Agra Fort Uttar Pradesh History and Interesting Facts

Agra Fort Quick Facts

Agra Fort Overview

The Mughal Empire ruled India for about 400, during which they also built many types of historical buildings in India. Akbar's name is always taken as a great Mughal ruler in Indian history.

The Agra Fort, built by the famous Mughal emperor, has gained world fame. This fort has also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its architectural style, history, and beauty.

Agra Fort History

The history of Agra Fort is as interesting as the history of the Mughal rulers because it is associated with many kings of the Mughals, in which the names of Akbar, Shah Jahan etc. are included.

The beginning of the construction of this fort is before 1526 AD, but when the first battle of Panipat took place in which Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi and after that he lived in the fort of Agra and at that time this fort was made of bricks only. .

In the year 1530 AD, Humayun was elected the next emperor of the Mughal Empire, after which in 1540 AD, Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri and ruled the fort for 15 years. In 1555 AD, Humayun defeated Sher Shah Suri and established his rule again on this fort. Akbar was elected as the emperor soon after the death of Humayun in 1556 AD.

Keeping in mind his administrative system, Akbar made Agra his capital in 1558 AD and soon after that he reached to see this fort. His historian Abul Fazl wrote in his book that "It was a brick fort called 'Badalgarh' and it was in a very ruined condition. For which Akbar took red sandstone from Dhalpur district of Barauli region of Rajasthan in 1565 AD. The stone was ordered and started its construction and by 1573 AD the Fort was completely ready.

Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal during his reign, for which he also destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort. In the year 1658 AD, Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb imprisoned him in the Agra Fort and took over the administration and in the year 1666 AD, Shah Jahan died in a tower (Musamman Burj) with a marble balcony built inside the fort.

It was captured by the Maratha Empire in the early 18th century, but was defeated by Ahmad Shah Abdali during the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. In the year 1785, the fort came under the control of Mahadji Shinde, but during the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1803, the British took this fort under their control and started using it for their work.

Agra Fort Interesting Facts

1. This Fort was built by many rulers, but the fort which is seen at present was built by Akbar for about 8 years between 1565 AD to 1573 AD.
2. About 40,000 workers worked each day continuously for eight years in the construction of this fort.
3. In the year 1506, Sikandar Lodhi moved the country's capital, Delhi, to Agra and named Agra the "second capital", using the Agra Fort as his residence.
4. The Fort is a semicircular fort covered over 380,000 square meters (94 acres).
5. This Fort is also located on the banks of The Yamuna river like The Taj Mahal, and The Red Fort of Delhi. The outer walls of this fort are about 70 feet high.
6. There are 3 mosques established within the premises of this fort. Which is known as Moti Masjid, Meena Masjid and Nagina Masjid. A Zenana Meena Bazaar is also located in it.
7. The Agra Fort has 4 entrances, the most prominent one being the Delhi Gate and the other being the Lahore Gate. Lahore Gate is also called Amar Singh Gate, named after Amar Singh Rathor.
8. 9 Luxurious palaces have also been built within the premises of this fort. In which Jahangir Mahal, Khas Mahal, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Shah Jahani Mahal, Machi Bhawan, Bengali Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Akbari Mahal etc. are included.
9. In view of the beauty and carvings of this fort, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1983.
10. The famous song 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya' from the 1960 Mughal-e-Azam, one of the most famous films of India, was also shot in Agra Fort.
11. This fort was filmed in the year 2000 by Egyptian pop star Hisham Abbas in one of his famous music videos “Habibi Dah”.
12. The Fort won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in the year 2004. India Post had also released a ticket to celebrate the event.