inveigle him into a   
trap4 ,babar gives a moving  description
 of this great crisis in his life4      
,thoroughly exhausted1  and seeing no   

prospect of escape1 he resigned himself 
to die3--    ,there was a stream in the 
garden1 and there ,i made my ablutions  
and recited a prayer of two bowings4    
,then surrendering myself  to           
meditation1 ,i was about to ask ,god for
 ,his compassion1 when  sleep closed my 
eyes4 ,i saw 7in my dream7 ,khwja       
,yakub1 the son of  ,khwja ,yahya1 and  
grandson of his ,eminence the ,khwja    
',obaid-,allah  7a famous saint of      
,samarkand71 with a numerous escort1    
mounted on  dappled grey horses1 come   
before me and say1 ',do not be anxious1 
the ,khwja has sent me to tell you that 
he will support you and seat  you on the
 throne of sovereignty2 whenever a      
difficulty occurs to you1  remember to  
beg his help1 and he will at once       
respond to your appeal1  and victory and
 triumph shall straightway lean to your 
side4' ,i  awoke with easy heart1 at the
 very moment when ,yusuf the constable  
and his companions 7,tambal's soldiers7 
were plotting some trick to  seize and  

throttle me4 ,hearing them discussing   
it1 ,i said to them1  ',all you say is  
very well1 but ,i shall be curious to   
see which of you  dares to approach me1'
 ,as ,i spoke the tramp of a number of  
horses  was heard outside the garden    
wall4 ,yusuf the constable exclaimed1   
',if we had taken you and brought you to
 ,tambal1 our affairs would have        
prospered much thereby2 as it is1 he has
 sent a large troop to seize  you2 and  
the noise you hear is the tramp of      
horses on your track1'  ,at this        
assertion my face fell1 and ,i knew not 
what to devise4    ,at this very moment 
the horsemen1 who had not at first found
 the gate  of the garden1 made a breach 
in its crumbling wall1 through which    
they  entered4 ,i saw they were ,kutluk 
,muhammad ,barlas and ,babai ,pargri1   
two  of my most devoted followers1 with 
ten or twenty other persons4 ,when  they
 came near to my person they threw      
themselves off their horses1  and1      
bending the knee at a respectful        

distance1 fell at my feet1  and         
overwhelmed me with marks of their      
affection4    ,amazed at this           
apparition1 ,i felt that ,god had just  
restored me to  life4 ,i called to them 
at once1 ',seize ,yusuf the constable1  
and the  wretched traitors who are with 
him1 and bring them to me bound hand    
and foot1' ,then1 turning to my         
rescuers1 ,i said1 ',whence come you8   
,who  told you what was happening8'     
,kutluk ,muhammad ,barls answered1      
',after  ,i found myself separated from 
you in the sudden flight from ,akhsi1   
,i reached ,andijan at the very moment  
when the ,khans themselves were  making 
their entry4 ,there ,i saw1 in a dream1 
,khwja ',obaid-,allah1  who said1       
,pdishah ,babar is at this instant in a 
village called  ,karmn2 fly thither and 
bring him back with you1 for the throne 
is  his of right4 ,rejoicing at this    
dream1 ,i related it to the big ,khan   
and little ,khan4444 ,three days have we
 been marching1 and thanks be  to ,god  

for bringing about this meeting4' #a    
,after this exciting adventure ,babar   
rejoined his time-serving uncles1  but  
was forced into exile again in #aejc1   
when1 at the battle of ,akshi1  the     
,khans were completely defeated by      
,shaibani4 ,then he resolved  to depart 
out of ,farghana and to give up the     
attempt to recover  his kingdom4        
,characteristically1 when foiled in one 
enterprise he  entered upon another yet 
more ambitious4 ,joined by his two      
brothers1  ,jahangir and ,nasir1 and by 
a motley array of various wandering     
tribes1  he swooped down upon ,kabul and
 captured it4    ,the description of the
 new kingdom thus easily won1 which     
fills many  pages of the ,memoirs1      
reveals another side of ,babar's        
character--his  intense love of nature4 
,he gives minute accounts of the        
climate1  physical characteristics1 the 
fruits1 flowers1 birds1 and beasts1  as 
well as of the human inhabitants4 ,in   
the intervals between his  battles1 or  

between his rollicking drinking parties1
 which for some  years of his life      
degenerated into drunken orgies1 we     
often find ,babar  lost in admiration of
 some beautiful landscape1 or collecting
 flowers  and planting fruit trees4     
,wherever he came1 ,babar's first care  
was  to dig wells and plant fruit and   
flower gardens4 ,india owes much to  the
 ,great ,moguls' love of horticulture4  
,when ,babar had drilled his unruly     
,afghan subjects into something  like   
order1 he made1 in #aejf1 one more      
unsuccessful attempt to crush           
,shaibani4 ,however1 in #aeaj1 when that
 doughty warrior was defeated and  slain
 by ,ismail1 ,shah of ,persia1          
,samarkand fell once more into ,babar's 
hands1 as a vassal of the ,shah4 ,eight 
months afterwards he was driven  out    
again4 ,from that time ,babar gave up   
all hopes of re-establishing  the empire
 of his ancestor ,timur1 and turned his 
face towards ,india4 ,in  #aeai he      
gathered an army for his first          

expedition1 which was1 however1  more of
 a reconnaissance than a conquest4 ,four
 more attempts he made1  until at last1 
in #aebf1 with only #aj1jjj men1 he     
defeated the hosts  of ,ibrahim ,lodi1  
the last of the ,afghan kings of ,delhi1
 who1 with  #ae1jjj of his troops1 were 
left dead on the field of ,panipat4     
,thus1 after many struggles1 ,babar     
became master and conqueror of the      
mighty empire of ,hindustan1 but he had 
to fight two more great battles  before 
his sovereignty was undisputed--one in  
#aebg near ,fatehpur  ,sikri1 with the  
great chief of the ,rajputs1 ,raja      
,sanga of ,chitore1  and another in     
#aebi near ,buxar1 with the ,afghans who
 had settled in  ,bengal4 ,the next year
 ,babar died in his garden palace at    
,agra ,the  nobility of his character   
was conspicuous in his death as it was  
in his life4 ,he was devotedly attached 
to his eldest son1 ,humayun1  who was   
seized with malarial fever while staying
 at his country  estate at ,sambhal4    

,babar had him removed by boat to ,agra1
 but his  physicians declared that the  
case was hopeless4 ,babar's own health  
had  suffered much during his life in   
,india1 and he was terribly agitated  by
 the news4 ,when some one suggested that
 in such circumstances the  ,almighty   
sometimes deigned to accept the thing   
most valued by one  friend in exchange  
for the life of another1 ,babar         
exclaimed that  of all things his life  
was dearest to ,humayun1 as ,humayun's  
was to  him4 ,he would sacrifice his own
 life to save his son4 ,his courtiers   
entreated him to give up instead the    
great diamond taken at ,agra1  said to  
be the most valuable on earth4 ,babar   
declared that no stone  could compare in
 value with his own life1 and after     
solemnly walking  round ,humayun's      
couch1 as in a religious sacrifice1 he  
retired to  devote himself to prayer4   
,soon afterwards he was heard to        
exclaim1 ,i  have borne it away6 ,i have
 borne it away6 ,humayun began to       

recover1  and1 as he improved1 ,babar   
gradually sank4 ,commending his son to  
the protection of his friends1 and      
imploring ,humayun to be kind and       
forgiving to his brothers1 the first of 
the ,great ,moguls of ,india  passed    
away4 ,he was buried at ,kabul1 in one  
of his beloved gardens1  which1         
according to ,tartar custom1 he had     
chosen for his tomb1 in  the sweetest   
spot of the neighbourhood4 #b           
,babar's connection with ,agra4         
,babar's connection with ,agra began    
immediately after the battle  of        
,panipat4 ,he sent forward ,humayun1 who
 occupied the town without  opposition4 
,the story of the great diamond referred
 to above is here  recorded in the      
,memoirs4 ,the ,raja of ,gwalior1 slain 
at ,panipat1 had  left his family and   
the heads of his clan at ,agra4 ,in     
gratitude to  ,humayun1 who treated them
 magnanimously1 and protected them from 
plunder1 they presented to him a        
peskesh1 or token of homage1  consisting

 of a quantity of jewels and precious   
stones4 ,among these was  one famous    
diamond which had been acquired by      
,sultan ,alaeddin4 ,it is  so valuable  
that a judge of diamonds valued it at   
about half the daily  expense of the    
whole world4 ,it is about eight mikkals 
7or about  #bhj carats74 ,this is       
generally supposed to be the celebrated 
,koh-i-nur4    ,babar determined to     
establish the seat of his government at 
,agra1 but  was almost dissuaded by the 
desolate appearance of the country4 ,it 
always appears to me1 he says1 that one 
of the chief defects of  ,hindustan is  
the want of artificial watercourses4 ,i 
had intended1  wherever ,i might fix my 
residence1 to construct water-wheels1 to
  produce an artificial stream1 and to  
lay out an elegant and regularly        
planned pleasure ground4 ,shortly after 
coming to ,agra ,i passed the  ,jumna   
with this object in view1 and examined  
the country to pitch upon  a fit spot   
for a garden4 ,the whole was so ugly and

 detestable that  ,i repassed the river 
quite repulsed and disgusted4 ,in       
consequence of  the want of beauty and  
of the disagreeable aspect of the       
country1 ,i  gave up my intention of    
making a charbagh 7garden house72 but as
 no  better situation presented itself  
near ,agra1 ,i was finally compelled to 
make the best of this same spot4444 ,in 
every corner ,i planted suitable        
gardens1 in every garden ,i sowed roses 
and narcissus regularly1 and in  beds   
corresponding to each other4 ,we were   
annoyed by three things in  ,hindustan2 
one was its heat1 another the strong    
winds1 and the third  its dust4 ,baths  
were the means of removing all three    
inconveniences4    ,as ,i have mentioned
 above1 there are very few vestiges     
remaining of  ,babar's city1 of his     
fruit and flower gardens1 palaces1      
baths1 tanks1  wells and watercourses4  
,the ,ram ,bagh 7p4 #ib7 is one of the  
gardens  laid out either by himself or  
by one of his nobles1 and the ,zohra1   

or ,zuhara ,bagh1 near it1 contains the 
remains of a garden-house1 which  is    
said to have belonged to one of ,babar's
 daughters4 ,opposite to the  ,taj there
 are traces of the foundations of the   
city he built4 ,babar  planned1 and his 
successors completed1 the great road    
leading from ,agra  to ,kabul through   
,lahore1 parts of which still remain4   
,some of the old  milestones can be seen
 on the road to ,sikandra4 ,babar's     
account of the  commencement of it is   
very characteristic3 ,on ,thursday1 the 
#dth of  the latter ,rebia1 ,i directed 
,chikmak ,bey1 by a writing under the   
royal  hand and seal1 #c to measure the 
distance from ,agra to ,kabul2 that at  
every nine kos he should raise a minar1 
or turret1 twelve gez  in height1 on the
 top of which he was to construct a     
pavilion2 that  every ten kos he should 
erect a yam1 or post-house1 which they  
call  a dak-choki1 for six horses2 that 
he should fix a certain allowance  as a 
provision for the post-house keepers1   

couriers1 and grooms1  and for feeding  
the horses2 and orders were given that  
whenever a  post-house for horses was   
built near a khalseh1 or imperial       
demesne1  they should be furnished from 
thence with the stated allowances2  that
 if it were situated in a pergunna1 the 
nobleman in charge  should attend to the
 supply4 ,the same day ,chikmk ,padshahi
 left ,agra4    ,the promptness of      
,babar's administrative methods is a    
striking contrast  to the circumlocution
 of present-day departmentalism4 ,there 
still  exist remains of many splendid   
sarais1 or halting-places1 built  along 
this road by different ,mogul ,emperors 
for their convenience1  from the time of
 ,babar down to ,aurangzb4 ,one of the  
finest is the  ,nurmahal ,sarai1 near   
,jalandhar1 built by ,jahangir and named
 after  his favourite wife4 ,edward     
,terry1 who accompanied ,sir ,thomas    
,roe1  ,james the ,first's ambassador at
 ,jahangir's ,court1 describes the long 
walk of four hundred miles1 shaded by   

great trees on both sides1  and adds1   
this is looked upon by the travellers   
who have found the  comfort of that cool
 shade as one of the rarest and most    
beneficial  works in the whole world4   
,,ii4 ,humayun4    ,humayun1 who        
succeeded ,babar1 had many of his       
father's amiable  qualities1 but none of
 his genius as a leader of men4 ,he     
utterly  failed in the attempt to       
consolidate the great empire which      
,babar had  left him1 and in #aeci1 or  
nine and a half years after his         
accession1  he was completely defeated  
at ,kanauj by ,shere ,khan ,sur1 an     
,afghan  nobleman1 who had submitted to 
,babar1 but revolted against his  son4  
,humayun found himself a fugitive with  
only a handful of men1  and was         
eventually driven not only out of       
,hindustan1 but even from the  kingdom  
of ,kabul4  ,he then took refuge with   
the ,shah of ,persia4 ,shere  ,khan     
,sur1 under the title of ,shere ,shah1  
ruled at ,agra until he died1  five     

years afterwards4  ,his son1 ,salm      
,shah1 or ,sultan ,islam1 succeeded     
him1 and reigned between seven and eight
 years1 but on his death the  usual     
quarrels between his relatives and      
generals gave ,humayun1 who  in the mean
 time had got back ,kabul with the aid  
of a ,persian army1  the opportunity to 
recover his position in ,hindustan4     
,this occurred  in #aeee1 but ,humayun's
 unfortunate reign terminated the same  
year  through a fatal fall from a       
staircase in his palace at ,delhi4      
,humayun left no memorial of himself at 
,agra1 but he is to be remembered  for  
two circumstances2 the first1 that he   
was the father of the great  ,akbar1 who
 succeeded him2 and the second1 that the
 plan of his tomb  at ,delhi1 built by  
,akbar1 was the model on which the plan 
of the ,taj  was based4                 
,interregnum3 ,shere ,shah4    ,shere   
,shah was a great builder1 and a most   
capable ruler4 ,in his short  reign of  
five years he initiated many of the     

great administrative  reforms which     
,akbar afterwards perfected4 ,fergusson1
 in his  ,history of ,indian            
,architecture1 mentions that in his time
 there  was a fragment of a palace built
 by ,shere ,shah in the ,fort at ,agra1 
which was as exquisite a piece of       
decorative art as any of its class  in  
,india4 ,this palace has since been     
destroyed to make room for a  barrack1  
but probably the two-storied pavilion   
known as the ,salmgarh  is the fragment 
to which ,fergusson refers4 ,the only   
other building  of ,shere ,shah's time  
now remaining in ,agra is the           
half-buried mosque  of ,alawal ,bilawal1
 or ,shah ,wilayat1 in the ,nai-ki      
,mandi quarter  7see p4 #ajb74    ,shere
 ,shah's tomb at ,sasseram1 in ,bihar1  
is one of the noblest  monuments of the 
,pathan style1 or the style of the      
earliest ,muhammadan  architects in     
,india4      ,,iii4 ,akbar4    ,akbar1  
the ,great1 was born at ,amarkot1 on the
 edge of the deserts of  ,marwar1 about 

three years after the battle of ,kanauj1
 when his father  ,humayun was a        
fugitive1 driven from place to place by 
the adherents  of ,shere ,shah4 ,at this
 time the treasury of the royal house   
was so  reduced that1 when ,humayun     
indented on it for the customary        
presents  to his faithful followers1 the
 only thing procurable was a single pod 
of musk4 ,with the cheerfulness which   
was the saving grace of ,humayun1  he   
broke up the pod1 and distributed it1   
adding the pious wish1 which  seemed    
like prophetic insight1 that his son's  
fame might fill the  world like the     
fragrance of that perfume4 ,trained in  
the hard school  of adversity1 and      
inheriting the best qualities of his    
grandfather1  ,akbar was not long in    
restoring the faded fortunes of the     
,mogul  dynasty4 ,like ,babar1 he       
succeeded to the throne at a very early 
age1 and found himself surrounded by    
difficulties which would have           
overwhelmed a weaker character4 ,humayun

 had1 indeed1 fought his way  back to   
,delhi and ,agra1 but he had by no means
 settled with all the  numerous         
disputants for the sovereignty of       
,hindustan1 which ,sultan  ,islam's     
death had left in the field2 and his    
departure from ,kabul  had been the     
signal for revolt in that quarter4      
,akbar1 accompanied  by ,bairam ,khan1  
the ablest of ,humayun's generals1 was  
in ,sind when  he received at the same  
time the news of his father's death and 
of  the revolt of the ,viceroy at ,kabul
 ,he was then little more than  thirteen
 years old1 but1 like ,babar under      
similar circumstances1  he was prompt in
 decision and in action4 ,adopting      
,bairam's advice1  which was contrary to
 that of all his other counsellors1 he  
left ,kabul  out of account1 and pushed 
on to ,delhi against the forces of      
,himu1 a  ,hindu general1 and the most  
powerful of his foes1 who had assumed   
the  title of ,raja ,bikramajit1 with   
the hopes of restoring the old ,hindu   

dynasty4 ,on the historic plains of     
,panipat ,akbar completely defeated     
,himu's army1 and thus regained the     
empire which his grandfather had  won on
 the same field thirty years before4    
,this great battle was the  most        
critical point in his career1 and though
 ,akbar had to undertake  many other    
hard campaigns before he was absolute   
master of the empire1  his position from
 that time was never seriously          
endangered4    ,until his eighteenth    
year ,akbar remained under the tutelage 
of ,bairam1  an able general1 but       
unscrupulous and cruel4 ,the            
high-minded1 generous  disposition of   
,akbar revolted against some of his     
guardian's methods1  but he recognized  
that1 for some years at least1 ,bairam's
 experience  was necessary for him4 ,in 
#aefj1 however1 he took the             
administration  entirely into his own   
hands4 ,bairam1 in disgust1 took up arms
 against  his young master1 but was soon
 defeated and taken prisoner4 ,with his 

usual magnanimity1 ,akbar pardoned him1 
and sent him off to ,mecca with  a      
munificent present2 but the revengeful  
knife of an ,afghan put an  end to the  
turbulent nobleman's life before he     
could leave ,india4    ,akbar spent the 
rest of his long reign in elaborating   
the  administrative reforms which have  
made him famous as the greatest  ruler  
,india has ever had4 ,with the aid of   
able ministers1 both ,hindu  and        
,muhammadan1 he purified the            
administration of justice1 keeping  the 
supreme control in his own hands2       
enjoined absolute tolerance  in         
religious matters2 abolished oppressive 
taxes1 and reorganized  and improved the
 system of land revenue introduced by   
,shere ,shah4 ,a  minute account of     
,akbar's reign1 of his policy1 habits1  
and character1  is given in the         
,akbar-nama1 the history written by his 
devoted  friend and ,prime ,minister1   
,abul ,fazl4 ,no detail of state affairs
  was too small for ,akbar's personal   

attention4 ,ability and integrity  were 
the only passports to his favour1 while 
bigotry and injustice  were anathemas to
 him4 ,like ,babar1 he was fond of      
horticulture1 and  imported many kinds  
of fruit trees and flowers into ,india4 
,though  he could neither read nor      
write1 he had a great library of ,hindi1
  ,persian1 ,arabic1 ,greek1 and other  
books1 and ,abul ,fazl relates that     
every book was read through to him from 
beginning to end4    ,the most          
remarkable of all this remarkable man's 
intellectual  activities were his       
attempts to bring about a reconciliation
 of all  the discordant religious       
elements of his empire4 ,badyuni1 one of
  his contemporary historians1 but1     
unlike him1 a bigoted ,musalman1        
comments thus on ,akbar's religious     
views3 ,from his earliest childhood  to 
his manhood1 and from his manhood to old
 age1 his ,majesty has passed  through  
the most various phases1 and through all
 sorts of religious  practices and      

sectarian beliefs1 and has collected    
everything which  people can find in    
books1 with a talent of selection       
peculiar to him  and a spirit of inquiry
 opposed to every 7,islamite7 principle4
 ,thus a  faith based on some elementary
 principles traced itself on the mirror 
of his heart1 and1 as the result of all 
the influences which were  brought to   
bear on his ,majesty1 there grew        
gradually1 as the outline  on a stone1  
the conviction on his heart that there  
were sensible  men in all religions1 and
 abstemious thinkers and men endowed    
with  miraculous powers among all       
nations4 ,if some true knowledge were   
thus  everywhere to be found1 why should
 truth be confined to one religion1  or 
to a creed like ,islam1 which was       
comparatively new1 and scarcely a       
thousand years old2 why should one sect 
assert what another denies1  and why    
should one claim a preference without   
having superiority  conferred upon      
itself8    ,near to his palace at       

