DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.53064#0029
23
It is Akbar, certainly the most interesting figure among
the Moghul emperors, to whom India is
The Agra Fort m indebted for the definite planning of the
the time of Akbar. Abu] us h(_ b»gan t()
build the new fortification in 1564-65 and that he put 3 to 4
thousand stone-masons to work.1 The Delhi gate was built in
1566, the Elephant gate in 1568, the Fort is said to have been
completed in 1572. Akbar’s most interesting buildingshave
to be searched for in the south-east corner of the Fort. The
visitor enters this part by a great gateway, in the back-ground
of which opens an entrance protected by twin towers. This
type of fortification is of very old Asiatic origin, and the fayence
mosaics, which adorn the twin towers are beautifully designed
and disposed. They suggest a very strong resemblance to
Timurid fayence mosaics. To the south of this gate the
ruins of a palace attributed to Akbar’s first years have been
excavated.2 Its pillars and brackets are derived from Hindu
forms but are quite coarse in design. A great well of very
ingenious construction was dug near the court.
Immediately to the west of these ruins the great red
sandstone palace stands, commonly called Akbari Mahal or
Jahangiri Mahal. It is without any doubt the most important
building in the fort, planned, decorated and constructed
with the utmost mastership. The succession of the entrance
gate, the central courtyard and the closing court is the spine
in the body of the building. In the fapade a deep liwan
opens to some small but well decorated rooms leading direct
to the square courtyard. Two large halls are to the right and
left of it. On the fourth side opposite the entrance another
group of rooms, called the library, leads to a T-shaped
court, which is closed by the walls of the fortification itself.
By some small courts, which are like passages, the
other rooms of the two-storied building are connected; small
stairs are leading to the roof, on which three pavilions are
so set that the Emperor and his harem may enjoy
the freshness of the open air.
These pavilions show the most beautiful specimens of all
that decoration which covers every inch of the building, and
were once enriched by guilding and colouring. The Hindu
forms of pillars and brackets are mixed with the most beautiful
geometric decoration of Islamic style, and intermingled with
1. Akbar Nameh (Bibli. Ind.) Vol. II pg. 76.
2. Archeological Survey of India. Annual Report 1907-08 pg. 8.
It is Akbar, certainly the most interesting figure among
the Moghul emperors, to whom India is
The Agra Fort m indebted for the definite planning of the
the time of Akbar. Abu] us h(_ b»gan t()
build the new fortification in 1564-65 and that he put 3 to 4
thousand stone-masons to work.1 The Delhi gate was built in
1566, the Elephant gate in 1568, the Fort is said to have been
completed in 1572. Akbar’s most interesting buildingshave
to be searched for in the south-east corner of the Fort. The
visitor enters this part by a great gateway, in the back-ground
of which opens an entrance protected by twin towers. This
type of fortification is of very old Asiatic origin, and the fayence
mosaics, which adorn the twin towers are beautifully designed
and disposed. They suggest a very strong resemblance to
Timurid fayence mosaics. To the south of this gate the
ruins of a palace attributed to Akbar’s first years have been
excavated.2 Its pillars and brackets are derived from Hindu
forms but are quite coarse in design. A great well of very
ingenious construction was dug near the court.
Immediately to the west of these ruins the great red
sandstone palace stands, commonly called Akbari Mahal or
Jahangiri Mahal. It is without any doubt the most important
building in the fort, planned, decorated and constructed
with the utmost mastership. The succession of the entrance
gate, the central courtyard and the closing court is the spine
in the body of the building. In the fapade a deep liwan
opens to some small but well decorated rooms leading direct
to the square courtyard. Two large halls are to the right and
left of it. On the fourth side opposite the entrance another
group of rooms, called the library, leads to a T-shaped
court, which is closed by the walls of the fortification itself.
By some small courts, which are like passages, the
other rooms of the two-storied building are connected; small
stairs are leading to the roof, on which three pavilions are
so set that the Emperor and his harem may enjoy
the freshness of the open air.
These pavilions show the most beautiful specimens of all
that decoration which covers every inch of the building, and
were once enriched by guilding and colouring. The Hindu
forms of pillars and brackets are mixed with the most beautiful
geometric decoration of Islamic style, and intermingled with
1. Akbar Nameh (Bibli. Ind.) Vol. II pg. 76.
2. Archeological Survey of India. Annual Report 1907-08 pg. 8.