Citadel of the Mughal Empire

"It is better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times". This Asian proverb is one of my favourite quotes ever. Not only because it talks about travelling, but because of the positive vibe it gives. It gives you the urge to go out and be somewhere you have never been before. I was able to witness some places which I have read only in books. One of them is Agra Fort situated in Agra, a city in Uttar Pradesh. It is a three-hour journey from the capital city Delhi.

The entrance of Agra Fort

I was so thrilled to go to Agra as it is arguably the most important city in India for tourism, as there is one of the important monuments there, Taj Mahal which is considered as one among the seven wonders of the world. All these architectural marvels reminded me about the grandeur of the different dynasties that ruled India for many years. You can experience the glory of those colourful days once you are there.

Diwan-i-am

I started my journey from Delhi to Agra at around 5 in the morning to explore the place. I moved to Agra Fort after visiting Taj Mahal. I was already mesmerised by the beauty of Taj Mahal and the view of Agra Fort added more excitement to it. I toured around the fort with my friends to see the magic in it. The sculptures on the wall of the fort depicted the culture and heritage of the dynasty. The fort in fact is a walled city of Agra.

View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Agra Fort is declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and is rich with its history. It was under the governance of the emperors of Mughal dynasty in the beginning, but was taken over by different emperors later. The last rulers who lived in the fort were Marathas. The location of the fort was an important factor at that time. There are different other monuments inside the fort. The one which I enjoyed the most was the building called Diwan-i-am, the place where the emperors used to address the public. The place is built in such a way that the sound reaches every person in the large audience who are present. There are special sections in Diwan-i-am for the royal ladies so that they can witness the gathering.

Inside the fort

Inside view

Another important aspect about the fort is the distance of Taj Mahal from the fort. It is only 2.5 kilometres away from the fort. You can see the monument at the far end from the top of the fort and the view is amazing. History says that Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Agra Fort and he was placed in a cell from where he could see the resting place of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. As I walked back to the exit, I was thinking about how it would have been in the past. I was visualising all that I had seen and heard.