,fatehpur ,sikri he built an ,ibdat     
,khana1 or  ,hall of ,worship1 for the  
discussion of philosophy and religion4  
,there  he received representatives of  
all religious sects1 ,muhammadans1      
,brahmans1 ,jains1 ,buddhists1 ,parsis1 
,jews1 and ,christians1 and listened    
attentively to their arguments4  ,he    
studied deeply religious books1  and had
 the ,new ,testament translated into    
,persian4 ,he also invited  ,jesuit     
priests from ,goa1 and not only allowed 
them to build a church  at ,agra1 but   
even attended a marriage service and    
interpreted the  words of the sermon to 
the bride4 ,badayuni says that his      
,majesty  firmly believed in the truth  
of the ,christian religion1 and wishing 
to spread the doctrines of ,jesus1      
ordered ,prince ,murad 7his son7  to    
take a few lessons in ,christianity by  
way of auspiciousness4 ,the  ,jesuits1  
however1 did not succeed in making      
,akbar a convert1 for when  his         
religious convictions were at last      

settled1 he proclaimed as the  state    
religion a kind of eclectic pantheism   
called ,din-i-ilhi1 or  ,divine ,faith1 
with himself as the chief interpreter4  
,dispensing  with all forms of          
priesthood1 he simply recognized ,one   
,god1 the  ,maker of the ,universe1 and 
himself as ,god's vicegerent on earth4  
,he  rejected the doctrine of the       
,resurrection1 and accepted that of the 
transmigration of souls4 ,the ,islamite 
prayers were abolished1 and  others of a
 more general character were substituted
 for them4 ,the  ceremonial was largely 
borrowed from the ,hindus4    ,the      
,divine ,faith had no hold on the       
people1 and its influence  ceased with  
the death of its founder4 ,it is even   
said that ,akbar1  on his death-bed1    
acknowledged the orthodox ,muhammadan   
creed1 but the  evidence on this point  
is unreliable4 ,akbar's religious system
 had an  important political bearing1   
for the keynote of his whole policy was 
the endeavour to unite with a bond of   

common interest all the diverse  social1
 religious1 and racial elements of his  
empire4 ,he overlooked  nothing which   
might further the object he had in view4
 ,he chose his  ministers and generals  
indiscriminately from all his subjects1 
without  distinction of race or         
religion4 ,he allied himself in marriage
 with  the royal ,hindu families of     
,rajputana4 ,he sat daily on the        
judgment  seat to dispense justice to   
all who chose to appeal to him1 and1    
like the famous ,harun-al-,rashid1 he   
would at times put on disguises  and    
wander unattended among the people1 to  
keep himself informed of  their real    
condition and to check the malpractices 
of his officials4    ,though ,akbar     
unavoidably had bitter enemies among the
 more bigoted of  his ,muhammadan       
subjects1 his wise tolerance of all     
beliefs and the  generosity of his      
policy for the most part disarmed       
hostility from  all sides4 ,certainly no
 ruler of ,india before or since        

succeeded so  far in carrying out his   
object4 ,he is still one of the great   
popular  heroes of ,hindustan2 his      
mighty deeds in war and in the chase1   
his  wise and witty sayings1 the        
splendour of his court1 his magnanimity 
and his justice1 still live in song and 
in story4    ,akbar died in the ,fort at
 ,agra on ,october #ac1 #afje1 in the   
fifty-first  year of his reign1 aged    
#fc4 ,he was buried at ,sikandra1 in the
 mausoleum  commenced by himself1 and   
finished by his son and successor1      
,jahangir4      ,akbar's connection with
 ,agra4    ,the modern city of ,agra1 as
 stated previously1 was founded by      
,akbar  in #aeeh1 opposite to the old   
city on the left bank of the river4 ,he 
built the ,fort1 on the site of an old  
,pathan castle1 and part of the  palace 
within it4 ,agra was the seat of        
government during the greater  part of  
his reign4 ,he also built the great     
mosque and the magnificent  palaces and 
public buildings of ,fatehpur ,sikri1   

which are among the  most famous of the 
antiquities of ,india4      ,,iv4       
,jahangir4    ,the eldest surviving son 
of ,akbar1 ,prince ,salm1 on his        
accession to  the throne in #afje1      
assumed the title of ,nr-ud-din         
,jahangir 7,light  of the ,faith1       
,conqueror of the ,world74    ,he was   
passionate1 cruel1 and a drunkard1 but  
not without ability  and force of       
character4 ,as ,prince ,salm he had     
instigated the  assassination of the    
,prime ,minister1 ,abul ,fazl1 and      
probably hastened  his own father's     
death by his violent conduct4 ,there    
was1 however1  a reconciliation at the  
end1 and ,jahangir endeavoured to atone 
for  his behaviour by lavish expenditure
 on ,akbar's tomb at ,sikandra4 ,he  has
 also left many pious tributes to his   
father's memory in his  autobiography4  
,jahangir's favourite wife was the      
celebrated ,nur ,mahal1  who for twenty 
years was almost the supreme power in   
the imperial  court4 ,her beauty        

attracted his attention while he was    
still ,prince  ,salm1 but ,akbar1       
disapproving of her as a                
daughter-in-law1 gave her in  marriage  
to ,sher ,afsan1 the lion killer1 a     
nobleman of ,burdwan4 ,after  his       
accession1 having treacherously procured
 the death of her husband1  ,jahangir   
had ,nur ,mahal removed to ,agra and    
placed under the care of  his mother4   
,for many years she repulsed all        
,jahangir's overtures1  but when at last
 she consented to be his queen she      
became his most  devoted wife4 ,she     
accompanied him on all his travels1 and 
,jahangir  consulted her in all         
important affairs of state4 ,sir ,thomas
 ,roe1 ,james  the ,first's ambassador1 
describes ,jahangir at ,agra taking his 
wife  for an evening drive in a bullock 
cart1 the ,king himself being her       
carter4 ,he affectionately changed her  
name from ,nur ,mahal1 ,light of  the   
,palace1 to ,nur ,jahan1 ,light of the  
,world4 ,the imperial coinage  bore her 

name and an inscription1 ,gold has      
acquired a new value since  it bore the 
name of ,nur ,jahan4 ,she even succeeded
 to some extent  in controlling         
,jahangir's drunken habits4 ,she was a  
great patroness  of the arts1 and it is 
said that the ,samman ,burj1 her        
apartments in  the ,agra palace1 was    
decorated after her own designs4 ,her   
charity  was boundless2 she was the     
especial protectress of orphan girls1   
and  provided marriage portions for no  
less than #ejj from her private purse4  
,nur ,mahal's father1 ,itmd-ud-daulah1  
became ,lord ,high ,treasurer1  and     
afterwards ,wazir1 or ,prime ,minister4 
,on his death his daughter  built for   
him the magnificent tomb at ,agra known 
by his name4    ,during ,jahangir's     
reign many ,europeans1 travellers1      
adventurers and  others1 flocked to the 
,mogul court4 ,they were allowed free   
access  to the palace1 and ,jahangir    
frequently admitted them to join in his 
midnight carouses4 ,he showed great     

favour to the ,jesuit priests1  and even
 allowed two of his nephews to be       
instructed in the ,christian  religion4 
,the violent temper of ,jahangir was    
inherited by his son1 ,prince  ,khurram1
 afterwards ,shah ,jahan1 and the peace 
of his reign was  frequently disturbed  
by open rebellion on the part of the    
,prince4 ,in  #afbc ,shah ,jahan        
actually sacked ,agra1 and his soldiers 
committed  fearful atrocities on the    
inhabitants4 ,he failed1 however1 to    
capture  the fort1 which contained the  
imperial treasury1 and ,jahangir1  no   
doubt remembering his own father's      
leniency towards himself1  forgave his  
unruly son4    ,jahangir died in #afbg1 
and was buried at ,shahdara1 near       
,lahore1  in a magnificent tomb prepared
 by ,nur ,mahal4 ,she herself retired to
  ,lahore1 and1 though she lived till   
#afdh1 ceased to take any part in  state
 affairs after his death4 ,she was      
buried by her husband's side  at        
,shahdara4      ,jahangir's connection  

with ,agra4    ,jahangir for a great    
part of his reign held his court at     
,lahore1  or at ,kabul4 ,the chief      
monuments of his reign at1 or near1     
,agra  are ,akbar's tomb at ,sikandra   
7p4 #ig71 and ,itmd-ud-daulah's tomb    
7p4 #he71 already mentioned4 ,part of   
the ,agra ,palace1 the ,jahangiri       
,mahal 7p4 #fc71 is named after him1    
though it is most probable that  it was 
really built in ,akbar's reign4         
,there are a few minor buildings of     
,jahangir's time in ,agra1 such as  the 
baths of ,ali ,verdi ,khan in           
,chipitollah ,street1 the mosque of     
,motamid ,khan in the ,kashmiri ,bazar1 
and the tower known after the  name of  
,boland ,khan1 the chief eunuch of      
,jahangir's palace4 ,these  are of      
purely archological interest4      ,v4  
,shah ,jahan4    ,shah ,jahan1 on his   
father's death1 though only fourth in   
right of  succession to the throne1     
speedily disposed of his brothers by    
means  very commonly adopted in         

,oriental royal families1 and was       
enthroned at  ,agra in #afdh4           
,immediately afterwards he wreaked his  
vengeance on the  ,portuguese1 who had  
taken part against him in his rebellion 
against  ,jahangir1 by destroying their 
settlement at ,hughli4 ,the next year1  
while on an expedition to suppress      
disorder in the ,deccan1 he lost  his   
favourite wife1 ,mumtaz ,mahal1 the lady
 of the ,taj4 ,for a long  time the     
,emperor abandoned himself entirely to  
grief1 and he remained  faithful to her 
memory until his death4    ,the actual  
building of the ,taj commenced in #afcb4
 ,from this date until  #afeh1 when     
,aurangzb usurped the throne1 was the   
most magnificent  period of the ,mogul  
dynasty4 ,the whole empire enjoyed      
comparative peace  and prosperity4 ,shah
 ,jahan's just and liberal government   
continued his  father's and             
grandfather's policy of tolerance       
towards the ,hindus1 and  his           
administration1 though conducted with   

great pomp and splendour1  did not press
 hardly upon the people4 ,it was one of 
the greatest  epochs of ,indian         
architecture2 besides the ,taj ,mahal1  
the buildings  erected during these     
years include four of the masterpieces  
of the  ,mogul period--the ,jmi ,masjid1
 or ,cathedral ,mosque1 of ,delhi2 the  
,mti ,masjid1 or ,pearl ,mosque1 of     
,agra2 part of the ,agra ,palace1 and   
the great palace at ,delhi1 of which    
only a small portion now exists4    ,it 
is said that as ,shah ,jahan advanced   
towards old age he abandoned  himself   
more and more to a life of pleasure and 
self-indulgence1  but his last years    
were darkened by the same kind of family
 intrigues  through which he himself had
 gained the throne4 ,in #afeg the       
serious  illness of the ,emperor brought
 these intrigues to a head4 ,his eldest 
son by ,mumtaz ,mahal1 called ,dara     
,shikoh1 a gracious and generous        
,prince1 but headstrong and intolerant  
of advice1 was appointed  ,regent4 ,on  

receiving this intelligence1 his younger
 brothers1 ,shuja1  ,viceroy of ,bengal1
 and ,murad1 ,viceroy of ,gujarat1      
declared their  independence1 and       
marched upon ,agra4 ,aurangzb1 the third
 son1  a religious bigot1 but the ablest
 and most virile of the brothers1       
hastened to join them1 and being placed 
in chief command1 attacked  ,dara's army
 close to ,agra and completely defeated 
him4 ,three days  afterwards he entered 
the city4 ,shah ,jahan sent his         
chamberlain to  order him to leave the  
city at once and return to his post in  
the  ,deccan1 but ,aurangzb1 affecting  
to believe that his father was dead1    
disregarded the order4 ,he succeeded by 
bribes and promises in bringing  over   
some of the principal nobles to his     
side1 and being well informed  by       
,rushanara1 his younger sister1 who was 
his equal in cunning and  artifice1 of  
all that went on in the palace1 he      
baffled ,shah ,jahan's  attempts to lay 
hands on him4 ,at last1 under pretence  

of arranging  an amicable meeting with  
his son ,mahmud1 ,aurangzb beguiled     
,shah  ,jahan into withdrawing his      
troops from the ,fort4 ,mahmud          
immediately  forced his way in with a   
picked body of men and seized the person
 of  the ,emperor4 ,the plan succeeded  
so well that no attempt at a rescue  was
 made4    ,the ,french traveller        
,tavernier1 who has left a complete     
record of  the time1 writes of this     
event3 ,it is most surprising that not  
one  of the servants of the grand ,king 
offered to assist him2 that all his     
subjects abandoned him1 and that they   
turned their eyes to the rising  sun1   
recognizing no one as king but          
,aurangzb4 ,shah ,jahan1 though  still  
living1 passed from their memories4 ,if1
 perchance1 there were  any who felt    
touched by his misfortunes1 fear made   
them silent1 and  made them basely      
abandon a king who had governed them    
like a father1  and with a mildness     
which is not common with sovereigns4    

,for although  he was severe enough to  
the nobles when they failed to perform  
their  duties1 he arranged all things   
for the comfort of the people1 by whom  
he was much beloved1 but who gave no    
signs of it at this crisis4    ,shah    
,jahan remained confined in a set of    
apartments of the ,agra  ,palace for    
seven years4 ,he died in #afff1 and was 
buried by the side  of ,mumtaz ,mahal in
 the ,taj4 ,his captivity was shared by 
his favourite  daughter1 ,jahanara1 who 
since the death of her mother had ruled 
the  imperial household and taken a     
prominent part in state affairs4 ,she   
had actively supported the cause of     
,dara1 and thus incurred the  resentment
 of ,aurangzb4 ,on her father's death   
she retired to ,delhi1  and she lived   
there until #afha4 ,her simple grave1   
covered with grass1  is in a quiet      
corner of the courtyard of ,nizamudin's 
tomb1 near ,delhi1  where the memory of 
her filial piety adds to the poetic     
charm of all  the surroundings4         

,the ,monuments of ,shah ,jahan's ,reign
 at ,agra4    ,the ,taj ,mahal 7p4 #gb72
 the ,jmi ,masjid 7p4 #fi72 and the     
following  buildings in the ,fort3 ,the 
,mti ,masjid 7p4 #dc72 the ,dwan-i-m 7p4
 #df72  the ,dwan-i-khas 7p4 #ee72 the  
,khas ,mahal 7p4 #ei74      ,,vi4       
,aurangzb4    ,agra is only concerned   
with the first seven years of           
,aurangzb's reign1  for1 after the death
 of ,shah ,jahan1 the court was removed 
to ,delhi1  and ,agra was left with only
 a provincial governor to maintain its  
former magnificence4 ,the unhappy ,dara1
 after his defeat by ,aurangzb1  made   
fruitless attempts to retrieve his      
fortunes1 but was at last  betrayed into
 the hands of his brother1 who          
immediately put him to  death4 ,aurangzb
 lost no time in disposing of his other 
two brothers1  and thus placed his      
succession to the throne beyond dispute4
    ,the ,princess ,rushanara1 as a     
reward for her treachery1 was raised  to
 the position formerly enjoyed by her   

sister ,jahanara4 ,the ,french          
physician ,bernier1 who resided twelve  
years at the ,mogul court in the  time  
of ,aurangzb1 has left many minute and  
graphic records of the  times4 ,here is 
a picture of ,rushanara when she        
accompanied ,aurangzb  on the march from
 ,delhi to ,kashmir3--    ,stretch      
imagination to its utmost limits1 and   
you can conceive  no exhibition more    
grand and imposing than when            
,rauchenara-,begum1  mounted on a       
stupendous ,pegu elephant and seated in 
a mikdember1  blazing with gold and     
azure1 is followed by five or six other 
elephants  with mikdembers nearly as    
resplendent as her own1 and filled with 
ladies attached to her household4 ,close
 to the ,princess are the chief         
eunuchs1 richly adorned and finely      
mounted1 each with a wand of office  in 
his hand2 and surrounding her elephant a
 troop of female servants1  ,tartars and
 ,kachmerys1 fantastically attired and  
riding handsome  pad-horses4 ,besides   

these attendants are several eunuchs on 
horseback1  accompanied by a multitude  
of pagys1 or lackeys1 on foot1 with     
large canes1 who advance a great way    
before the ,princess1 both to  the right
 and left1 for the purpose of clearing  
the road and driving  before them every 
intruder4 ,immediately behind           
,rauchenara-,begum's  retinue appears a 
principal lady of the court1 mounted and
 attended  in much the same manner as   
the ,princess4 ,this lady is followed by
 a  third1 she by a fourth1 and so on1  
until fifteen or sixteen females  of    
quality pass with a grandeur of         
appearance1 equipage1 and retinue  more 
or less proportionate to their rank1    
pay1 and office4 ,there is  something   
very impressive of state and royalty in 
the march of these  sixty or more       
elephants2 in their solemn and1 as it   
were1 measured  steps1 in the splendour 
of the mikdembers1 and the brilliant and
  innumerable followers in attendance2  
and1 if ,i had not regarded this        

display of magnificence with a sort of  
philosophical indifference1 ,i  should  
have been apt to be carried away by such
 flights of imagination  as inspire most
 of the ,indian poets when they         
represent the elephants  as conveying so
 many goddesses concealed from the      
vulgar gaze4 #d    ,dramatic justice    
overtook the scheming ,princess at last4
 ,in #affd  ,aurangzb fell dangerously  
ill1 and1 while he was unconscious1     
,rushanara1 believing him to be dying1  
abstracted the signet ring  from his    
finger and issued letters1 as under the 
royal seal1 to the  various ,viceroys   
and ,governors1 setting aside the       
succession of the  ,emperor's eldest son
 by a ,rajput ,princess in favour of    
another son1  a boy of six1 by a        
,muhammadan sultana4 ,she hoped by this 
means to keep  the supreme power in her 
own hands during the long minority of   
the new  ,emperor4 ,aurangzb            
unexpectedly recovered1 and became      
suspicious of  his dangerous sister4    

,the host of enemies she had created at 
court  were not slow in taking advantage
 of the situation1 and ,rushanara  soon 
afterwards disappeared--removed1 it is  
said1 by poison4    ,aurangzb ruled with
 a firm hand1 and in strict justice     
according  to the law of ,islam1 but    
though a man of great intellectual      
powers1  of marvellous energy and       
indomitable courage1 he was wanting in  
imagination1 sympathy1 and foresight1   
the highest qualities of a  really great
 ruler4 ,he checked the dissolute       
conduct of the nobles1  and set an      
example of industry and devotion to     
duty2 but his narrow1  bigoted          
disposition inclined him to distrust    
even his own ministers1  so that1 unlike
 his three predecessors1 he was badly   
served by  the lieutenants in whose     
hands the administration of the         
provinces  rested4 ,he surrounded       
himself with religious bigots of the    
,sunni  sect of ,muhammadans1 who aided 
him in bitter persecution of the        

,hindus4 ,hardly anything of artistic or
 architectural interest was  created    
under his patronage4 ,most of the great 
artists who attended  ,shah ,jahan's    
court were dismissed as unorthodox or   
heretics1 and many  noble monuments were
 mutilated by the ,emperor's fanatical  
followers  on the ground that they      
contravened the precept of the ,koran   
which  forbids the representation of    
animate nature in art4    ,he died in   
#agjg1 eighty-nine years of age4 ,the   
,mogul empire1 surrounded  by hordes of 
the enemies his bigotry and intolerance 
had created1  was already tottering to  
its fall1 and the star of the ,british  
raj  was rising4 ,seventeen years before
 his death he had granted to ,job       
,charnock a piece of land at ,sutanati1 
the site of the future capital  of our  
,indian empire4      ,agra and the      
,later ,mogul ,emperors    ,agra played 
a very small part in the history of the 
weak-minded and  dissolute successors of
 ,aurangzb4 ,firokhshiyar1 who reigned  

from #agac  to #agai1 resided           
occasionally there4 ,after his death    
disputes between  various claimants to  
the throne led to ,agra ,fort being     
besieged and  captured by ,husein ,ali  
,khan1 a partisan of one of them1 who   
looted  the treasury of all the         
valuables deposited there during three  
centuries4 ,there were the effects of   
,nur ,jahan ,begum and ,mumtaz  ,mahal1 
amounting in value1 according to various
 reports1 to two or  three crores of    
rupees4 ,there was in particular the    
sheet of pearls  which ,shah ,jahan had 
caused to be made for the tomb of       
,mumtaz ,mahal1  of the value of several
 lakhs of rupees1 which was spread over 
it  on the anniversary and on ,friday   
nights4  ,there was the ewer of ,nur    
,jahan and her cushion of woven gold and
 rich pearls1 with a border  of valuable
 garnets and emeralds4 7,elliott47      
,in #agci ,nadir1 ,shah of ,persia1     
sacked ,delhi1 carried off ,shah        
,jahan's  famous peacock throne1 and    

laid ,agra also under contribution4 ,the
  ,mahrattas next appeared on the scene4
 ,in #agfd the ,jts of ,bharatpur1      
under ,suraj ,mal1 captured ,agra1      
looted the ,taj1 and played havoc  with 
the palaces in the ,fort4 ,they were    
joined by ,walter ,reinhardt1  an       
adventurer1 half ,french and half       
,german1 who sold his services  for any 
work of infamy1 and had only recently   
assisted in the murder  of the ,british 
,resident and other ,europeans at       
,patna4 ,he afterwards  entered the     
,mogul service1 and was rewarded by a   
grant of a tract of  country near       
,meerut1 which remained in the          
possession of his family  until recent  
times4 ,he died at ,agra in #aggh1 and  
was buried in the  ,catholic cemetery4  
,for the next thirty-nine years ,agra   
was occupied by ,mahrattas and  by      
,mogul imperialists in turn4 ,john      
,hessing1 a ,dutch officer in the       
employ of the ,mahrattas1 was ,governor 
of ,agra in #agid1 and died there  in   

