Fun Facts About Agra
As recorded in ancient history, Agra was known as Arya Griha or home of the Aryans. It was Ptolemy, a renowned geographer of the second century who referred to this city as Agra. The very thought of Agra reminds us of The Taj Mahal. One of the Seven Wonders of the World and a symbol of love, this monument was built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. There are many hotels in Agra to make your stay in the city comfortable and memorable. Apart from the majestic beauty of the Taj Mahal, Agra has loads of interesting facts, which will make you look at the city in a different light. Read on:
1. Taj Mahal is known for its pearl white colour that appears pink in the early morning hours, white during the day and golden under the moonlight.
2. Cleverly built, the pillars surrounding the Taj Mahal are slightly tilted outwards so that in the event of an earthquake the pillars would fall away from the tomb without causing any damage to the monument. Also, it is perfectly symmetric, except the two tombs as the male tomb is bigger than the female tomb.
3. The construction of Taj Mahal costed around 32 crore rupees at that time, which is equivalent to about US $100 million in today’s time.
4. For the construction of Taj Mahal, different materials were brought from different places like crystals from China, coal from Arabia, red sandstone from Fatehpur Sikri, diamonds from Panna and Jasper from Punjab.
5. Agra Fort, also known as Lal Qila and Red Fort, is a walled city surrounded by 70 feet high walls. Also known as Badal Garh, it was held by the Chauhan Rajputs and was originally made of bricks. After its capture by Akbar, it was reconstructed with Red Sandstone. The total time taken for construction was 8 years and 4,000 labourers were employed to complete the task.
6. The grand statue of Chatrapati Shivaji in front of the Agra Fort reminds us of his miraculous escape from the Red Fort after he was placed there under house arrest.
7. Agra Fort has been mentioned in the mystery novel, Sign of the Four, featuring Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
8. The mausoleum of the greatest Mughal ruler Akbar and his wife Mariyam (aka Jodha Bai) is situated in Agra. It was later torched by Raja Ram Jat of Bharatpur as a means to avenge the death of his father, Gokula.
9. Agra has been categorized as the only Indian City with three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, i.e., Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
10. The bombing of the Central Legislative Assembly, now The Indian Parliament, was carried out by Bhagat Singh using a bomb that was made in Agra. Noori Darwaza is the place where Bhagat Singh, along with other freedom fighters, went into hiding.
11. Agra is the birthplace of Surdas, a famous Hindu devotional saint. He was born in the year 1478. Mirza Ghalib, a renowned Urdu poet, too was born in Agra in the year 1797.
12. It has the largest footwear manufacturing industry in India.
13. Agra is the birthplace of the world famous Indian sweet, ‘Petha’, which is of Mughal origin.
14. Agra is home to the world’s largest sloth bear rescue facility, the Agra Bear Rescue Facility.
15. Book any one of the Agra hotels to explore its rich heritage and uncover more such facts!