#ahjb4 ,the next year it was captured by
 the ,british under ,general1           
afterwards ,lord1 ,lake1 and from that  
time until #aheg its history  was       
uneventful4        ,agra in the ,mutiny4
    ,agra did not take any prominent    
part in the events of the ,mutiny4 ,a   
mob plundered the city1 burnt the public
 offices1 and killed a number  of       
,europeans2 but the rioters left soon to
 join their comrades at  ,delhi4 ,there 
was a small engagement outside the city4
 ,the ,british  troops and the whole of 
the ,european population were afterwards
 shut  up in the ,fort until the capture
 of ,delhi4 ,the ,lieutenant-,governor1 
,mr4 ,john ,russell ,colvin1 died there1
 and was buried in front of  the        
,dwan-i-m4        ,the ,fort    ,the    
present ,fort was commenced by ,akbar in
 #aeff1 on the site  of an older one    
constructed by ,salm ,shah ,sur1 the son
 of ,shere  ,shah4 ,its vast walls      
7seventy feet in height1 and a mile and 
a half  in circuit71 its turrets1 and   

noble gateways present from the outside 
a most imposing appearance4 ,it contains
 within its walls that most  exquisite  
of mosques1 the ,mti ,masjid1 and the   
palaces of ,akbar and  ,shah ,jahan4    
,the principal or north entrance is the 
,delhi ,gate1 nearly  opposite to the   
railway station and the ,jmi ,masjid4   
,formerly there  was a walled enclosure 
in front of this gate1 called the       
,tripulia1  or ,three ,gates1 which was 
used as a market4 ,this was cleared away
 by  the military authorities in #ahge4 
,crossing the drawbridge over the  moat 
which surrounds the ,fort1 the visitor  
passes the outer gate1  and by a paved  
incline reaches the ,hathi ,pol1 or     
,elephant ,gate  7,plate ,,iii471 so    
called from the two stone elephants1    
with riders1  which formerly stood      
outside the gate1 on the highest of the 
platforms  on either side of it4 ,the   
statues and elephants were thrown down  
by  order of ,aurangzb4 ,there are four 
hollow places in each platform1  where  

the legs of the elephants were morticed 
into it4 #e    ,the gate is a fine      
example of the early ,mogul style2 it   
contains the  ,naubat khana1 or music   
gallery1 where the royal kettledrums    
announced  the ,emperor's arrival or    
departure1 and all state functions4 ,it 
was  also a guard-house1 and probably   
the quarters of a high military         
officer1 but it is certainly not1 as the
 guides have it1 the ,darshan  ,darwaza1
 or ,gate of ,sights1 described by      
,william ,finch1 where  the ,emperor    
,jahangir showed himself at sunrise to  
his nobles and to  the multitude        
assembled in the plain below4 ,the      
,darshan ,darwaza was  undoubtedly near 
the old disused water-gate1 which was   
joined to the  royal apartments of the  
palace by a private passage1 and answers
 to  ,finch's description of leading    
into a fair court extending along  the  
river4 ,the ,elephant ,gate is at a     
considerable distance from the  palace1 
and was never connected with it1 except 

by the public road4    ,it is worth     
while to climb the top of the gate by   
the staircase on  the right1 inside the 
,fort4 ,there is a fine view of the     
,fort1 and  beyond the walls the        
ever-beautiful white domes of the ,taj  
appear in  the distance4 ,the           
,itmd-ud-daulah is visible on the left4 
,towards  the town you look down into   
the quadrangle of the ,jmi ,masjid4 ,the
  pavilions on the summit of the great  
octagonal towers flanking the  gate are 
finely carved1 and bear traces of       
painting and enamelled  tile-work4      
,descending the staircase to the floors 
beneath1 one can  wander through the    
curious small chambers and look out from
 the  balconies on the front of the     
gate4      ,the ,mti ,masjid4    ,the   
road to the left after passing the      
,elephant ,gate leads up to the         
entrance of the ,mti ,masjid1 or ,pearl 
,mosque1 placed on the highest  point of
 the ,fort enclosure4 #f ,you pass on   
the left a building  known as ,dansa    

,jt's house1 said to have been occupied 
by the ,rajahs  of ,bharatpur when the  
,jts held the ,fort4 ,it has been made  
hideous  by modern additions which have 
converted it into officers' quarters4   
,the entrance to the ,mti ,masjid is    
very plain and unpretending1 so  that   
one is hardly prepared for the beauty1  
purity1 and the unaffected  expression  
of an exalted religious feeling which   
characterize the  interior4 ,it is rare 
to find an ,indian building in which the
 effect  is produced with hardly any    
ornament1 but solely by the perfection  
of proportions1 beauty of material1 and 
harmony of constructive  design4 ,the   
courtyard1 in front of the mosque1 with 
its arcades  and gateways1 is a noble   
setting to the ,pearl1 as the mosque is 
appropriately called4 ,there is a subtle
 rhythm in the placing of the  three    
domes over the seven arches of the      
mosque1 which saves the whole  design   
from monotony1 while the marvellous     
grace of the contours1  which is so     

characteristic of the finest of ,shah   
,jahan's buildings1  makes each dome    
grow up from the roof like a flower-bud 
on the point of  unfolding4 ,the        
octagonal pavilions at the four corners 
of the mosque1  and the dainty little   
kiosques placed as decoration over the  
arches  and over the gateways of the    
courtyard1 echo the harmonies of the    
larger constructive details1 and give   
completeness to the composition4    ,the
 interior of the mosque owes its dignity
 to the same greatness of  style and    
perfection of the proportions4 ,the     
three aisles are formed  by massive     
piers of single blocks of marble4 ,with 
all its simplicity1  there is consummate
 art both in the placing of the ornament
 and in  the beautiful springing of the 
arches from the supporting piers4 ,the  
fine workmanship is worthy of the art4  
,on either side of the mosque there is a
 small chamber for the ladies  of the   
zanana1 with a window filled with a     
carved marble grille  looking on to the 

interior4 ,they could thus attend to the
 services of  the mosque without being  
seen4 ,the staircases on the right and  
left  of the courtyard give private     
access to the apartments of the palace4 
,the ,persian inscription inlaid in     
black marble under the wide1  projecting
 cornice of the mosque is a poetic      
tribute to the beauty of  the building  
and a panegyric of its founder4 ,from it
 we learn that  it was built by ,shah   
,jahan1 it took seven years to build1   
and cost  three lakhs of rupees4    ,the
 dimensions of the courtyard1 given by  
,fergusson1 are #aed feet  by #aeh feet2
 and of the ,mosque3 length1 #aei feet2 
depth1 #ef feet1  internally4      ,the 
,dersane ,darwaza4    ,nearly opposite  
to the ,mti ,masjid1 you pass on the    
left an  inclined passage which leads to
 an old gateway1 a part of ,akbar's     
buildings4 ,very little remains of the  
original buildings which  connected it  
with the palace in the time of          
,jahangir1 but there cannot  be much    

doubt that this was the locality        
described by ,william ,finch  as the    
,dersane ,darwaza1 leading into a fair  
court1 extending along  the river1 in   
which the ,king looks forth every       
morning at sun-rising1  which he        
salutes1 and then his nobles resort to  
their ,tesillam  7obeisance74 ,right    
under the place where he looks out1 is a
 kind  of scaffold1 whereon his nobles  
stand1 but the ,addis with others  await
 below in the court4 ,here also every   
noone he looketh forth  to behold       
,tamshh1 or fighting of ,elephants1     
,lyons1 ,buffles1  killing of ,deare    
with ,leopards1 which is a custom on    
every day of  the weeke1 ,sunday        
excepted1 on which is no fighting2 but  
,tuesday1  on the contrary1 is a day of 
blood1 both of fighting beasts1 and     
justiced men1 the ,king judging and     
seeing executions4      ,the ,dwan-i-m4 
,the road now turns towards the right1  
through the ,mna ,bazar1 the  old       
market-place1 where merchants displayed 

jewellery1 brocades1  and similar stuffs
 for the nobles and others attending the
 court4 ,a  gateway leads into the great
 courtyard of the ,dwan-i-m1 or ,hall of
  ,public ,audience1 which1 with its    
surrounding arcades1 was for a long     
time used as an armoury for the ,british
 garrison4 ,the hall itself was         
restored in #ahgf by ,sir ,john         
,strachey1 then ,lieutenant-,governor of
  the ,north-,west ,provinces4 ,the     
courtyard has recently been put back1   
as far as possible1 into its original   
condition by ,lord ,curzon's  orders4 ,a
 further great improvement has been made
 by the removal of  the hideous modern  
additions which entirely concealed all  
the arcades4    ,the present hall1 which
 is an open pavilion formed by a triple 
row  of colonnades1 was commenced by    
,shah ,jahan1 but1 if we may believe    
tradition1 was not completed until the  
#bgth year of the reign of  ,aurangzb4  
,the arcades surrounding the quadrangle 
are probably of  ,akbar's time4 ,the    

interior dimensions of the hall are #aib
 feet by #fd  feet4 ,it is constructed  
of red sandstone1 plastered over with a 
fine  white polished stucco1 which      
served both as a protection to the stone
  and as a ground for coloured          
decoration and gilding4 ,this           
plaster-work  was carried to the        
perfection of a fine art by the old     
,mogul builders1  but the restoration of
 it in #ahgf was very indifferently     
carried out4    ,the throne of the      
,emperor was in an alcove of inlaid     
marble at the  back of the hall1 and    
connected with the royal apartments     
behind4 ,here  he sat daily to give     
audience to his court1 to receive       
ambassadors1  and to administer justice4
 ,at the foot of the alcove is a square 
slab of marble1 about #c feet in height1
 on which1 it is said1  his ministers   
stood to receive petitions to the       
,emperor1 and to  convey his commands   
thereon4 ,on the right and left of the  
throne are  chambers with perforated    

marble windows1 through which the ladies
 of  the zanana could view the          
proceedings4 ,bernier's lively          
description1  though it properly belongs
 to the ,dwan-i-m at ,delhi1 will enable
  us to picture the scene in the days of
 the ,great ,mogul3--    ,the monarch   
every day1 about noon1 sits upon his    
throne1 with some  of his sons at his   
right and left1 while eunuchs standing  
about the  royal person flap away the   
flies with peacocks' tails1 agitate the 
air  with large fans1 or wait with      
undivided attention and profound        
humility  to perform the different      
services allotted to each4 ,immediately 
under  the throne is an enclosure1      
surrounded by silver rails1 in which are
  assembled the whole body of omrahs    
7nobles71 the ,rajas1 and the           
ambassadors1 all standing1 their eyes   
bent downwards and their hands  crossed4
 ,at a greater distance from the throne 
are the mansebdhars1  or inferior       
omrahs1 also standing in the same       

posture of profound  reverence4 ,the    
remainder of the spacious room1 and1    
indeed1 the whole  courtyard1 is filled 
with persons of all ranks1 high and low1
 rich  and poor2 because it is in this  
extensive hall that the ,king gives     
audience indiscriminately to all his    
subjects2 hence it is called  ,am ,khas1
 or audience chamber of high and low4   
,during the hour and a half1 or two     
hours1 that this ceremony  continues1 a 
certain number of the royal horses pass 
before the throne1  that the ,king may  
see whether they are well used and      
,usbec1 of every  kind1 and each dog    
with a small red covering2 lastly1 every
 species  of the birds of prey used in  
field sports for catching partridges1   
cranes1 hares1 and even1 it is said1 for
 hunting antelopes1 on which  they      
pounce with violence1 beating their     
heads and blinding them with  their     
wings and claws4    ,after this parade1 
the more serious business of the day was
 attended  to4 ,the ,emperor reviewed   

his cavalry with peculiar attention1 for
 he  was personally acquainted with     
every trooper4 ,then all the petitions  
held up in the assembled crowd were read
 and disposed of before the  audience   
closed4    ,on festivals or other       
special occasions the pillars of the    
hall were  hung with gold brocades1 and 
flowered satin canopies fastened with   
red silken cords were raised over the   
whole apartment4 ,the floor was  covered
 entirely with the most magnificent silk
 carpets4 ,a gorgeous  tent1 larger than
 the hall1 to which it was fastened1 and
 supported  by poles overlaid with      
silver1 was pitched outside4 ,every     
compartment  of the arcades round the   
courtyard was decorated by one of the   
great  nobles1 at his own expense1 with 
gold brocades and costly carpets1  each 
one vying with the other to attract the 
attention of the ,emperor1  to whom1 on 
such occasions1 an offering of gold or  
jewels1 more or less  valuable according
 to the pay and rank of the giver1 must 

be presented4    ,,jahangir',s          
,,cistern4--,just in front of the       
,dwan-i-m is a great stone  cistern1 cut
 out of a single block1 with steps      
inside and out1 known  as ,jahangir's   
,hauz1 a bowl or bath-tub4 ,there is a  
long ,persian  inscription round the    
outer rim2 the only part now            
decipherable shows  that it was made for
 ,jahangir in #ajai ,a4,h4 7,a4,d4      
#afaa74 ,it is nearly #e  feet in height
 and #h feet in diameter at the top4    
,its original place  is said to have    
been one of the courts of the ,jahangiri
 ,mahal4    ,,the ,,tomb ,,of ,,mr4     
,,colvin4--,close by ,jahangiri's ,hauz 
is the grave of  ,mr4 ,john ,russell    
,colvin1 the ,lieutenant-,governor of   
the ,north-,west  ,provinces1 who died  
in the ,fort during the disturbances of 
#aheg4      ,the ,inner ,mna ,bazar4    
,before entering the private apartments 
of the palace1 which are at  the back of
 the ,dwan-i-m1 we may pass through the 
gateway on the  left of the courtyard1  

and enter a smaller one1 which was the  
private  bazar where merchants sold     
jewellery1 silks1 and costly brocades   
to the ladies of the zanana1 who were   
seated in the marble balcony  which     
overlooks it 7,plate ,,iv474 ,a narrow  
staircase gave access to  the balcony   
from the courtyard4    ,we may well     
believe that a considerable part of the 
ladies' time  was spent in this quarter 
of the palace4 ,sometimes the ,great    
,mogul  and his court would amuse       
themselves by holding a mock fair1 in   
which the prettiest of the nobles' wives
 and daughters would act  as traders1   
and the ,emperors and the ,begums would 
bargain with  them in the most approved 
bazar fashion4 ,the ,emperor would      
haggle  for the value of an anna1 and   
the ladies would feign indignation1     
scold his ,majesty roundly1 and tell him
 to go where he could suit  himself     
better4 ,the ,begums betray1 if         
possible1 a still greater  anxiety to be
 served cheaply2 high words are heard on

 every side1  and the loud and          
scurrilous quarrels of the buyers and   
sellers create  a complete farce4 ,but1 
when at last the bargains are struck1   
the  ,begums1 as well as the ,emperor1  
pay liberally for their purchases1  and 
often1 as if by accident1 let slip out  
of their hands a few gold  instead of   
silver roupies1 as a compliment to the  
fair merchant and  her pretty daughter4 
,thus the scene ends with merry jests   
and good  humour4 7,bernier47    ,,the  
,,chitore ,,gates4--,the further corner 
of this courtyard1 on the left1  leads  
to the ,chitore gates1 the trophies     
which ,akbar placed there as  a memorial
 of his capture of that great ,rajput   
stronghold in #afeg1  after a desperate 
resistance by its gallant defenders4    
,they form the  principal entrance to   
the ,machhi ,bhawan1 the great courtyard
 behind  the ,dwan-i-m1 but are         
generally kept closed4    ,,the ,,hindu 
,,temple4--,beyond the ,chitore gates   
you enter into another  quadrangle      

surrounded by arcades1 which recalls a  
different chapter  in the chequered     
history of the palace4 ,here is a ,hindu
 temple1 built  by one of the ,bharatpur
 ,rajahs1 who sacked ,agra about the    
middle of  the #ahth century1 and       
occupied it for ten years4      ,the    
,machhi ,bhawan4    ,returning now to   
the ,dwan-i-m1 we can ascend by one of  
the small  staircases to the            
throne-room1 and enter the upper arcades
 which  surround the ,machhi ,bhawan1 or
 ,fish ,square4 ,the courtyard has      
suffered so much from ruthless vandalism
 that it is difficult to  realize its   
former magnificence4 ,it was formerly   
laid out in marble  with flower-beds1   
water-channels1 fountains1 and          
fish-tanks4 ,these  were carried off by 
the ,jts to the palace of ,suraj ,mai1  
at ,dg4 ,a  large quantity of mosaic and
 exquisite marble fretwork1 from this   
and other parts of the palace1 was put  
up to auction by ,lord ,william         
,bentinck1 when ,governor-,general of   

,india4 ,the ,taj only escaped the  same
 fate because the proceeds of this sale 
were unsatisfactory4    ,on the side    
opposite to the throne-room is an open  
terrace1 originally  roofed over and    
connected with the ,dwan-i-khas4 ,this  
also was  dismantled by the ,jts4       
,,the ,,najina ,,masjid4--,on the left  
of the throne-room1 at the end of  the  
corridor1 is a door leading into a small
 mosque of white marble1  built by      
,aurangzb for the ladies of the zenana4 
,it is something like  the ,mti ,masjid1
 but far inferior in design4    ,the    
further corner of it opens into a small 
chamber1 overlooking the  courtyard of  
the ,dwan-i-m1 which is pointed out by  
the guides as the  prison where ,shah   
,jahan was confined4 ,this may be       
accepted or not1  according to the      
choice of the visitor4 ,when distinct   
historical  authority is wanting1 it is 
very difficult to distinguish real      
tradition and pure fable in the tales of
 these garrulous folk4 ,the  historical 

evidence seems to show that ,shah ,jahan
 was not kept a close  prisoner1 but    
simply confined to certain apartments in
 the palace4    ,we will now pass over  
to the river side of the ,machhi        
,bhawan1 and  approach that part of the 
palace which contains the ,dwan-i-khas1 
or ,hall of ,private ,audience1 the     
,zanana and ,mahal-i-khas1 all built  by
 ,shah ,jahan and occupied by him in the
 days of his royal state  and           
sovereignty4 ,they rank with the        
,dwan-i-khas at ,delhi as the  most     
exquisite of ,shah ,jahan's buildings4  
,from this classification  ,i purposely 
omit the ,taj1 gleaming on the banks of 
the river lower  down4 ,the ,taj stands 
by itself4      ,the ,dwan-i-,khas4     
,the ,dwan-i-khas was built in #afcg4   
,though much smaller than the           
,dwan-i-khas at ,delhi1 it is certainly 
not inferior in the beauty  of its      
proportions and decoration4 ,most of the
 decorative work  of these marble       
pavilions is directly derived from      

,persian art1  and inspired by the      
,persian love of flowers which almost   
amounted  to flower-worship4 ,all the   
details are charming1 but the dados1    
especially1 edged with inlaid work and  
carved with floral types in the  most   
delicate relief1 show to perfection that
 wonderful decorative  instinct which   
seems to be born in the ,oriental       
handicraftsman4 ,the  designer has      
navely translated into marble the       
conventional ,indian  flower-beds1 just 
as they were in every palace garden1 but
 there  is perfect art in the seeming   
absence of all artifice4 ,the dados     
outside the ,taj are similar in design  
to these1 though larger and             
correspondingly bolder in style4 ,the   
roof of the ,dwan-i-khas1 with  its fine
 covered ceiling1 is interesting for its
 construction4    ,,jahangir',s         
,,throne4--,on the terrace in front of  
the ,dwan-i-khas  are placed two        
thrones1 one of white marble on the side
 facing the  ,machhi-,bhawan1 and the   

other of black slate on the river side4 
,from  the ,persian inscription which   
runs round the four sides of the black  
throne we learn that it was made in     
#afjc for ,jahangir4 ,this was two      
years before the death of his father1   
,akbar1 and he was then only  ,prince   
,salm4 ,the throne was1 therefore1      
probably made to commemorate  the       
recognition by ,akbar of his son's title
 to the succession4    ,on this terrace 
,jahangir sat to enjoy the sight of his 
brigantines on  the river1 or to watch  
the elephant fights on the level place  
beneath  the walls4 ,from side to side  
of his throne there is a long fissure1  
which opened1 so says tradition1 when   
the ,jt ,rajah1 ,jawahar ,singh of      
,bharatpur1 in #agfe1 set his usurping  
feet on the throne of the ,great        
,mogul4 ,the tradition holds that blood 
spurted out of the throne in  two       
places1 and red marks in the stone are  
pointed out as evidence  of the truth of
 the story4 ,the impious chief was      

shortly afterwards  assassinated in the 
palace4    ,,the ,,baths4--,on the side 
of the terrace directly opposite to the 
,dwan-i-khas are the baths1 or the      
,hammam4 ,the water was brought up  from
 a well1 outside the walls1 #gj feet    
below4 ,these baths1 in their  present  
state1 are by no means so fine as those 
at ,fatehpur ,sikri1  to be described   
hereafter4    ,the ,marquis of          
,hastings1 when ,governor-,general of   
,india1 broke up  one of the most       
beautiful of the baths of the palace1   
and sent it  home as a present to the   
,prince ,regent1 afterwards ,george the 
,fourth4      ,the ,samman ,burj4    ,a 
doorway at the back of the ,dwan-i-khas 
leads to the beautiful  two-storied     
pavilion1 surmounting one of the most   
projecting of the  circular bastions on 
the river face1 and known as the ,samman
 ,burj1  the ,jasmine ,tower 7,plate    
,v474 ,the style of the inlaid work     
shows it  to be earlier in date than the
 ,dwan-i-khas1 and supports ,fergusson's

  conjecture that it was built by       
,jahangir4 ,in that case it must have   
been the apartment of his ,empress1 the 
beautiful and accomplished ,nur  ,mahal4
 ,it was afterwards occupied by ,mumtaz 
,mahal1 the lady of the  ,taj4 ,here1   
also1 in full view of the famous        
monument he had raised  to her memory1  
died her husband1 ,shah                 
,jahan--sensualist1 perhaps1  but true  
to his last hours to one great          
master-passion4 ,the faithful           
,jahanara1 who shared his captivity for 
seven years1 attended him on  his       
death-bed1 and1 as the shades of night  
closed in and hid the ,taj  from        
view--praying ,divine forgiveness for   
his sins1 and with a few  consoling     
words to his daughter--he went to join  
his beloved6    ,after the rites        
prescribed by the ,muhammadan law1 the  
body was placed  in a coffin of         
sandalwood and conveyed by the passage  
which leads from  the ,samman ,burj to  
the low gate beneath it1 which was      

specially opened  for the occasion4     
,thence1 followed by a procession of    
mourners1 it was  carried out of the    
,fort through the ,sher ,hji gate1      
nearly opposite  7now closed71 and      
conveyed across the arm of the river to 
its last  resting-place in the ,taj4    
,the death of ,shah ,jahan and his      
funeral are minutely described by       
,mulla ,muhammad ,kzim in his ,alamgir  
,nama4 ,the guides wrongly point  out a 
pavilion in the ,jahangiri ,mahal as the
 place where he died4    ,in front of   
the ,samman ,burj is a beautiful little 
fountain hollowed  in the floor2 on one 
side of the courtyard is a raised       
platform laid  out in squares of black  
marble for the game of pachisi1 an      
,eastern  backgammon4 #g      ,the ,khas
 ,mahal4    ,from the ,samman ,burj we  
step into the next set of apartments of 
the zanana1 connecting with the ,khas   
,mahal and a similar set on the  other  
side4 ,this part of the zanana forms the
 east1 or river side1  of the ,anguri   

,bagh1 or ,grape ,garden4 ,there is an  
indescribable grace  and charm about all
 this quarter of the palace1 to which   
the beauty  of the material1 the perfect
 taste of the ornament and elegance of  
the proportions1 the delightful         
background of the landscape1 and the    
historical associations all contribute4 
,it should be seen towards  evening1 not
 in the full glare of the morning sun4  
,when the afterglow fills the sky1      
burnishes the gilded roofs1 and  turns  
the marble to rose-colour1 imagination  
may re-people these  lovely pavilions   
with fair ,indian women--revel in the   
feast of  colour in saris1 brocades1 and
 carpets2 in the gold1 azure1 and       
crimson of the painted ceilings2 and    
listen to the water splashing  in the   
fountains and gurgling over the carved  
water-shoots--a scene  of voluptuous    
beauty such as the world has rarely     
known since the  wealth and elegance of 
,rome filled the palaces and villas of  
,pompei4    ,in the walls of the ,khas  

,mahal are a number of niches which     
formerly  contained portraits of the    
,mogul ,emperors1 beginning with ,timur1
 which1  like so many other things1 were
 looted by the ,rajah of ,bharatpur4 ,a 
number of similar portraits and other   
fine paintings of the ,mogul  period are
 preserved in the ,government ,art      
,gallery1 ,calcutta4    ,a ,persian poem
 inscribed on the walls of the ,khas    
,mahal gives the  date of its           
construction1 #afcf4    ,,the           
,,underground ,,chambers4--,a staircase 
to the south of the ,khas ,mahal  leads 
to a labyrinth of underground chambers1 
in which the ,emperor  and his zanana   
found refuge from the fierce summer heat
 of ,agra4 ,in  the south-east corner   
there is a well-house1 called a boli2   
this  is a set of chambers surrounding a
 well--a favourite retreat in the  hot  
weather4 ,there were formerly many of   
the kind round about ,agra1  constructed
 by the ,mogul ,emperors or their       
nobles4 ,besides these  resorts of ease 

and pleasure1 there are gloomy dungeons 
which tell  of misbehaving slaves and   
indiscreet sultanas1 who were hurried   
down  to meet their fate at the hands of
 the executioner1 the silent ,jumna     
receiving their lifeless bodies4        
,the ,anguri ,bagh4    ,the great       
quadrangle in front of the ,khas ,mahal 
is the ,anguri ,bagh1  surrounded on    
three sides by arcades1 probably built  
by ,akbar and  intended for his zenana4 
,they were occupied in the ,mutiny days 
by  the ,british officers and their     
families who were shut up in the ,fort4 
,the ,anguri ,bagh is a very typical    
specimen of the old ,mogul gardens1     
laid out in geometrical flower-beds1    
with four terraced walks  radiating from
 the central platform and fountain4 ,a  
stone trellis  formerly enclosed the    
flower-beds1 and probably supported the 
vines  which gave the garden its name4  
,among the many improvements lately made
 by ,lord ,curzon in the ,fort is  the  
clearance of the wire-netting fernhouses

 and bedraggled shrubs  which formerly  
disfigured the quadrangle4 ,if it cannot
 be kept up  in the old ,mogul style1 it
 is certainly better to leave the garden
  uncultivated4    ,,shish ,,mahal4--,on
 the north side of the ,anguri ,bagh1   
close to  the zanana1 a passage leads to
 the ,shish ,mahal1 or palace of  glass4
 ,this was the bath of the zanana4 ,the 
marble slabs of the  floor have been    
torn up1 and the decoration with a kind 
of glass  mosaic seems to have suffered 
from clumsy attempts at renovation4 ,a  
passage from the ,shish ,mahal leads to 
the old water gate4    ,,the ,,somnath  
,,gates4--,before entering the          
,jahangiri ,mahal1 on the  opposite side
 of the ,anguri ,bagh1 we will pause at 
a corner of the  zanana courtyard1 where
 a small apartment contains an          
interesting  relic of the ,afghan       
expedition of #ahdb--the so-called      
,somnath  gates1 taken from the tomb of 
,mahmud of ,ghazni in the capture of    
that  city by the ,british4 ,they were  

the subject of a most extraordinary     
archological blunder by the             
,governor-,general1 ,lord ,ellenborough1
  who1 in a grandiloquent proclamation1 
identifying them with the  gates of     
carved sandalwood which ,mahmud         
according to tradition1  had taken from 
the celebrated ,hindu temple of ,somnath
 in #ajbe1  announced to the people of  
,india that the insult of eight hundred 
years had been avenged4 ,the gates were 
conveyed on a triumphal car  through the
 towns of northern ,india to the ,agra  
,fort1 and deposited  there with great  
ceremony4 ,as a matter of fact1 the wood
 is deodar1  and not sandalwood1 and    
from the style of the ornament there can
 be  hardly a doubt that the gates were 
made at or near ,ghazni4 ,one glance    
would convince any expert in ,oriental  
archology that they could not  by any   
possibility have been the gates of a    
,hindu temple4    ,it has been supposed 
that the original gates were destroyed  
by fire1  and that these were made to   

replace them1 but there seems to be     
considerable doubt whether ,mahmud      
really took away any gates from the     
,somnath temple4 ,it certainly would    
have been unusual for the great         
,muhammadan plunderer to have burdened  
himself with an archological  relic     
which1 in those days1 was not easily    
convertible into cash4    ,a horse-shoe 
which is nailed to the gate is not1 as  
is generally  supposed1 a propitiation  
of the ,goddess of ,fortune1 but a token
 from  the owner of some sick animal    
that he would bring an offering to  the 
shrine in the event of a cure resulting 
from his visit4 ,this was  an old custom
 among the ,tartars and other nomad     
tribes1 who valued  horses and cattle as
 their most precious possessions4       
,the ,jahangiri ,mahal4    ,the palace  
called after ,jahangir1 the ,jahangiri  
,mahal1 is in many  respects the most   
remarkable building of its class in     
,india4 ,nothing  could be more striking
 than the contrast between the extreme  

elegance1  bordering on effeminacy1 of  
the marble pavilions of ,shah ,jahan's  
palaces1 and the robust1 virile1 yet    
highly imaginative architecture  of this
 palace of ,akbar2 for though it bears  
,jahangir's name there  cannot be much  
doubt that it was planned1 and          
partially1 if not  completely1 carried  
out by ,akbar with the same architects  
who built  ,fatehpur ,sikri4 ,it is the 
perfected type of the style which we see
  in process of evolution at ,fatehpur1 
and were it not for the ,taj1  we might 
regret the new element which came into  
,mogul architecture  with               
,itmd-ud-daulah's tomb4 ,both of these  
styles1 which appear side  by side in   
the ,agra ,fort1 are intensely typical  
of the men and the  times which produced
 them4 ,the one is stamped throughout   
with the  personality of ,akbar1 the    
empire-builder1 and distinguished by the
  stately solidity of ,jain and ,hindu  
architecture4 ,in the other the  native 
vigour of the earlier ,indian styles has

 been softened by the  cultured         
eclecticism of ,persia and ,arabia1 for 
the manly dignity of  ,akbar's court had
 given place to the sensual luxury of   
,shah ,jahan's4    ,on the river side of
 the palace there is an octagonal       
pavilion placed  similarly to the       
,samman ,burj1 which is very charming in
 its fresco  decoration1 though the     
colour has faded very much4 ,it is      
possibly this  pavilion to which        
,badyun1 one of ,akbar's biographers1   
refers when  he describes a ,brahmin1   
named ,dbi1 being pulled up the walls of
 the  castle1 sitting on a charp 7a     
native bed71 till he arrived near  the  
balcony where the ,emperor used to      
sleep4 ,whilst thus suspended  he       
instructed his ,majesty in the secrets  
and legends of ,hinduism1  in the manner
 of worshipping idols1 the fire1 the    
sun1 and stars1  and of revering the    
chief gods of these unbelievers4 ,the   
priests of  other religions were        
similarly carried up to converse with   

,akbar4    ,adjoining this is a set of  
small rooms1 known as ,akbar's          
apartments1  which1 even in their       
present dilapidated state1 show that    
they  must have possessed a richness and
 beauty of decoration inferior to       
nothing else in the whole ,fort4 ,the   
dados were decorated with gesso  work on
 a gold ground4 ,the borders are still  
almost intact1 but the  rest of the     
relief ornament seems to have been      
wantonly hacked off  out of pure        
mischief4 ,i believe this is the only   
example of gesso  work in any of        
,akbar's buildings4 ,the treatment of   
the upper part  of the walls with the   
characteristic cuspings of ,arabian and 
,moorish  architects is admirable4      
,passing through these1 we enter a long 
room known as the library1 in  which a  
not very successful attempt was made    
some years ago to restore  the painted  
decoration4 ,it is to be devoutly hoped 
that this and other  dangerous          
experiments of the kind will not be     

continued1 except under  skilled        
artistic supervision4 ,the restoration  
of the structural parts  of the palace  
and of the stone carving is a more easy 
matter1 for  the descendants of the very
 men who built and carved the palace    
still  practise their art in ,agra and  
round about4 ,this has been admirably   
carried out by the ,public ,works       
,department under ,lord ,curzon's       
orders4    ,the outer courtyard1 on the 
riverside1 is very interesting1         
especially  for a very elegant and      
original porch1 in which ,saracenic     
feeling  predominates2 but on entering  
the inner courtyard 7,plate ,,vi47 it is
  more easy to realize that this ,palace
 is one of the great masterpieces  of   
,mogul architecture4 ,the beauty of this
 inner quadrangle is derived  not so    
much from its fine proportions and rich 
ornamentation as from  the wonderful    
rhythmic play of light and shadow1      
produced by the  bracket form of        
construction and the admirable          

disposition of the  openings for doors1 
windows1 and colonnades4 ,the north side
 of the  quadrangle is formed by a      
pillared hall1 of distinctly ,hindu     
design1  full of the feeling of mystery 
characteristic of indigenous ,indian    
styles4 ,the subdued light of the       
interior adds to the impressiveness  of 
its great piers stretching their giant  
brackets up to the roof  like the       
gnarled and twisted branches of primeval
 forest trees4 ,a very  interesting     
point of view can be obtained from the  
gallery which runs  round the upper part
 of the hall4    ,one of ,jahangir's    
wives1 a ,hindu princess of ,jodhpur1   
hence known  as ,jodh ,bai1 lived in    
this part of the palace1 and the room on
 the  west side of the quadrangle1      
surrounded by a number of oblong niches1
  is said to have been her temple1 in   
which the images of ,hanuman and  other 
,hindu deities were kept4    ,on the    
roof of the ,jahangiri ,mahal there are 
two fine pavilions2  also a number of   

cisterns1 which supplied the palace with
 water4 ,in  the side of one of them    
there are a number of pipe-holes1 lined 
with  copper1 over each of which is a   
circular stone label inscribed with  the
 part of the palace to which it gave a  
supply4      ,the ,salmgarh4    ,on the 
rising ground behind the courtyard of   
the ,dwan-i-m there  formerly existed a 
palace called the ,salmgarh4 ,before    
,jahangir's  accession he was known as  
,prince ,salm1 and tradition associates 
this palace with him4 ,fergusson1       
however1 states that in his time an     
exquisite fragment of a palace built by 
,shere ,shah1 or his son ,salm1  existed
 here4 ,the ,salmgarh at ,delhi is named
 after the son of ,shere  ,shah1 ,salm  
,shah ,sur1 who built it1 and there is  
some doubt as to which  of the two      
,salms gave his name to the ,salmgarh at
 ,agra4 ,akbar's  ,fort is known to have
 been built to replace an older one     
7known as  the ,badalgarh7 by ,salm     
,shah ,sur1 but it is quite possible    

that a part  of the palace may have been
 left1 and retained the name of its     
founder4    ,the only part of the       
,salmgarh which now remains is a large  
two-storied  pavilion in front of the   
barracks4 ,the upper half of the        
exterior  is carved with extraordinary  
richness4 ,the style of design certainly
  indicates the period of the ,jahangiri
 ,mahal and ,akbar's buildings at       
,fatehpur ,sikri1 rather than ,shere    
,shah's work4      ,the ,jmi ,masjid4   
,nearly opposite to the ,delhi ,gate of 
the ,fort is the ,jmi ,masjid1 or       
,cathedral ,mosque1 built by ,jahanara1 
,shah ,jahan's eldest daughter4 ,it  is 
in the same style as the splendid mosque
 built by ,shah ,jahan  at ,delhi1 but  
far inferior in merit4 ,there is a      
tameness about the  whole design very   
unusual in the buildings of this epoch4 
,the zig-zag  striping of the domes is  
decidedly unpleasant4    ,an inscription
 over the main archway states that it   
was completed in  the year #afdd ,a4,d4 

a cost of five lakhs of rupees4         
,the ,taj    ,arjumand ,banu ,begam the 
favourite wife of ,shah ,jahan1 is      
better known  by her other name1 ,mumtaz
 ,mahal 7the ,crown of the ,palace74    
,her  father was ,asaf ,khan1 who was   
brother of the ,empress ,nur ,mahal1    
,jahangir's wife4 ,she was thus the     
granddaughter of ,itmd-ud-daulah1       
,jahangir's ,prime ,minister1 whose     
tomb1 on the opposite bank of the       
river1 will be described hereafter4     
,in #afab1 at the age of nineteen years 
she was married to ,shah  ,jahan--then  
,prince ,khurram--who1 though hardly    
twenty-one1 had already  another wife4  
,this second marriage1 however1 was a   
real love-match1  and ,mumtaz was her   
husband's inseparable companion on all  
his journeys  and military expeditions4 
,shah ,jahan1 like his father1 allowed  
his  wife a large share in the          
responsibilities of government4 ,like   
,nur  ,mahal1 she was famed as much for 
her charity as for her beauty4 ,her     

influence was especially exercised in   
obtaining clemency for criminals        
condemned to death4 ,she bore him       
fourteen children1 and died in  childbed
 in #afcj1 or the second year after     
,shah ,jahan's accession to  the throne1
 at ,burhanpur1 whither she had         
accompanied her husband  on a campaign  
against ,khan ,jahan ,lodi4 ,the        
,emperor was overpowered  with grief4   
,for a week he refused to see any of his
 ministers1 or  to transact any business
 of state4 ,he even contemplated        
resigning  the throne and dividing the  
empire among his sons4 ,for two years   
the  court observed strict mourning4 ,no
 music or festivities were allowed2  the
 wearing of jewels1 the use of perfumes 
and luxuries of all kinds  were         
forbidden4 ,the month of ,zikad1 in     
which she died1 was observed  as a month
 of mourning for many years afterwards4 
,the body of ,mumtaz  was removed to    
,agra1 and remained temporarily in the  
garden of the  ,taj while the           

foundations of the building were being  
laid4 ,it was  then placed in the vault 
where it now lies4 ,a temporary dome    
covered  the tomb while the great       
monument grew up over it4      ,the     
building of the ,taj4    ,it was one of 
those intervals in history when the     
whole genius of a  people is            
concentrated on great architectural     
works1 and art becomes  an epitome of   
the age4 ,for the ,taj was not a        
creation of a single  master-mind1 but  
the consummation of a great art epoch4  
,since the  time of ,akbar the best     
architects1 artists1 and art workmen of 
,india1  ,persia1 ,arabia1 and ,central 
,asia had been attracted to the ,mogul  
court4 ,all the resources of a great    
empire were at their disposal1  for     
,shah ,jahan desired that this monument 
of his grief should be one  of the      
wonders of the world4 ,the sad          
circumstances which attended  the early 
death of the devoted wife who had       
endeared herself to the  people might   

well inspire all his subjects to join in
 the ,emperor's  pious intentions4      
,according to the old ,tartar custom1 a 
garden was chosen as a site  for the    
tomb--a garden planted with flowers and 
flowering shrubs1  the emblems of life1 
and solemn cypress1 the emblem of death 
and eternity4 ,such a garden1 in the    
,mogul days1 was kept up as a           
pleasure-ground during the owner's      
lifetime1 and used as his last          
resting-place after his death4 ,the old 
tradition laid down that it  must be    
acquired by fair means1 and not by force
 or fraud4 ,so ,rajah  ,jey ,singh1 to  
whom the garden belonged1 was           
compensated by the gift  of another     
property from the ,emperor's private    
estate4 ,shah ,jahan  next appointed a  
council of the best architects of his   
empire for  preparing the design for the
 building4 ,drawings of many of the most
  celebrated buildings of the world were
 shown and discussed4 ,it is even       
believed that one ,geronimo ,verroneo1  

an ,italian who was then in the  ,mogul 
service1 submitted designs for ,shah    
,jahan's inspection1 a fact  which has  
led many writers into the error of      
supposing that the ,taj1  as completed1 
was actually designed by him4 #h ,the   
design eventually  accepted was by      
,ustad ,isa1 who is stated in one       
account to have been  a ,byzantine      
,turk1 and in another a native of       
,shiraz1 in ,persia4    ,the            
master-builders came from many different
 parts2 the chief  masons from ,baghdad1
 ,delhi1 and ,multan2 the dome builders 
from  ,asiatic ,turkey and from         
,samarkand2 the mosaic workers from     
,kanauj  and from ,baghdad2 the         
principal calligraphist for the         
inscriptions  from ,shiraz4 ,every part 
of ,india and ,central ,asia contributed
 the  materials2 ,jaipur1 the marble2   
,fatehpur ,sikri1 the red sandstone2    
the ,panjab1 jasper2 ,china1 the jade   
and crystal2 ,tibet1 turquoises2        
,ceylon1 lapis lazuli and sapphires2    

,arabia1 coral and cornelian2  ,panna in
 ,bundelkund1 diamonds2 ,persia1 onyx   
and amethyst4 ,twenty  thousand men were
 employed in the construction1 which    
took seventeen  years to complete4 #i   
,the sarcophagus was originally enclosed
 by  a fence or screen of gold studded  
with gems4 ,this was removed in  #afdb1 
and replaced by the present exquisite   
screen of pierced marble  7,plate       
,,vii474 ,the ,taj also possessed       
formerly two wonderful silver  doors4   
,austin de ,bordeaux1 a ,french         
goldsmith1 who was employed by  ,shah   
,jahan in making the celebrated ,peacock
 throne1 may possibly  have executed    
some of this metal-work in the ,taj2 but
 there is no  evidence worthy of        
consideration to support the common     
,anglo-,indian  belief that he designed 
or superintended the pietra dura1 or    
inlaid  marble decoration of the        
building1 which is entirely of the      
,persian  school4 ,these silver doors   
were looted and melted down by the ,jts 

in #agfd4    ,besides the lavish        
expenditure on the building1 lakhs of   
rupees were  spent in providing the     
richest of ,persian silk carpets1 golden
 lamps1  and magnificent candlesticks4  
,a sheet of pearls1 valued at several   
lakhs1 was made to cover the            
sarcophagus4 ,this was carried off by   
the  ,amir ,husein ,ali ,khan1 in #agbj1
 as part of his share of the spoil of   
,agra4 ,the total expenditure1 according
 to native accounts1 amounted  to nearly
 #ahe lakhs of rupees4    ,it is said   
that ,shah ,jahan had intended to       
construct a mausoleum for  himself      
opposite to the ,taj1 on the other side 
of the ,jumna and to  connect the two by
 a great bridge4 ,the project was       
interrupted and  never completed1 owing 
to the usurpation of ,aurangzb1 shortly 
after  the foundations were laid4       
,the ,intention of the ,taj4    ,the    
,taj has been the subject of numberless 
critical essays1 but  many of them have 
missed the mark entirely1 because the   

writers  have not been sufficiently     
conversant with the spirit of ,eastern  
artistic thought4 ,all comparisons with 
the ,parthenon or other  classic        
buildings are useless4 ,one cannot      
compare ,homer with the  ,mhabhrat1 or  
,kalds with ,euripides4 ,the ,parthenon 
was a temple  for ,pallas ,athene1 an   
exquisite casket to contain the jewel4  
,the  ,taj is the jewel--the ideal      
itself4 ,indian architecture is in much 
closer affinity to the great conceptions
 of the ,gothic builders  than it is to 
anything of classic or ,renaissance     
construction4 ,the  ,gothic cathedral1  
with its sculptured arches and its      
spires pointing  heavenwards1 is a      
symbol1 as most ,eastern buildings are  
symbols4 ,the  ,mogul artists1 being    
prevented by the precepts of the        
,muhammadan  religion from attempting   
sculpture1 as understood in ,europe1    
succeeded  in investing their great     
architectural monuments with an         
extraordinary  personal character4      

,there is a wonderful personality in the
 dignity and  greatness of ,akbar's     
tomb2 we see the scholar and the        
polished courtier  in ,itmd-ud-daulah's4
 ,but the ,taj carries this idea of     
personality  further than had been      
attempted in any of the ,mogul          
monuments2 it  represents in art the    
highest development towards             
individualism1  the struggle against the
 restraints of ritualism and dogma1     
which  ,akbar initiated in religion4    
,every one who has seen the ,taj must   
have felt that there is something  in   
it1 difficult to define or analyze1     
which differentiates it from  all other 
buildings in the world4 ,sir ,edwin     
,arnold has struck the  true note of    
criticism in the following lines3--     
,not ,architecture6 as all others are1  
,but the proud passion of an ,emperor's 
love      ,wrought into living stone1   
which gleams and soars      ,with body  
of beauty shrining soul and thought2    
444 ,as when some face      ,divinely   

fair unveils before our eyes--          
,some woman beautiful unspeakably--     
,and the blood quickens1 and the spirit 
leaps1      ,and will to worship bends  
the half-yielded knees1      ,while     
breath forgets to breathe4 ,so is the   
,taj6      ,this is not a mere flight of
 poetic fancy1 but a deep and true      
interpretation of the meaning of the    
,taj4 ,what were the thoughts  of the   
designers1 and of ,shah ,jahan himself1 
when they resolved to  raise a monument 
of eternal love to the ,crown of the    
,palace--,taj  ,mahal8 ,surely not only 
of a mausoleum--a sepulchre fashioned   
after  ordinary architectural canons1   
but of an architectonic ideal1          
symbolical of her womanly grace and     
beauty4 ,those critics who have         
objected to the effeminacy of the       
architecture unconsciously pay the      
highest tribute to the genius of the    
builders4 ,the ,taj was meant to  be    
feminine4 ,the whole conception1 and    
every line and detail of it1  express   

the intention of the designers4 ,it is  
,mumtaz ,mahal herself1  radiant in her 
youthful beauty1 who still lingers on   
the banks of  the shining ,jumna1 at    
early morn1 in the glowing midday sun1  
or in  the silver moonlight4 ,or rather1
 we should say1 it conveys a more       
abstract thought2 it is ,india's noble  
tribute to the grace of ,indian         
womanhood--the ,venus de ,milo of the   
,east4    ,bearing this in mind1 we can 
understand how foolish it is to         
formulate  criticisms of the ,taj based 
on ordinary architectural principles  as
 practised in ,europe4 ,many of these   
criticisms1 which might be  appropriate 
enough if applied to a modern provincial
 town hall1 are  only silly and         
impertinent in reference to the ,taj4   
,some are born  tone-deaf1 others       
colour-blind1 and there are many who can
 find beauty  in one particular form or 
expression of art and in no others4 ,so 
the  ,taj will always find detractors4  
,but whoever tries to understand  the   

imaginative side of ,eastern thought    
will leave the critics to  themselves1  
and take unrestrained delight in the    
exquisitely subtle  rhythm of this      
marvellous creation of ,mogul art4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the gateway of the ,taj faces a        
spacious quadrangle surrounded  by      
arcades4 ,this is a caravan serai1 or   
place where travellers  halted4 ,here1  
also1 the poor were provided with food  
and shelter1  and on the anniversary day
 vast sums were distributed in charity  
from the funds with which the ,taj was  
endowed4 ,it is well to pause  before   
entering1 and admire the proportions and
 perfect taste of  the decoration of    
this gateway2 for afterwards one has no 
eyes for  anything but the ,taj itself4 
,it is much finer in design than the    
similar gateway of ,akbar's tomb at     
,sikandra4 ,an ,arabic inscription in   
black marble1 of passages taken from the
 ,koran1 frames the principal  arch1 and
 invites the pure of heart to enter the 

,gardens of ,paradise4    ,the first    
view of the ,taj is from within this    
noble portal1 framed by  the sombre     
shadow of the great arch which opens on 
to the garden4 ,at  the end of a long   
terrace1 its gracious outline partly    
mirrored in the  still water of a wide  
canal1 a fairy vision of                
silver-white--like the  spirit of       
purity--seems to rest so lightly1 so    
tenderly1 on the earth1  as if in a     
moment it would soar into the sky4 ,the 
beauty of the ,taj1  as in all great    
art1 lies in its simplicity4 ,one       
wonders that so much  beauty can come   
from so little effort4 ,yet nothing is  
wanting1 nothing  in excess2 one cannot 
alter this and that and say that it is  
better4    ,the garden1 as originally   
planned1 was an integral part of one    
great  design4 ,the solemn rows of      
cypresses were planted so as to help out
  the lines of the architecture2 the    
flowering trees and flower-beds         
completed the harmony with a splendid   

glow of colour4 #aj ,beautiful  as the  
first view of the ,taj is even now1 one 
can hardly realize how  glorious it must
 have been when the whole intention of  
the design  was fulfilled4 ,at present  
there is not a single spot in the garden
  itself which gives a view of the      
composition as a whole4    ,advancing   
down the main terrace1 paved with stone 
and laid out with  geometric            
flower-beds1 we reach a marble platform 
with its fountain  7see frontispiece71  
#aa where a nearer view of the ,taj may 
be  enjoyed4 ,such a platform was the   
central feature in all ,mogul  gardens4 
,the terraces to the right and left of  
it end in two fine  pavilions of red    
sandstone1 intended for the             
accommodation of the  custodians of the 
mausoleum and for storehouses4    ,from 
this point we can admire the effect of  
the exquisite inlaid  decoration1 fine  
and precious as the embroidery on the   
raiment of  ,mumtaz herself4 ,at the end
 of the main terrace we reach the steps 

leading up to the great platform on     
which the ,taj and its minarets1  four  
tall court ladies tending their         
,princess1 are raised4    ,let us       
reverently enter the central chamber1   
where ,mumtaz ,mahal and  ,shah ,jahan1 
her lord and lover1 lie4 ,fergusson has 
truly said1 no  words can express its   
chastened beauty seen in the soft gloom 
of the  subdued light coming from the   
distant and half-closed openings4 ,the  
screen of marble tracery which surrounds
 the tombs is in itself a  masterpiece4 
,even with all the artistic resources   
which ,shah ,jahan had  at his command1 
it was a work of ten years4 ,mumtaz     
,mahal lies in the  centre4 ,the white  
marble of her tomb blossoms with a      
never-fading  garden of ,persian        
flowers1 which the magic of the ,mogul  
artists  has created4    ,the           
inscription on it is as follows3 ,the   
illustrious sepulchre of  ,arjumand     
,banu ,begam1 called ,mumtaz ,mahal4    
,died in #ajdj ,a4,h4 7#afcj  ,a4,d474  

,at the head of the tomb is the line3   
,he is the everlasting3 ,he is          
sufficient2 and the following passage   
from the ,koran3 ,god is ,he1  besides  
whom there is no ,god4 ,he knoweth what 
is concealed and what  is manifest4 ,he 
is merciful and compassionate4    ,on   
one side of it3 ,nearer unto ,god are   
those who say ',our ,lord  is ,god4'    
,the inscription in the tomb of ,shah   
,jahan is as follows3 ,the  illustrious 
sepulchre and sacred resting-place of   
,his ,most ,exalted  ,majesty dignified 
as ,razwan 7the guardian of ,paradise71 
having his  abode in ,paradise1 and his 
dwelling in the starry heaven1          
inhabitant  of the regions of bliss1 the
 second lord of the ,qirn1 #ab ,shah    
,jahan1 the king valiant4 ,may his tomb 
ever flourish2 and may his  abode be in 
the heavens4 ,he travelled from this    
transitory world to  the world of       
eternity on the night of the #bhth of   
the month of ,rajab1  #ajgf ,a4,h4      
7#afff ,a4,d474    ,the real cenotaphs  

containing the remains of ,shah ,jahan  
and his  wife are immediately under     
these tombs1 in the vault below4 ,not   
the  least of the wonders of this       
wonderful building is in its acoustic   
qualities4 ,it does not respond to      
vulgar noises1 but if a few notes be    
slowly and softly sung in this vault1   
and especially if the chord of  the     
seventh be sounded2 they are caught up  
by the echoes of the roof  and repeated 
in endless harmonies1 which seem to     
those listening above  as if a celestial
 choir were chanting angelic hymns4 ,it 
haunts the  air above and around2 it    
distils in showers upon the polished    
marble2  it rises1 it falls4444 ,it is  
the very element with which sweet dreams
  are builded4 ,it is the spirit of the 
,taj1 the voice of inspired love6       
,surrounding the central chamber are    
eight smaller ones for the mullahs  who 
chanted the ,koran and for musicians who
 played soft ,indian and  ,persian      
melodies4 ,the vault below was only     

opened once a year1 on  the anniversary 
day1 when the ,emperor and all his court
 attended a  solemn festival4 ,even on  
ordinary occasions none but ,muhammadans
 were  admitted into the interior4      
,bernier tells us that he had not seen  
it1  on that account1 but he understood 
that nothing could be conceived  more   
rich and magnificent4    ,the two       
mosques of red sandstone on either side 
of the ,taj are in the  same style as   
the entrance gateway1 the interiors     
being decorated  with fresco and fine   
cut plaster-work4 ,the one towards the  
west  was intended for prayers only2 the
 floor is panelled into separate  spaces
 for each worshipper4 ,the opposite     
mosque was known1 as the  ,jamaat       
,khana1 or meeting-place for the        
congregation before prayers1  and on the
 occasion of the great anniversary      
service4 ,standing on the  platform in  
front of this mosque1 one has a splendid
 view of the ,taj1  the river1 and the  
distant ,fort4    ,as the garden is now 

arranged2 a full view of the magnificent
 platform1  with its two mosques1 and   
the ,taj itself1 can only be obtained   
from  the opposite side of the river1   
which is not very accessible except by  
boat4 ,when the traveller leaves ,agra  
by rail1 going east1 the ,taj in  all   
its glory can be seen in the distance1  
floating like the mirage of  some       
wondrous fairy palace over the waving   
tufts of the pampas grass1  until at    
last it sinks into the pale horizon4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,,note4--,a small museum has been       
established lately by the ,archological 
,department1 in the western half of the 
,taj main gateway4 ,it  contains an     
interesting collection of photographs   
and drawings of  the ,taj at different  
periods1 and specimens of the stones    
used in the  pietra dura1 or inlay work 
of the building4 ,there are also samples
  illustrating the technique of pietra  
dura1 and the tools used by  native     
workmen4        ,itmd-ud-daulah's ,tomb 

,the tomb of ,itmd-ud-daulah1 the ,lord 
,high ,treasurer1 is on the east  or    
left bank of the river1 and is reached  
by crossing the pontoon  bridge4 ,it was
 built by ,nur ,mahal1 the favourite    
wife of ,jahangir1  as a mausoleum for  
her father1 ,mirza ,ghas ,beg1 who1     
according to  one account1 was a        
,persian from ,teheran1 and by another a
 native of  ,western ,tartary4    ,a    
story is told of the ,mirza's early     
life1 of which it can only be  said1 ,se
 non  vero  ben trovato4 ,he left his   
home1 accompanied  by his wife and      
children1 to seek his fortune in ,india1
 where he  had some relatives at        
,akbar's court4 ,his slender provision  
for the  journey was exhausted in       
crossing the ,great ,desert1 and they   
were  all in danger of perishing from   
hunger4 ,in this extremity his wife     
gave birth to a daughter4 ,the unhappy  
parents1 distracted by hunger  and      
fatigue1 left the infant under a        
solitary shrub4 ,with the father        

supporting his wife and children on the 
one bullock which remained  to them1    
they pushed on in the hope of finding   
relief2 but as the  tiny landmark where 
the infant lay disappeared in the       
distance1 the  mother1 in a paroxysm of 
grief1 threw herself to the ground1     
crying1  ,my child6 my child6 ,the      
piteous appeal forced the father to     
return  to restore the babe to her      
mother1 and soon afterwards a caravan   
appeared in sight and rescued the whole 
party4    ,the child born under these   
romantic circumstances became the       
,empress  ,nur ,mahal1 who built this   
mausoleum4 ,her father reached ,lahore1 
where  ,akbar then held his court1 and  
through the influence of his friends    
attracted the ,emperor's attention4 ,his
 talents won for him speedy  promotion1 
and under ,jahangir he became first     
,lord ,high ,treasurer1 and  afterwards 
,wazir1 or ,prime ,minister4 ,jahangir1 
in his memoirs1 candidly  discusses the 
character of his father-in-law4 ,he was 

a good scholar1  with a pretty taste for
 poetry1 possessed many social qualities
 and  a genial disposition4 ,his        
accounts were always in perfect order1  
but  he liked bribes1 and showed much   
boldness in demanding them4 ,on his     
death his son1 ,asaf ,khan1 the father  
of ,mumtaz ,mahal1 was appointed  to    
succeed him4    ,itmd-ad-daulah and his 
wife are buried in the central chamber2 
his brother and sister and other members
 of his family occupy  the four corners4
 ,the pavilion on the roof1 enclosed by 
beautiful  marble tracery 7,plate       
,,ix471 contains only replicas of the   
real tombs  beneath4 ,the mausoleum was 
commenced in #afbb and completed in     
#afbh4 ,as  a composition it may lack   
inspiration1 but it is exceedingly      
elegant1  and scholarly like the ,lord  
,high ,treasurer himself4 ,in           
construction it  marks the transition   
from the style of ,akbar to that of     
,shah ,jahan2  from the ,jahangiri      
,mahal to the ,dwan-i-khas1 the ,mti    

,masjid1 and  the ,taj4 ,the towers at  
the four corners might be the first     
suggestion  of the detached minarets of 
the ,taj4 ,the ,hindu feeling which is  
so  characteristic of most of ,akbar's  
buildings is here only shown in  the    
roof of the central chamber over the    
tomb2 in pure ,saracenic  architecture a
 tomb is always covered by a dome4      
,this change in style greatly influenced
 the architecture of the  whole of the  
north of ,india1 ,hindu and ,jain as    
well as ,muhammadan4 ,it  must be       
remembered that comparatively few of the
 master-builders who  actually          
constructed the most famous examples of 
,mogul architecture  were ,muhammadans4 
,the remarkable decline of the ,mogul   
style which  set in under ,aurangzb was 
largely due to his bigotry in refusing  
to  employ any but true believers4      
,the family ties of ,itmd-ud-daulah and 
his daughter1 the ,empress1  were       
closely connected with ,persia and      
,central ,asia2 and no doubt  the       

fashion set by ,jahangir's court led to 
the ,saracenic element  becoming        
predominant in the ,mogul style1 both in
 construction and in  decoration4 ,many 
authorities have connected the marked   
difference  between ,itmd-ud-daulah's   
tomb and ,akbar's buildings to ,italian 
influence1 only on the ground that      
,jahangir is known to have been  partial
 to ,europeans1 and allowed them free   
access to his palace4 ,there  is not1   
however1 a trace of ,italian art in any 
detail of the building2  there is not a 
form or decorative idea which had not   
been used in  ,india or in ,central     
,asia for centuries4 ,the use of marble 
inlaid work  on so extensive a scale was
 a novelty1 but it was only an          
imitation1  or adaptation1 of the       
splendid tile-mosaic and painted        
tile-work  which were the commonest     
kinds of decoration employed in ,persia3
  ,wazir ,khan's mosque at ,lahore1     
built in ,jahangir's time1 is a fine    
,indian example of the latter4    ,the  

art of inlaying stone had been practised
 in ,india for many  years before this  
building2 but here1 for the first time1 
do we find  the inlayers making attempts
 at direct imitation of ,persian pottery
  decoration4 ,all the familiar motifs  
of ,persian art1 the tree of life  and  
other floral types1 the cypress tree1   
the flower-vases1 fruits1  wine-cups1   
and rose-water vessels are here         
reproduced exactly as they  are found in
 ,persian mosaic tiles4 ,in ,shah       
,jahan's palace and in the  ,taj they   
went a step further1 and imitated the   
more naturalistic  treatment of ,persian
 fresco painting and other pictorial    
art2 but  there is never the slightest  
suggestion of ,european design in the   
decoration of these buildings4    ,it is
 quite possible that some ,italians may 
have shown the native  inlayers         
specimens of ,florentine pietra dura1   
and suggested to  them this naturalistic
 treatment1 but if ,italians or other   
,europeans  had been engaged to instruct

 or supervise in the decoration of      
these buildings they would certainly    
have left some traces of their          
handiwork4 ,in the technical part of the
 process the ,indian workmen  had       
nothing to learn1 and in the design they
 made no attempt to  follow ,european   
forms1 except in the one solitary       
instance of the  decoration of the      
throne-chamber of the ,delhi ,palace1   
which is much  later in date than       
,itmd-ud-daulah's tomb4 #ac    ,the     
whole scheme of the exterior decoration 
is so finely carried out1  both in      
arrangement and colour1 that its extreme
 elaboration produces  no effect of     
unquietness4 ,at a distance it only     
gives a suggestion of  a soft bloom or  
iridescence on the surface of the       
marble4 ,the soffits  of the doorways   
are carved with extraordinary delicacy4 
,inside the  building there are remains 
of fresco and other painted decoration4 
,beautifully placed on the river bank1  
there is a fine little mosque1  which at

 sunset makes a charming picture4 ,the  
boldness and greater  simplicity of the 
decoration contrast well with the       
richness of that  of the mausoleum4     
,the ,chn-ka-,rauza    ,beyond          
,itmd-ud-daulah's tomb1 on the same side
 of the river1 is a  beautiful ruin1    
once entirely covered with the same     
,persian mosaic  tile-work1 which       
suggested the more costly style of      
decoration in  inlaid marble4 ,it is    
called ,chn-ka-,rauza1 or the ,china    
,tomb1 and  is supposed to be the       
mausoleum of ,afzal ,khan1 a ,persian   
poet1 who  entered the service of       
,jahangir1 and afterwards became ,prime 
,minister  to ,shah ,jahan4 ,he died in 
,lahore in #afci4 ,the weather and      
ill-treatment  of various kinds have    
removed a great deal of the exquisite   
enamel  colours from the tiles1 but     
enough remains to indicate how rich and 
magnificent the effect must have been   
originally4 ,a part of the south  faade 
which has fallen in shows how the       

builders employed earthen  pots to      
lessen the weight of the concrete       
filling1 a practice followed  in the    
ancient dome construction of ,egypt and 
,rome4        ,the ,ram ,bagh    ,among 
a number of more or less ruined         
garden-houses on this bank  of the      
river1 there is one1 a little beyond the
 ,chn-ka-,rauza1 of  especial interest1 
on account of the tradition which       
associates it  with the ,emperor ,babar4
 ,it is called the ,ram ,bagh1 and is   
believed to  have been one of the       
elegant and regularly planned           
pleasure-grounds  which ,babar laid out 
and planted with fruit trees and        
flowers1 as he  has described in his    
memoirs4    ,no doubt this was the scene
 of many imperial picnics2 not the      
drunken  revels of ,babar's ,kabul      
days--for just before the great battle  
with  the ,rajputs in #aebg he smashed  
all his gold and silver drinking-cups   
and took a vow of total abstinence1     
which he kept faithfully--but  the more 

sane and temperate pleasures which      
music1 poetry1 and his  intense delight 
in the beauties of nature could furnish4
 ,here is a  charming picture he has    
given of another garden he laid out in  
the  ,istalif district of ,kabul3--     
,on the outside of the garden are large 
and beautiful spreading  plane-trees1   
under the shade of which there are      
agreeable spots1  finely sheltered4 ,a  
perennial stream1 large enough to turn a
 mill1  runs through the garden1 and on 
its banks are planted plane and other   
trees4 ,formerly this stream flowed in a
 winding and crooked course1  but ,i    
ordered its course to be altered        
according to a plan which  added greatly
 to the beauty of the place4 ,lower down
 444 on the lower  skirts of the hills  
is a fountain1 named ,kwjeh-seh-yrn     
7,kwjeh three  friends71 around which   
are three species of trees2 above the   
fountain  are many beautiful plane      
trees1 which yield a pleasant shade4 ,on
 the  two sides of the fountain1 on     

small eminences at the bottom of the    
hills1 there are a number of oak trees4 
,except on these two spots1  where there
 are groves of oak1 there is not an oak 
to be met with on  the hills of the west
 of ,kabul4 ,in front of this fountain1 
towards the  plain1 there are many spots
 covered with the flowering arghwn tree1
  and1 besides these arghwn plots1 there
 are none else in the whole  country4   
,it is said that these three kinds of   
trees were bestowed  on it by the power 
of these three holy men1 beloved of     
,god2 and that  is the origin of the    
name ,sej-,yrn4 ,i directed this        
fountain to be  built round with stone1 
and formed a cistern of lime and mortar 
ten  yez by ten4 ,on the four sides of  
the fountain a fine level platform  for 
resting was constructed on a very neat  
plan4 ,at the time when  the arghwn     
flowers begin to blow1 ,i do not know of
 any place in the  world to be compared 
with it4 ,the yellow arghwn is here very
 abundant1  and the yellow arghwn       

blossom mingles with the red4    ,the   
,ram ,bagh was the temporary            
resting-place of the body of  ,babar    
before it was taken to ,kabul for       
interment in another of the  gardens he 
loved so much4 ,the old ,mogul style of 
gardening is a lost  art1 and one misses
 in the ,ram ,bagh the stately rows of  
cypress1  interspersed with flowering   
trees1 the formal flower-beds glowing   
with colour like a living carpet1 which 
were planted by ,babar2 but  the        
terraces1 the fountain1 the             
water-channels1 and the little stone    
water-shoots--cunningly carved so that  
the water breaks over them  with a      
pleasant gurgling sound--which may have 
recalled to him the  murmurings of his  
native mountain-streams--the old well   
from which  the water of the ,jumna is  
lifted into the channels1 can still be  
seen1  as well as the pavilions on the  
river-bank1 now modernized with modern  
bad taste4    ,in later times the ,ram  
,bagh was the garden-house of the       

,empress ,nur  ,mahal4 ,it was kept up  
by all succeeding ,governments1 and it  
is said  to have obtained its name of   
,ram ,bagh from the ,mahrattas in the   
eighteenth century4    ,,the ,,zuhara   
,,bagh4--,between the ,chn-ka-,rauza and
 the ,ram ,bagh there is  another great 
walled enclosure1 which contained the   
garden-house of  ,zuhara1 one of        
,babar's daughters1 and is named after  
her the ,zuhara1  or ,zohra ,bagh4 ,this
 formerly contained the largest         
garden-palace  at ,agra1 and is said to 
have possessed no less than sixty wells4
 ,a  great well1 just outside the       
enclosure1 #bbj feet in circumference1  
and of enormous depth1 was filled up    
some years ago4        ,sikandra        
,sikandra1 a village about five miles   
from ,agra1 and the burial-place of     
,akbar1 is reached by two roads4 ,the   
older one follows1 to some extent1  the 
alignment of the great military road to 
,lahore and ,kashmir1 planned  by ,babar
 and completed by his successors4 ,a few

 of the kos-minars1  pillars which      
marked off the kos--a distance of about 
two and a half  miles--can still be seen
 along the road1 or in the adjoining    
fields4    ,numerous remains of         
archological interest are passed on the 
way of  the old road4 ,first the ,delhi 
gate of the old city walls4 ,about a    
mile further on the right-hand side1 is 
a great walled enclosure1  named after  
,ladli ,begam1 the sister of ,abul      
,fazl1 ,akbar's famous  ,prime ,minister
 and biographer4 ,it formerly contained 
her tomb1 as  well as that of ,sheikh   
,mubarak1 her father1 and of ,faizi1 her
 eldest  brother4 ,many years ago the   
whole enclosure was sold by ,government4
 ,the  purchasers1 some wealthy ,hindu  
merchants of ,muttra1 promptly pulled   
down the mausoleum1 realized the        
materials1 and built a pavilion  on the 
site4 ,in front of the great gateway was
 a splendid baoli1  or well-house1 the  
largest in the neighbourhood of ,agra4  
,this was  filled up about five years   

ago4    ,not far from ,ladli ,begam's   
garden is the ,kandahri ,bagh1 where the
  first wife of ,shah ,jahan1 a daughter
 of ,mozaffar ,husein1 who was the      
great-grandson of ,shah ,ismail ,safvi1 
,king of ,persia1 is buried4    ,about a
 mile further along the road1 on the    
left-hand side1 is a  curious statue of 
a horse in red sandstone1 which1        
tradition says1  was put up by a        
nobleman whose favourite horse was      
killed at this spot2  the syce who was  
killed at the same time has his tomb    
close by4    ,nearly opposite to this is
 a large dried-up tank1 called the      
,guru-ka-,tal1 which1 with the adjacent 
ruined buildings1 are attributed  to    
,sikandar ,lodi1 one of the ,afghan     
predecessors of the ,mogul ,emperors1   
who has given his name to ,sikandra4    
,akbar's ,tomb4    ,akbar's tomb stands 
in the midst of a vast garden1 enclosed 
by four  high battlemented walls4 ,in   
the centre of each wall is an imposing  
gateway seventy feet high4 ,the         

principal one1 on the west side1  has an
 inscription in ,persian1 which states  
that the mausoleum was  completed by the
 ,emperor ,jahangir1 in the seventh year
 of his reign1  or #afac ,a4,d4 ,it is  
elaborately ornamented with bold but    
rather  disjointed inlaid patterns1     
which seem to show that the designers   
were unaccustomed to this method of     
decoration4 ,neither are the  four      
minarets at the corners of the roof1    
which are said to have  been broken by  
the ,jts1 contrived with the usual skill
 of the ,mogul  architects4 ,above the  
gateway is the ,nakkr ,khana1 an arcaded
 chamber  with a balcony1 where at dawn 
and one watch after sunrise the drums   
and pipes sounded in honour of the dead4
    ,the mausoleum was commenced by     
,akbar himself4 ,it is different in plan
  from any other ,mogul monument1 and1  
contrary to the usual ,muhammadan       
custom1 the head of the tomb of ,akbar  
is turned towards the rising  sun1 and  
not towards ,mecca4 ,the whole structure

 gives the impression  of a noble but   
incompleted idea2 both in its greatness 
and in its  incompleteness1 it is       
typical of ,akbar and his work4    ,the 
original design was somewhat modified by
 ,jahangir4 ,he has  stated in his      
memoirs that on his first visit to the  
tomb after his  accession he was        
dissatisfied with the work which had    
been done1  and ordered certain parts of
 it to be rebuilt4 ,fergusson supposes  
that the original intention was to cover
 the tombstone and raised  platform of  
the uppermost story with a domed canopy1
 and in this  he is supported by a      
statement of ,william ,finch1 who       
visited the  mausoleum when it was being
 built1 that it was to be inarched over 
with the most curious white and speckled
 marble1 to be ceiled all  within with  
pure sheet gold richly inwrought4 ,such 
a canopy is just  what is required by   
sthetic considerations to complete the  
curiously  truncated appearance of the  
top story1 and there is nothing in the  

structural design to make it impossible 
or improbable4    ,the approach to the  
interior of the mausoleum is through the
 central  archway of the lower story1   
which opens into a vestibule richly     
ornamented with raised stucco work1 and 
coloured in blue and gold1  somewhat in 
the style of the ,alhambra4 ,a part of  
this decoration has  been lately        
restored4 ,an inclined passage1 like the
 entrance to an  ,egyptian pyramid1     
leads down into a high vaulted chamber1 
dimly lighted  from above1 where a      
simple sarcophagus of white marble      
contains the  mortal remains of the     
great ,akbar4 ,whatever decoration there
 may have  been on the walls is now     
covered with whitewash4 ,the ,emperor's 
armour1  clothes1 and books1 which were 
placed beside the tomb1 are said to have
  been carried off by those insatiable  
marauders1 the ,jts of ,bharatpur4      
,smaller chambers surrounding the       
central one1 on the level of the        
platform1 contain the tombs of two of   

,akbar's daughters and a son of  the    
,emperor ,shah ,alam4 ,these also have  
suffered much from neglect and          
whitewash1 ,the whole of the faade of   
the lower story was originally  faced   
with red sandstone1 or perhaps with fine
 stucco decorated in  fresco4 ,the      
present coat of common plaster is modern
 work1 which1  except as a protection   
for the brickwork1 would have been      
better  left undone4    ,the lower story
 is #cbj feet square4 ,above this are   
three others1  diminishing in size up to
 the highest1 which is just half these  
dimensions4 ,the roof of the topmost is 
surrounded by cloisters1  the outer     
arches of which are filled with very    
fine marble tracery  7,plate ,x474 ,in  
the centre1 on a raised platform1 is a  
solid block of  pure white marble1      
delicately carved with flowers and      
sacred texts1  representing the real    
tomb in the vault beneath4 ,at the head 
is  the inscription1 ,allah-o-,akbar    
7,god is ,great71 and at the foot1      

,jalli ,jalalohu 7,magnificent is ,his  
,glory74 ,these sentences were  the     
formula of ,akbar's new religion1 which 
he called ,the ,divine  ,faith4 ,on the 
sides the ninety-nine attributes of ,god
 are carved in  the ,arabic character4  
,the carved marble pedestal at the end  
of the  tomb was a stand for a golden   
censer4    ,,the ,,kanch                
,,mahal4--,outside the enclosure of     
,akbar's tomb1 a little  to the east of 
the principal entrance1 is a rare and   
remarkably fine  example of ,mogul      
domestic architecture4 ,this is a       
two-storied building1  known as the     
,kanch ,mahal1 and supposed to have been
 built by ,jahangir  as a country seat4 
,in its extremely elaborate             
ornamentation1 inlaid  stone and        
enamelled tiles have been most          
effectively combined with the  carving4 
,the repairs lately carried out under   
,lord ,curzon's orders have  been very  
carefully done1 though it is easy to see
 the inferiority of  the new work where 

the old carving had to be reproduced4   
,our fatuous  policy of adopting        
,european styles in all public buildings
 in ,india  is bound to cause a         
deterioration in the native art         
handicrafts1 for  it closes the         
principal source from which they have   
sprung4 ,unless  this policy is         
reversed1 nothing will prevent the      
ultimate extinction  of ,indian art4    
,,suraj-,,bhan-,,ka ,,bagh4--,this is   
another two-storied building of about   
the same period1 but not quite so fine  
in style1 facing the ,agra road1  at a  
little distance from the ,kanch ,mahal4 
,,mariam ,z,m,,ni',s ,,tomb4--,a short  
distance further on1 in the direction   
of ,muttra1 is the building supposed to 
have been originally the garden  house  
of ,sikandar ,lodi1 in which ,mariam    
,zmni1 one of ,akbar's wives1  is said  
to have been buried4 ,it has been used  
for many years as a  printing           
establishment for a ,mission ,orphanage4
        ,other ,buildings and ,tombs at 

or near ,agra    ,the tomb of ,feroz    
,khan1 opposite to the third milestone  
on the ,gwalior  road1 is an interesting
 building of ,akbar's time1 richly      
carved and  decorated with tile-work4   
,close by is the tomb of the ,pahalwari1
  where a celebrated wrestler of ,shah  
,jahan's time is buried4 ,there  are a  
considerable number of buildings and    
numerous ruins in ,agra1  and round     
about1 which possess only historical or 
archological  interest4 ,in the town are
 the following3--    ,the ,,kali        
,,masjid1 or ,black ,mosque1 otherwise  
called the ,kalan ,masjid1  or ,grand   
,mosque1 is of the early ,akbar style4  
,it was built by the  father of ,shah   
,jahan's first wife1 the ,kandahri      
,begum4 ,this is near  to the           
,government dispensary4    ,in the      
,nai-ki-,mundi quarter is the mosque of 
,shah ,ala-ud-din ,majzub1  commonly    
known as ,,alawal ,,bilawal1 a saint who
 lived at the time of  ,shere ,shah4 ,he
 established a school of ,muhammadan    

law1 and founded a  monastery besides   
the mosque4 ,the accumulations round the
 mosque have  reached up to the         
springing of the arches1 and tradition  
accounts for  this by the following     
story3 ,a camel-driver in ,shere ,shah's
 service  stabled his beasts in the     
mosque1 in spite of the protests of the 
saint  ,thereupon the building began to 
sink into the ground1 and did not cease 
descending until the camels and their   
driver were crushed to death4    ,the   
,,hamman1 or ,baths of ,ali ,verdi      
,khan1 in ,chipitolla ,street1 built  in
 the time of ,jahangir4 ,an inscription 
over the gateway gives the  date1 #afbj 
,a4,d4 ,they cannot be compared in      
interest with the splendid  ,hakim's    
,baths1 at ,fatehpur ,sikri4    ,the    
,,roman ,,catholic ,,cemetery1 in the   
quarter known as ,padritollah1  near the
 ,law ,courts1 is one of the most       
ancient ,christian cemeteries  in       
,india4 ,the ground was granted to the  
mission by the ,emperor  ,akbar4 ,there 

are a number of ,portuguese and         
,armenian tombs dating from  early in   
the seventeenth century4 ,it also       
contains the tomb of the  notorious     
,walter ,reinhardt1 or ,samru1 as he was
 called1 the founder  of the            
principality of ,sirdhana1 whose history
 is given at p4 #ch4 ,the  ,dutch       
,general ,messing1 who held ,agra ,fort 
for the ,mahrattas in #agid1  has a very
 florid mausoleum of red sandstone1 more
 curious than  beautiful2 the design of 
which is in imitation of the ,taj4      
,fatehpur ,sikri    ,fatehpur ,sikri is 
the famous deserted city1 about         
twenty-three miles  from ,agra1 built by
 ,akbar4 ,it was formerly merely a      
village1 called  ,sikri1 celebrated as  
the abode of ,sheikh ,salm ,chishti1 a  
,muhammadan  pr1 or saint4 ,in #aefd1   
,akbar1 returning from a campaign1      
halted  near the cave in which the saint
 lived4 ,the twin children of his       
,rajput wife1 ,mariam ,zmni1 had        
recently died1 and he was anxious  for  

an heir4 ,he consulted the holy man1 who
 advised him to come and  live at       
,sikri4 ,the ,emperor did so1 and nine  
months afterwards ,mariam1  who was     
taken to ,chishti's cell for her        
confinement1 gave birth to a  son1      
afterwards the ,emperor ,jahangir4 ,he  
was called ,sultan ,salm in  honour of  
the saint4 ,jahangir1 who describes all 
these circumstances  in his memoirs1    
adds3 ,my revered father1 regarding the 
village of  ,sikri1 my birthplace1 as   
fortunate to himself1 made it his       
capital1  and in the course of fourteen 
or fifteen years the hills and deserts1 
which abounded in beasts of prey1 became
 converted into a magnificent  city1    
comprising numerous gardens1 elegant    
edifices and pavilions1  and other      
places of great attraction and beauty4  
,after the conquest  of ,gujarat1 the   
village was named ,fatehpur 7the town of
 victory74    ,the glory of ,fatehpur   
,sikri was short-lived4 ,akbar held his 
court  there for seventeen years1 and   

then removed it to ,agra2 some say on   
account of the badness of the water     
supply1 others that the saint1          
disturbed in his devotions by the bustle
 and gaieties of the great  city1       
declared that either he or ,akbar must  
go4 ,then1 replied the  ,emperor1 let it
 be your servant1 ,i pray4 ,the entire  
city was given  up to the beasts of the 
surrounding jungle4 ,finch1 who visited 
it in  the early part of the next reign1
 describes it3 ,ruin all2 lying like a  
waste desert1 and very dangerous to pass
 through in the night4 ,this1  however1 
was an exaggeration1 for the principal  
buildings are still  in a good state of 
preservation1 probably owing to the     
remoteness of  the place from any great 
highway or large town4    ,the city1    
which was some six miles in circuit1 was
 surrounded on three  sides by high     
battlemented walls1 which had nine      
gateways4 ,the fourth  side was formed  
by a great artificial lake1 now dry4    
,the principal  buildings are on the    

summit of the high ridge which runs     
throughout  the length of the city4     
,,the ,,agra ,,gate4--,the visitor      
usually enters by the ,agra ,gate1      
concerning which an amusing story is    
told4 ,one night ,akbar1 attended  by   
some of his ministers1 was inspecting   
the ramparts near this  gate1 when he   
observed a highway robbery being        
committed close by  the walls4 ,turning 
severely to those responsible for the   
peace of  the city1 he demanded why such
 an outrage was permitted in the very   
presence of the ,emperor4 ,it is always 
darkest directly under the  shadow of   
the lamp1 was the courtly reply4        
,,the ,,naubat ,,khana4--,inside the    
gate the road passes1 by the right1 a   
large quadrangle surrounded by a ruined 
cloister1 which was probably  used for  
barracks4 ,beyond this the road was     
formerly lined on both  sides by the    
houses of the bazar4 ,it next passes    
through the inner  gateway1 called the  
,naubat ,khana1 or ,music ,house1 where1

 as in all  ,mogul fortresses1 the court
 musicians played to announce the       
,emperor's  arrival or departure1 and   
various state ceremonials4    ,,the     
,,mint4--,some distance beyond the      
,naubat ,khana1 on the right1 is a      
large building believed to have been the
 ,imperial ,mint4 ,rare specimens  of   
gold1 silver1 and copper coins from the 
,fatehpur ,mint are in the  ,british    
,museum4 ,the brick domes of this       
building are interesting1  as they are  
probably the earliest examples in ,india
 of the use of  radiating courses       
instead of horizontal layers in dome    
construction4    ,opposite to the ,mint 
is a smaller building known as the      
,treasury4    ,,the ,,daftar            
,,khana4--,passing through the great    
quadrangle of the  ,dwan-i-m1 the       
visitor arrives at the ,daftar ,khana1  
or ,record ,chamber1  now adapted for a 
travellers' rest-house4 ,this was       
,akbar's office1  and is immediately    
opposite to his own sanctum1 the ,kwbgh1

 and  the principal buildings of the    
,imperial ,palace4 ,a staircase in the  
south-east room leads to the roof1 from 
which a fine view of the city  and      
surrounding country can be obtained4    
,the principal buildings can  be easily 
identified by help of the plan4    ,,the
 ,,palace4--,a door in the side of the  
quadrangle1 opposite to  the ,daftar    
,khana1 leads into ,akbar's palace1 the 
,mahal-i-,khas4 ,the  two-storied       
building on the left on entering        
contains ,akbar's private  apartments4  
,the first room on the ground floor is  
panelled into  numerous recesses for    
keeping books1 documents1 or valuables4 
,there  are some remains of painted     
decoration representing flowers1 such as
  the tulip1 poppy1 and almond flower1  
executed with much vigour and  technical
 skill4 ,behind this is a chamber which1
 according to ,edmund  ,smith1 was used 
by a ,hindu priest attached to ,akbar's 
court4 ,it  contains a stone platform   
raised on pillars1 upon which he is said

  to have performed his devotions4 ,it  
was more probably intended for  ,akbar's
 own gaddi1 or throne4 ,a door in the   
west wall leads into the  cloisters1    
which formerly connected ,akbar's       
apartments with the ,daftar  ,khana and 
with ,jodh ,bai's palace4    ,,the      
,,kw,,bg,h1 or sleeping apartment1 is a 
small pavilion on the  roof4 ,originally
 the walls were entirely covered by     
fresco paintings1  but only a few       
fragments now remain4 ,unfortunately1   
these have been  protected by a coat of 
varnish1 which reduces them all to a    
dull  monochrome4 ,it is to be regretted
 that a more scientific method of       
preserving them was not adopted4 ,they  
are all in the ,persian style1  and1    
except for the ,chinese element which is
 often present in ,persian  art1 there  
is no ground for ,edmund ,smith's       
supposition that ,chinese  artists were 
employed here4    ,on the side window   
over the eastern doorway is a painting  
of a  winged figure1 in front of a rock 

cave1 supporting a new-born babe  in its
 arms4 ,in all probability it refers to 
the birth of ,jahangir  in the cell of  
the ,saint ,salm ,chishti1 which ,akbar1
 no doubt1  thought miraculous4 ,many   
archologists make the great mistake of  
attributing every winged figure in these
 decorations to some ,biblical  story4  
,heavenly beings with wings1 the        
inhabitants of ,paradise1  spirits of   
the air1 or angels1 are very common in  
,persian and ,indian  painting1 and are 
by no means a monopoly of ,european     
artists4    ,it is known that ,akbar    
took a great interest in painting4 ,abul
 ,fazl1  in the ,ain-i-,akbari1 states  
that ,his ,majesty from the earliest    
youth has shown a great predilection for
 the art1 and gives it  every           
encouragement1 as he looks upon it as a 
means both of study  and amusement4     
,hence the art flourishes1 and many     
painters have  obtained great           
reputations4 ,the works of all painters 
are weekly  laid before his ,majesty by 

the ,daroghas and the clerks2 he confers
  rewards according to the excellence of
 workmanship1 or increases  their       
monthly salaries4 ,much progress was    
made in the commodities  required by    
painters1 and the correct prices of such
 articles were  carefully ascertained4  
,akbar himself remarked1 ,bigoted       
followers of the law are hostile  to the
 art of painting1 but their eyes now see
 the truth4 ,there are  many that hate  
painting1 but such men ,i dislike4 ,it  
appears to me as  if a painter had a    
peculiar means of recognizing ,god2 for 
a painter1  in sketching anything that  
has life and in drawing its limbs1 must 
feel that he cannot bestow personality  
upon his work1 and is thus  forced to   
think of ,god1 the giver of life1 and   
will thus increase his  knowledge4 ,the 
enlightened court of ,akbar was         
evidently a paradise  for artists4      
,opposite to ,akbar's apartments is a   
large square tank with a platform  in   
the centre1 approached by four narrow   

stone paths4 ,the tank was  filled from 
the waterworks near the ,elephant ,gate1
 and the water was  kept constantly     
fresh by an overflow channel connecting 
with the tank  at the back of the       
,dwan-i-,khs4    ,,the ,,turkish        
,,sultana',s ,,house4--,in the          
north-east angle of the  ,mahal-i-,khas 
quadrangle is a small1 picturesque      
building1 one of the  gems of ,fatehpur1
 called the ,turkish ,sultana's ,house4 
,it contains only  a single apartment1  
surrounded by a verandah1 but in the    
carving of  every surface within and    
without there is a wealth of invention  
and  decorative skill rarely achieved   
even by the ,mogul artists4 ,the dado   
panels are especially remarkable for the
 charming conventionalized  rendering of
 trees1 flowers1 birds1 and animals4    
,they have suffered  much from the hands
 of some of ,aurangzb's fanatical       
followers1 and  all the representations 
of animate nature have been mutilated4  
,the  carving was intended as a         

groundwork for painting and gilding     
which  were never added1 for the        
,fatehpur ,palace was abandoned even    
before  it was finished4 ,nothing is    
known with certainty of the lady who    
inhabited this delightful bower1 but she
 must have been one of ,akbar's         
favourites4 ,a covered passage connected
 the house with the ,kwbgh1  and also   
with another block of buildings of no   
special interest1  known as the ,girls' 
,school4    ,a staircase from the south 
verandah leads down to some interesting 
baths outside the south-west corner of  
the ,dwan-i-m quadrangle1  which were   
probably for the use of the ,turkish    
,sultana4 ,they are  worth seeing1      
though not so fine as the so-called     
,,hakim',s ,,baths4 ,the  latter1 which 
are situated just opposite to these     
baths1 on the  steep slope of the ridge1
 are the finest of their kind existing  
in  ,india4 ,they form an extensive     
hydropathic establishment1 decorated  in
 the most excellent taste with polished 

plaster and sgraffito1  or cut-plaster  
work4 ,undoubtedly they were used by    
,akbar himself1  and they derive their  
present name from their close proximity 
to the  quarters occupied by the        
,hakims1 or doctors4    ,,pachisi       
,,board4--,in the northern half of the  
great palace quadrangle  is a pachisi   
board1 cut on the pavement1 similar to  
the one in the  ,samman ,burj in the    
,agra ,fort4 ,here ,akbar and the ladies
 of the ,court  would amuse themselves  
by playing the game with slave girls as 
living  pieces4 ,the dice were thrown on
 the small platform in the centre of    
the board4    ,,the                     
,d,,wan-,i-,,kh,s4--,further towards the
 north1 immediately opposite  to the    
,kwbgh1 is a square detached building1 a
 fine example of the  dignified style of
 the period1 for it owes none of its    
effects to  imposing dimensions1 but    
only to the skill with which the        
architect  has treated a difficult      
subject4 ,this is the ,dwan-i-,khs1 or  

,hall of  ,private ,audience4 ,on the   
outside it would appear to be a         
two-storied  building1 but on entering  
it is seen to contain only a single     
vaulted  chamber1 surrounded halfway up 
by a gallery4 ,a magnificent carved     
column1 with a gigantic bracket capital 
7,plate ,,xi471 standing alone in  the  
centre of the chamber1 supports four    
branches or railed passages1  which meet
 this gallery at the four corners4 ,this
 most original  construction carried    
,akbar's throne1 which was placed       
immediately over  the great column4 ,the
 ministers attended at the four corners 
of the  gallery2 the great nobles and   
others admitted to the audience thronged
  the floor beneath4 ,the gallery is    
approached by two staircases1  in the   
thickness of the walls1 which also lead 
up to the roof4 #ad    ,,the            
,,ankh-,,michauli4--,close by the       
,dwan-i-,khs1 on the west side1  is a   
building which the native guides1 always
 ready to amuse the  innocent tourist1  

describe as the ,ankh-,michauli1 or     
,blind-man's  ,buff ,house4 ,there is a 
legend that ,akbar here played          
hide-and-seek  with the ladies of the   
zanana4 ,the same story is told about a 
set  of apartments in the ,jahangiri    
,mahal in the ,agra ,fort1 but the only 
ground for it seems to be that the      
arrangement of the rooms might lend     
itself to such diversions4 ,it most     
probably contained strong-rooms  for the
 safe custody of valuables1 either state
 archives or jewels4    ,,the ,,yogi',s 
,,seat4--,at the corner of the          
,ankh-,michauli is a square  platform   
covered by a domed canopy4 ,the great   
carved brackets  which support the      
architraves are very characteristic of  
,jaina  construction4 ,this was the seat
 of one of the ,yogis1 or ,hindu fakirs1
  who enjoyed the ,emperor's favour4    
,akbar devoted much attention to  the   
occult powers claimed by these men4 ,he 
even practised alchemy  and showed in   
public some of the gold made by him4    

,,the ,,hospital4--,adjoining the       
,ankh-,michauli are the remains of a    
long1  low building1 which was the      
hospital2 a few of the wards still      
remain4 ,possibly this was arranged on  
the model of the hospital  which ,akbar 
allowed the ,jesuit ,fathers to build in
 the city4 ,he  also permitted them to  
construct a small chapel4 ,the records  
of the  missionaries tell us that ,akbar
 once came there alone1 removed his     
turban and offered prayers1 first       
kneeling in the ,christian manner1  then
 prostrating himself according to the   
,muhammadan custom1 and1  finally1 after
 the ritual of the ,hindus4 ,one of the 
,christian  congregation having died    
about this time1 he granted permission  
for  the funeral procession to pass     
through the streets of ,fatehpur with   
all the ceremonies of the ,catholic     
faith4 ,many of the inhabitants1  both  
,hindus and ,muhammadans1 attended the  
funeral4 ,akbar was never  persuaded to 
become a convert to ,christianity1 nor  

does there appear  to be any ground for 
the belief that one of his wives was a  
,christian4    ,,the                    
,d,,wan-,i-,m4--,the west side of the   
,dwan-i-m 7,hall of ,public  ,audience7 
and its cloisters coincide for the whole
 length with the  east of the palace    
quadrangle4 ,the description already    
given of the  ,dwan-i-m at ,agra will   
explain the functions for which this    
building  was intended4 ,the throne1 or 
judgment seat1 of ,akbar was placed     
between two pierced stone screens in the
 verandah in front of the hall4    ,,the
 ,,panch ,,mahal4--,this curious        
five-storied pavilion is nearly         
opposite to the ,dwan-i-m4 ,it is       
approached by a staircase from the      
,mahal-i-khas4 ,each story was          
originally enclosed by pierced stone    
screens2 this1 and the fact that the    
whole building overlooked the  palace   
zanana1 make it tolerably certain that  
it could only have  been used as a      
promenade by ,akbar and the ladies of   

the court4 ,the  ground-floor1 which was
 divided into cubicles by screens       
between the  columns1 may2 as ,keene    
suggests1 have been intended for the    
royal  children and their attendants4   
,the building is chiefly remarkable for 
the invention and taste shown in the    
varied designs of the columns1  in which
 the three principal styles of ,northern
 ,india1 the ,hindu1  ,jain1 and        
,saracenic1 are indiscriminately        
combined4    ,,miriam',s                
,,kothi4--,another doorway in the west  
side of the palace  quadrangle leads to 
,miriam's ,house1 a very elegant        
two-storied building  showing marked    
,hindu feeling in the design4 ,the ,rma 
incarnation  of ,vishnu appears on one  
of the carved brackets of the verandah4 
,it  seems to have derived its name from
 ,akbar's ,hindu wife1 ,mariam ,zmni1   
the mother of ,jahangir4  ,her name     
literally means ,mary of the age1  a    
common designation used by ,muhammadan  
women in honour of the ,mother  of      

,jesus4 ,this has led to the fable that 
the house was occupied by a  ,christian 
wife of ,akbar4 ,the whole building was 
originally covered with  fresco         
paintings and gilding1 and was hence    
called the ,sonahra ,makn1  or ,golden  
,house4 ,the frescoes are supposed to   
illustrate ,firdousi's  great epic1 the 
,shahnama1 or history of the ,kings of  
,persia4 ,as in the  ,kwbgh1 the        
fragments which remain have been covered
 with varnish as  a preservative1 which 
has had the effect of destroying all the
 charm  of colour they once possessed2  
and will eventually1 when the varnish   
turns brown with age1 obliterate them   
altogether4 ,the paintings are  all in  
the style of the ,persian artists who   
were employed by ,akbar to  illustrate  
his books and to paint the portraits of 
his ,court4 ,over  the doorway in the   
north-west angle of the building is a   
painting  which the guides1 perhaps     
misled by the suggestion of some        
uninformed  traveller1 point out as the 

,annunciation4    ,there would be       
nothing prim facie improbable that      
,akbar should have  caused some events  
of ,biblical history to be painted on   
the walls  of his palaces2 but on the   
other hand1 there is nothing whatever to
  connect this fresco with the          
,annunciation4 ,the winged figures here 
represented are of the type commonly    
found in paintings of stories  from     
,persian mythology4    ,perhaps the most
 interesting of all the paintings is a  
portrait in  a panel in one of the      
rooms4 ,one would like to know whether  
this was  the lady of the house2 but    
there seems to be no tradition connected
  with it4    ,judging from the style of
 the frescoes1 it would seem probable   
that  this was not the residence of     
,mariam ,zmni1 but of one of ,akbar's   
first two wives1 whose connections were 
mostly with ,persia4      ,jodh ,bai's  
,palace4    ,though ,miriam's ,house is 
generally regarded as the abode of      
,mariam  ,zmni1 there is a great deal to

 support the view that the spacious     
palace known as ,jodh ,bai's ,mahal1 or 
,jahangiri ,mahal1 was really her       
residence4 ,it is undoubtedly one of the
 oldest buildings in ,fatehpur4    ,we  
know that ,akbar went there on ,mariam's
 account2 and1 after  ,jahangir's birth1
 ,akbar's first care would be to build a
 palace  for the mother and her child1  
his long-wished-for heir4 ,mariam was  a
 ,hindu1 and this palace in all its     
construction and nearly all its         
ornamentation belongs to the ,hindu and 
,jaina styles of ,mariam's native       
country1 ,rajputana4 ,it even contains a
 ,hindu temple4 #ae ,it is also  the    
most important of all the palaces1 and  
,mariam1 as mother of the               
heir-apparent1 would take precedence of 
all the other wives4    ,on the left of 
the entrance is a small guard-house4 ,a 
simple but  finely proportioned gateway 
leads through a vestibule into the inner
  quadrangle4 ,the style of the whole   
palace is much less ornate than the     

other zanana buildings1 but it is always
 dignified and in excellent  taste4 ,it 
must be remembered that the severity of 
the architectural  design was relieved  
by bright colouring and rich purdahs1   
which were  used to secure privacy for  
the ladies of the zanana and to diminish
  the glare of the sunlight4            
,archologically its construction and    
ornamentation are very  interesting4    
,many of the details are of ,jain       
origin1 and of the same  type as the    
mixed ,jain and ,saracenic style1 which 
was being developed  about the same     
period in ,gujarat4 ,the arrangements of
 the palace are  shown in the annexed   
plan4 ,one of the most interesting      
features is  the ,hawa ,mahal1 a        
pavilion projecting from the north side1
 enclosed  by pierced stone screens4    
,here the ladies could enjoy the cool   
breezes  and the view of the lake with  
the distant hills beyond1 without being 
exposed to the vulgar gaze4 ,the palace 
was formerly connected with  ,akbar's   

private apartments by a covered way1    
supported on pillars1  near the         
entrance4 ,this was removed some years  
ago4 ,another private  passage led from 
the ,hawa ,mahal to the zanana garden   
opposite1 and1  probably1 from thence   
right down to the tower known as the    
,hiran ,minr4      ,rajah ,birbal's     
,house1 or ,birbal's ,daughter's ,house4
    ,rajah ,birbal was a ,brahman       
minstrel1 who came to ,akbar's court in 
the beginning of his reign1 and by his  
wit and abilities gained the  ,emperor's
 favour4 ,he was first created ,hindu   
,poet ,laureate2 from  that dignity he  
was raised to the rank of ,rajah1 and   
became one of  ,akbar's most intimate   
friends and advisers4 ,birbal was one of
 those  who subscribed to ,akbar's new  
religion1 ,the ,divine ,faith4 ,when  he
 perished in an unfortunate expedition  
against some unruly ,afghan  tribes1    
,akbar's grief was for a long time      
inconsolable4    ,the house which is    
named after him was originally enclosed 

within the  precincts of the imperial   
zanana1 and a covered way connected it  
with  ,jodh ,bai's palace4 ,it is one of
 the most richly decorated of all the   
adjacent buildings1 and next to ,jodh   
,bai's palace1 the largest of  the      
imperial residences4 ,as in so many     
other instances1 the vague  local       
tradition which assigns this palace to  
,rajah ,birbal seems to  be at fault4   
,abul ,fazl1 that most careful and      
precise biographer1  records that ,akbar
 ordered a palace to be built for the   
,rajah1 and that  when it was finished  
in the twenty-seventh year of his reign 
7#aehb7  the ,emperor honoured it with  
his presence4 ,an inscription discovered
  by ,edmund ,smith upon the capital of 
a pilaster in the west faade of  the    
building1 states that it was erected in 
,samvat #afbi 7,a4,d4 #aegb71  ten years
 before this date1 and three years after
 the commencement  of the city4         
,though the ,rajah was one of ,akbar's  
most trusted friends1 his palace  would 

hardly be placed within the enclosure of
 the ,emperor's own  zanana and         
connected with it2 nor is it likely that
 ,akbar would  provide ,birbal with a   
residence so incomparably more          
magnificent than  those he gave to his  
other two intimate friends1 ,abul ,fazl 
and ,faizi1  by the side of the great   
mosque4    ,all the probabilities are   
that this was one of the imperial       
palaces  occupied by ,akbar's wives1    
which were the first buildings erected  
at  ,fatehpur4 ,fergusson's assumption  
that ,birbal's daughter was one of      
,akbar's wives would explain everything2
 but the fact that ,abul ,fazl  makes no
 mention of such a daughter1 is very    
good evidence that ,akbar  was not      
connected with ,birbal by marriage4     
,the house is a two-storied building1   
splendidly ornamented with  carving1    
both inside and out4 ,from the          
construction1 it would appear  that     
,hindus were the architects2 but the    
decoration1 from which it is  easy to   

discover the taste of the occupants1 is 
nearly all ,arabian or  ,persian in     
style1 and conveys no suggestion that   
the palace was built  for a ,hindu rajah
 or his daughter4 ,though on a much     
smaller scale1  it is of the same type  
as ,akbar's splendid palace in the ,agra
 ,fort1  and was evidently intended for 
one of the highest rank in the imperial 
zanana4 #af        ,the ,hathi ,pol and 
,adjoining ,buildings4    ,close under  
,birbal's house is the main road leading
 down to the great  lake--now drained1  
the embankment of which formed the      
north-west  boundary of the city4 ,it   
passes through the gateway called the   
,hathi  ,pol1 or ,elephant ,gate1 from  
the two great stone elephants1 mutilated
 by  ,aurangzb1 standing on either side 
of the outer archway4 ,on the left of   
the gateway are two buildings1 the      
so-called ,pigeon's ,house1 probably    
intended for a magazine2 and the ,sangin
 ,burj1 a great bastion supposed  to be 
part of the fortifications begun by     

,akbar and left unfinished1  owing to   
the objections of ,shaikh ,salm         
,chishti4 ,a little beyond this1  on the
 right1 are the remains of the          
waterworks which supplied the  whole    
city4 ,opposite to these1 is the great  
traveller's rest-house1  or             
,karwn-serai1 in a very ruined state4   
,the1 furthest of this block of         
buildings is a curious tower called  the
 ,hiran ,minr1 or ,deer ,tower1 #gb feet
 in height1 ornamented with  stone      
imitations of elephant tusks4 ,according
 to tradition1 it was  built by ,akbar  
in memory of a favourite elephant1 and  
used by him  as a shooting tower2 the   
plain on the margin of the lake being   
the  haunt of antelope and other game4  
,the splendid stretch of water1 six     
miles long and two in breadth1  induced 
many of the princes and nobles to build 
pavilions and  garden houses on this    
side of the city4 ,this was the place   
for great  tournaments and festivities1 
and in the palmy days of ,fatehpur all  

the chivalry of the ,mogul ,court must  
have made a brave show here4 ,the       
,hiran ,minr was connected with the     
zanana by a covered way1 so that  the   
ladies might assist at these spectacles 
and enjoy the cool breezes  from the    
lake4      ,the ,jmi ,masjid1 or        
,cathedral ,mosque4    ,the great mosque
 of ,fatehpur is worthy of its founder's
 lofty ideals  and nobility of soul4 ,it
 is one of the most magnificent of all  
,akbar's  buildings2 the historic       
associations connected with it combine  
with  its architectural splendour to    
make it one of the most impressive of   
its kind in the world4 ,it is said to be
 copied from one at ,mecca2  but this   
cannot be altogether true1 because1     
though the plan and  general design     
follow ,muhammadan precedent1 many of   
the details show  ,akbar's ,hindu       
proclivities4    ,within the great      
mosque1 ,akbar frequently held religious
 discussions  with the learned doctors  
of ,islam2 and here1 also1 after the    

chief  ,mullahs had signed the famous   
document which declared ,akbar to be    
,head  of the ,church1 the ,emperor     
mounted the pulpit1 and stood before the
  congregation as the expounder of the  
,divine ,faith4 ,he commenced  to read a
 ,khutbah1 or litany1 which ,faizi1     
,abul ,fazl's brother1  had composed for
 the occasion--          ,the ,lord1 who
 gave to us dominion1      ,wisdom1 and 
heart and strength1      ,who guided us 
in truth and right1      ,and cleansed  
our mind from all but right1      ,none 
can describe ,his power or state1       
,allah ,akbar--,god is ,great4      ,but
 before he could finish three lines of  
it1 the sense of the  tremendous        
responsibility he had undertaken        
overpowered him4 ,he  descended the     
pulpit trembling with emotion1 and left 
the ,imam of  the mosque to continue the
 service4    ,there are two entrances1  
approached by broad flights of steps4   
,the one  on the east side is the       
,emperor's ,gate1 by which ,akbar       

entered the  mosque from the palace1 and
 the other1 the majestic ,baland        
,darwaza1  or ,high ,gate1 which towers 
above everything on the south side1 and 
even dwarfs the mosque itself with its  
giant proportions4 ,the latter  gate1   
however1 was not a part of the original 
design1 but was added  many years after 
the completion of the mosque1 to        
celebrate ,akbar's  victorious campaign 
in the ,deccan4    ,the mosque itself   
was built in honour of the ,saint of    
,fatehpur1 ,sheikh  ,salm ,chishti1     
whose tomb1 enclosed in a shrine of     
white marble1 carved  with the delicacy 
of ivory-work1 glitters like silver on  
the right of  the quadrangle4 ,barren   
women1 both ,hindu and ,muhammadan1 tie 
bits of  string or shreds of cloth to   
the marble trellis-work as tokens that  
if  blessed with a son they will present
 an offering to the shrine4 ,close  by  
is a plainer1 but much larger mausoleum1
 for his grandson1 ,nawab  ,islam ,khan1
 who was made ,governor of ,bengal by   

,jahangir4 ,this also  contains the     
remains of many other of the ,sheikh's  
male descendants4 ,a  separate vault1   
called the ,zanana ,rauza1 for the women
 of his family  is formed by enclosing a
 portion of the adjoining cloisters4    
,the mosque proper contains three       
chapels1 crowned by domes4 ,the         
principal one1 in the centre1 is        
screened by the faade of  the entrance1 
the doorway being recessed1 in the usual
 style of  ,saracenic buildings1 in a   
great porch or semi-dome4 ,an           
inscription  over the main archway gives
 the date of the completion of the      
mosque  as ,a4,d4 #aega4 ,the chapels   
are connected with each other by noble  
colonnades of a decidedly ,hindu or     
,jain character4 ,the ,saracenic  arches
 combine most happily with the ,hindu   
construction1 and the  view down the    
long-drawn aisles is singularly         
impressive4 ,much of  the charm of the  
interior is due to the quiet reserve and
 dignity of  the decoration1 which is   

nearly all in the style of ,arabian     
mosques1  and may account for the       
statement on the central arch1 that this
  mosque is a duplicate of the ,holy    
,place 7at ,mecca74    ,at each end of  
the mosque there is a set of five rooms 
for the  mullahs who conducted the      
service2 above them are galleries for   
the  ladies of the zanana4 ,spacious    
cloisters surround three sides of the   
quadrangle2 these are divided into      
numerous cells for the maulvis  and     
their pupils4    ,the triumphal gateway1
 called the ,,baland ,,darwaza 7,plate  
,,xiii471 is  really a building in      
itself4 ,it must be seen from the       
outside of the  quadrangle1 for1        
magnificent as it is there1 it certainly
 does not  harmonize with the mosque    
viewed from the quadrangle4 ,this mighty
  portal1 #agf feet in height from the  
roadway1 is a landmark for miles        
around4 ,from the top of it the ,taj1   
twenty-five miles away1 and the  distant
 ,fort of ,bharatpur are visible4       

,there are three doors recessed in the  
immense alcove on the front  of the     
gate4 ,one is the horseshoe door1 so    
called from the numerous  votive        
offerings of owners of sick horses1     
donkeys1 and bullocks1  which were      
nailed on in the hope of obtaining the  
favour of the  saint4 ,the doorway on   
the right of this has the following     
inscription  carved over it in          
,arabic3--    ,his ,majesty1 ,king of   
kings1 ,heaven of the ,court1 ,shadow of
 ,god1  ,jall-ud-din ,muhammad ,akbar1  
,emperor4 ,he conquered the kingdom of  
the ,south and ,dandes1 which was       
formerly called ,khandes1 in the #dfth  
,divine year i4e4 of his reign          
corresponding to the ,hijira year1      
#ajaj ,a4,d4 #afjb4 ,having reached     
,fatehpur1 he proceeded to ,agra4 ,said 
,jesus1 on whom be peace6 ,the world is 
a bridge1 pass over it1 but build  no   
house there4 ,he who hopeth for an hour1
 may hope for eternity2 the  world is   
but an hour1 spend it in devotion2 the  

rest is worth nothing1    ,over the left
 doorway is the following3--    ,he that
 standeth up in prayer1 and his heart is
 not in it1 does not  draw nigh to ,god1
 but remaineth far from ,him4 ,thy best 
possession is  what thou givest in the  
name of ,god2 thy best traffic is       
selling this  world for the next4       
,akbar himself died four years after    
this great sermon in stone was  written4
      ,the ,stone-,cutters' ,mosque4    
,at the back of the great mosque is a   
graveyard containing the tomb of  an    
infant son of ,sheikh ,salm4 ,the legend
 concerning him is1 that at  the age of 
six months he addressed his father1     
telling him that all  of ,akbar's       
children must die in infancy1 unless    
some child died for  them4 ,he therefore
 had resolved to sacrifice himself for  
the ,emperor's  sake1 and immediately   
after this miraculous speech he died4   
,jahangir  was born nine months         
afterwards4 ,sceptics have suggested    
that he was  really a son of the        

,sheikh1 substituted for a still-born   
child of  ,mariam ,zmni4    ,some       
distance beyond this tomb there is a    
small mosque1 built in honour  of the   
saint by the quarrymen of ,fatehpur1    
before he had attracted  the notice of  
the great ,emperor4 ,it is called the   
,stone-,cutters'  ,mosque1 and is       
supposed to have been erected on the    
site of the  cave where he lived the    
life of a hermit ,it is an unpretending 
little building2 the brackets which     
support the cornice are the only        
noticeable architectural features4 ,they
 are direct imitations of wooden        
construction1 and are copied1 with      
greater elaboration of carving1  in the 
marble shrine inside the ,jmi ,masjid4  
,the cell where the saint  is said to   
have lived is on the right-hand corner  
of the mosque4    ,the birthplace of    
,jahangir is pointed out in a           
dilapidated palace  not far from this   
mosque4 ,it is occupied by a lineal     
descendant of  ,salm ,chishti1 and is   

only rarely shown to visitors4          
,the ,houses of ,abul ,fazl and ,faizi4 
,the houses where these two famous      
brothers1 the friends of ,akbar1  lived1
 are close under the north wall of the  
great mosque4 ,their  father1 ,sheikh   
,mubarak1 was one of the most learned   
men of the age1  and the sons were as   
distinguished as the father4 ,faizi was 
the ,persian  ,poet ,laureate1 and tutor
 to the ,royal ,princes4 ,he was also   
employed on  many diplomatic missions4  
,abul ,fazl was the author of the       
celebrated  ,akbarnma1 a history of the 
,mogul ,emperors down to the            
forty-seventh  year of ,akbar's reign4  
,he was for a long time ,akbar's ,prime 
,minister2  he took a prominent part in 
the religious discussions inaugurated by
  the ,emperor1 and often discomfited   
the orthodox followers of ,islam with   
his arguments4 ,sheikh ,mubarak drew up 
the famous document declaring  ,akbar to
 be the ,head of the ,church1 and both  
his sons subscribed to  it4 ,abul ,fazl 

declares that the document was          
productive of excellent  results3 7#a7  
,the ,court became the resort of the    
learned men and  sages of all creeds and
 nationalities2 7#b7 ,peace was given to
 all1  and perfect tolerance prevailed2 
7#c7 the disinterested motives of  the  
,emperor1 whose labours were directed to
 a search after truth1  were rendered   
clear1 and the pretenders to learning   
and scholarship  were put to shame4     
,notwithstanding his high character and 
generous disposition1 ,abul  ,fazl had  
many enemies at ,court4 ,he was at last 
assassinated at the  instigation of     
,jahangir1 who believed him to be       
responsible for a  misunderstanding     
between himself and his father4         
,there is nothing architecturally       
interesting about the two houses1  which
 have been for some time used as a      
,zillah school4           99       99   
99       99       99      ,bharatpur and
 ,other ,places ,in the ,vicinity of    
,agra4    ,there are some other places  

of considerable interest easily         
accessible  from ,agra1 but it would be 
beyond the scope of this book to        
describe  them in detail4               
,,bharatpur4--,this place1 which has    
been often alluded to1 is the capital   
of a native state of that name1 founded 
by the ,jts under ,suraj ,mal  about    
#agej4 ,the origin of the ,jt race is   
obscure1 but probably they  are of      
,scythian descent4 ,some authorities    
have put forward a theory  that the     
gypsies of ,europe and the ,jts are of  
the same race4 ,they form  a large      
proportion of the population of         
,north-,western ,india4 ,their  religion
 varies with the locality1 but the ,jts 
who occupied ,agra  under ,suraj ,mal   
were ,hindus4    ,in #ahji1 the fort at 
,bharatpur resisted for six weeks a     
siege by  ,general1 afterwards ,lord    
,lake1 who withdrew1 after four         
desperate  assaults4    ,the ,palace of 
,suraj ,mal is at ,dig1 twenty-one miles
 by road from  ,bharatpur4 ,it was      

commenced about #agbe1 and is the finest
 and most  original of the ,indian      
palaces of that period4 ,the ,jt chief  
carried  off to it a great deal of the  
loot from the ,agra ,fort4              
,,govardhan4--,the tombs of ,suraj ,mal 
and his two ,ranis are at ,govardhan1  a
 very picturesque place about eight     
miles from ,dig4 ,there are also a      
number of very interesting tombs and    
buildings of later date4 ,fergusson  #ag
 says of one of these1 which was in     
course of construction when  he was     
there in #ahci1 that he acquired from   
its native architect  more knowledge of 
the secrets of art as practised in the  
,middle ,ages  than he had learnt from  
all the books he had read4 ,the same    
living  architectural art is practised  
all over ,rajputana at the present  day4
 ,the preference we show for the        
incomparably inferior art of  the       
mongrel eclectic styles we have imported
 into ,india1 is only a  proof that     
there is something wanting in the       

superior civilization  and culture which
 we believe ourselves to possess4       
,there is also at ,govardhan a very fine
 ,hindu temple1 dating from the  time of
 ,akbar4    ,a great fair is held here  
every year about the end of ,october1   
or beginning of ,november1 on the       
occasion of the ,hindu ,diwli1 or       
,feast of ,lamps1 one of the most       
beautiful and impressive of all the     
,hindu festivals4    ,muttra1 the       
,mathora of the ,greeks1 about fourteen 
miles from ,govardhan1  and within easy 
reach of ,agra by rail1 is one of the   
most sacred places  of the ,hindus1 from
 being the reputed birthplace of        
,krishna4 ,it is  a great centre for the
 worship of ,vishnu4    ,brindban1 or   
,bindarban1 which is a very short       
distance further  by rail1 possesses an 
old ,hindu temple1 dedicated to ,govind 
,deva1  or ,vishnu1 of the same period  
as the other at ,govardhan1 and built   
by the same person1 ,rajah ,man ,singh  
of ,amber1 an ancestor of the  present  

,maharajah of ,jaipur4 ,fergusson       
describes it as one of the  most        
interesting and elegant temples in      
,india4    ,there is also a great       
,vishnu temple of the last century1 in  
the  ,dravidian style of ,southern      
,india1 built by a ,hindu millionaire   
merchant4 ,krishna's childhood and early
 youth were passed in the  vicinity of  
,brindban1 and on that account it is    
held especially  sacred by the followers
 of the ,vaishnavite sect of ,hinduism1 
who  flock there in thousands on the    
anniversary of ,krishna's birth1  in the
 month of ,bhadon 7,august--,september74
        ,,notes    #a ,babar's ,memoirs1
 translated by ,erskine4    #b ,for     
further particulars of ,babar's history 
the reader is referred  to the ,memoirs1
 or to ,stanley ,lane-,poolers admirable
 ,life of ,babar1  in the ,rulers of    
,india ,series 7,macmillan  ,co474    #c
 ,the ,state documents of the ,mogul    
,emperors1 given under the  royal hand  
and seal1 were sometimes actually       

impressed by the royal  hand4 ,plate ,i4
 reproduces part of a letter1 addressed 
by ,shah ,jahan  to an ancestor of the  
present ,maharajah of ,gidhour4 ,in this
 letter  the ,raja ,dalan ,singh is     
informed that the auspicious impress of 
the  royal hand is sent as a mark of    
royal favour1 and he is commanded to    
proceed to ,court to participate in the 
festivities and to pay homage  to the   
,emperor4    #d ,bernier's              
,travels--,constable's translation4     
#e ,these elephant statues have been a  
vexed point with  archologists4         
,bernier1 in his description of ,delhi1 
refers to  two great elephants of stone1
 with their riders1 outside of the      
,fort ,gates4 ,the riders1 he says1 were
 portraits of the famous  ,rajput chiefs
 ,jaymal and ,patta1 slain by ,akbar at 
the siege of  ,chitore4 ,their enemies1 
in admiration of the devotion of the two
  heroes1 put up these statues to their 
memory4 ,now1 ,bernier does not  say    
that the statues were put up by ,akbar1 

but ,general ,cunningham1  inferring    
that ,bernier meant this1 propounded a  
theory that they were  originally in    
front of the ,agra ,fort1 which ,akbar  
built1 and removed  to ,delhi by ,shah  
,jahan1 when he built his new palace    
there4 ,keene1  who discusses the       
question at length in his ,handbook to  
,delhi1  accepts this suggestion4       
,neither of these authorities seem to   
have  been aware of the existence of the
 marks of the feet on the platform  in  
front of the ,agra ,hathi ,pol4 ,i have 
compared the measurements of  these     
marks with the dimensions of the        
elephant which still exists  at ,delhi1 
and find that they do not correspond in 
any way4 ,the ,delhi  elephant is a much
 larger animal1 and would not fit into  
the platform  at the ,agra gate4        
,general ,cunningham's theory1          
therefore1 falls to the  ground4 ,it is 
just possible that the ,delhi elephants 
were intended to  be copies of those    
placed by ,akbar at ,agra4 ,shah ,jahan 

is not likely  to have intentionally    
perpetuated the memory of the ,rajput   
chiefs1  but popular tradition or       
imagination may have fastened the story 
told  by ,bernier on to the ,delhi      
statues4 ,elephants were so commonly    
placed  in front of ,indian palaces and 
fortresses that1 except for this story1 
there would be no need to suppose any   
connection between those at  ,agra and  
those at ,delhi4    ,purchas1 quoting   
,william ,finch who visited ,agra in    
,jahangir's time1  describes the        
elephants at the ,hathi ,pol1 but gives 
a different origin  to the statues4     
,beyond these two gates you pass a      
second gate1 over  which are two ,rajaws
 in stone4 ,it is said that they were   
two brother  ,rajputs1 tutors to a      
prince1 their nephew1 whom the ,king    
demanded  of them4 ,they refused1 and   
were committed2 but drew on the         
officers1  slew twelve1 and at last1 by 
multitudes oppressing1 were themselves  
slain1 and here have elephants of stone 

and themselves figured4 ,the  expression
 over 7the gate7 has the meaning of high
 up1 and not1  as ,keene supposes1 its  
more modern sense of on the top of4     
#f ,the old ,mogul road led directly    
from the ,elephant ,gate to the         
entrance of the ,dwan-i-m4 ,i understand
 that this road will be  restored       
shortly by the ,archological            
,department4    #g ,an ugly modern      
marble rail1 in imitation of wood1      
probably a  reminiscence of the time    
when the palace was occupied by the     
,british  garrison1 still disfigures and
 stunts the proportions of the upper    
storey of the ,samman ,burj4    #h ,this
 question is discussed at length in an  
article by the author1  entitled ,the   
,taj and its ,designers1 published in   
the ,june number  of the ,nineteenth    
,century and ,after1 #aijc4    #i       
,tavernier says twenty-two years        
probably including all the  accessory   
buildings4    #aj ,the present garden is
 a jungle1 planted by a ,european       

overseer  without any understanding or  
feeling for the ideas of the ,mogul     
artists4 ,the overgrown trees entirely  
block out the view of the mosques  on   
either side1 which are an essential part
 of the whole composition1  serving as  
supporters to the slender1 detached     
minarets4 ,i understand1  however1 that 
it is intended to remove some of the    
more obstructive of  the larger trees2  
but the avenue of cypress trees1 which  
perished from  drought some years ago1  
has been replanted on lines which       
eventually  will clash seriously with   
the architectural composition4    #aa   
,this represents the condition of the   
garden twenty or thirty  years ago4     
#ab ,the conjunction of ,jupiter and    
,venus2 referring to the  circumstance  
that ,timur and himself were born at the
 conjunction of  these planets4         
7,,keene47    #ac ,it is very probable  
that the black slate or marble panels in
 the  ,delhi ,palace1 which are purely  
,florentine in design1 were imported    

complete from ,italy1 and fixed in the  
wall by ,indian workmen1 who  only      
designed the ornamental scrolls         
surrounding the panels4    #ad ,it is   
known that in #aege ,akbar completed a  
great building at  ,fatehpur1 called the
 ,ibadat ,khana1 or hall in which the   
learned men of  all religions assembled 
for discussion4 ,it was described as    
containing  four halls1 the western for 
the ,sayyids1 or descendants of the     
,prophet2  the southern for learned men 
who had studied or acquired knowledge2  
the northern for those famed for        
inspired wisdom3 the eastern hall was   
reserved for the nobles and state       
officers4 ,thousands of people from  all
 quarters of the world assembled in the 
courtyard4 ,the ,emperor  attended every
 ,friday night and on holy festivals1   
moving from one  to the other of the    
guests and conversing with them4 ,keene1
 in his  ,handbook to ,agra1 suggests   
that possibly the ,dwan-i-khs may  be   
the building thus described 7taking the 

word aiwan1 or hall1  to mean a side    
gallery71 as no other building at all   
answering to  the description now       
remains at ,fatehpur4 ,this supposition 
is highly  improbable1 if only for the  
reason given by ,edmund ,smith1 namely1 
that  an assembly of this kind would not
 take place within the precincts of  the
 palace4 ,the description given by ,abul
 ,fazl and ,badyni clearly  indicates a 
building like the ,dwan-i-m1 enclosing a
 great quadrangle4    #ae ,keene        
suggests that ,akbar's first wife and   
cousin1 ,sultana ,raqia  ,begam1 lived  
here1 but she was a ,muhammadan4 ,it is 
quite possible that  the name of ,jodh  
,bai 7,princess of ,jodhpur7 really     
refers to ,mariam1 and  not to          
,jahangir's ,rajput wife 7the daughter  
of the ,raja of ,jodhpur71  as is       
commonly supposed4 ,miriam's family     
resided in the province of  ,ajmir1     
which adjoins ,jodhpur4 ,she might have 
been known as the ,princess  of         
,jodhpur4 ,in any case1 it is easy to   

see how a confusion might have  arisen  
between ,jahangir's mother and his wife1
 both ,hindus and ,rajputs4    #af      
,birbal's house is now used as a        
travellers' rest-house for  high        
officials and distinguished visitors2   
which is not only very  inconvenient for
 the undistinguished who may wish to see
 it1 but  involves alterations which    
should never be permitted in buildings  
of  such unique artistic and            
archological interest4 ,neither the     
,daftar  ,khana nor this building should
 be devoted to such purposes1 merely  to
 avoid the paltry expense of providing  
proper dak bungalows4    #ag ,history of
 ,indian and ,eastern ,architecture4