More about Taj
Architecture of the Taj:
It took 20,000 workmen twenty-two years (6132-1654) to build this marvel of a marble tomb. Ustad Isa, a Persian architect is said to have been the main designer of the Taj. Many others have figured as designers and craftsmen for the Taj Mahal: Geronimo Veroneo the venetian goldsmith; the silversmith Austin of Bordeaux, the Persians Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid and so on. But the biggest influence was Shah Jahan himself.
The design of the monument is impressive: dating to the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus,the Tomb of Timur Lane (Gur Amir) at Samarkhand, to the relatively more recent Humayun’s and Khan Khanan’s tombs in Delhi. A common perception of progression through the landscape led the builders to a scheme of a traditional `char bagh’, a lucid Islamic composition of frames and closures, of walls concealing and gates revealing in a delicate balance of water, land and sky.
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More about Red Fort
Red Fort, Delhi
The largest of Old Delhi's monuments is Lal Quila or Red Fort whose thick red sandstone walls, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the vagaries of time and nature. The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls extend from two kilometers and vary in height from 18 metres on the river side to 33 metres on the city side.
Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648. The fort contains all the expected trappings of the centre of Mughal government: halls of public and private audience, domed and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739 and by the British soldiers during the war of independence in 1857.
Entrance to the fort is through the imposing Lahore Gate, which takes its name from the fact that it faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. This gate has a special significance for India since the first war of independence and important speeches have been madehere by freedom fighters and national leaders of India.
The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk, a covered street flanked with arched cells that used to house Delhi's most talented jewellers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths. This arcade was also known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for the ladies of the court. Just beyond the Chhata Chowk is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana or the Drum House. The musicians used to play for the emperor from the Naubat Khana and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here.
The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences where the Emperor would sit and hear complaints of the common folks. His alcove in the wall was marble-paneled and was set with precious stones, many of which were looted after the mutiny of 1857. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of private audiences where the Emperor held private meetings. This hall is made of marble and its centre-piece used to be the Peacock Throne, which was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. Today, the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its original glory, yet the famous Persian couplet inscribed on its wall remind us of its former magnificence: "If on Earth be an Eden of bliss, it is this, it is this, none but this."
The other attractions within this monument are the Royal Baths or hammams, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. The Rang Mahal or the "Palace of Colours" housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses. This palace was crowned with gilded turrets, delicately painted and decorated with an intricate mosaic of mirrors, and a ceiling overlaid with gold and silver that was reflected in a central pool in the marble floor.
Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of the Mughal era and its magnificence leaves many wonder-struck and breathless. It is still a calm haven of peace which helps one to break away from the frantic pace of life outside the walls of the Fort and transports the visitor to another era of time.
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More about Charminar
The Charminar in Hyderabad, at the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, is a massive arch built by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah, in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague in the city. The symbol of the city, the Charminar, is an impressive square monument with four minarets. The arch is illuminated daily in the evening, an unforgettable sight
indeed.
The city of Hyderabad, with its delightful blend of the ancient and the modern, presents to the onlooker an interesting skyline with modern buildings standing shoulder to shoulder with fascinating 400 year old edifices.
It boasts of some fine examples of Qutab Shahi architecture - the Jami Masjid, the Mecca Masjid, Toli Masjid, and of course, the impressive symbol of Hyderabad, the Charminar.
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More about Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial: Calcutta's Pride
The white marble building at the Southern end of Calcutta's maidan continues to be the city's pride and joy. The Victoria Memorial, with its formal gardens and water courses was conceived by Lord Curzon to commemorate the British Empire at its peak. Other colonial monuments within the city have either been obliterated with time or have been renamed or demolished. But the popularity of the "VM" seems to endure for ever.
The Memorial consists of numerous hybrid features: it has Italian-style statues over its entrances, Mughal domes in its corners and tall elegant open colonnades along its sides. The building was designed by Sir William Emerson and its construction was completed in 1921. The main attraction at the memorial is the huge sombre statue of the Queen, which is flanked by two ornamental tanks. Made of Makrana marble from Jodhpur, the Memorial is capped by a dome bearing a revolving bronze figurine symbolizing victory.
There are 25 galleries in a chamber beneath the dome. These house several mementos of British Imperialism - statues and busts of Queen Mary, George V and Queen Victoria; paintings of Robert Clive and the Queen, French Guns captured at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and a black marble throne of a nawab defeated by Clive.
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More about Agra Fort
Agra Fort
The high red sandstone ramparts of this great monument stretch
for almost 2.5 kilometres, dominating a bend in the river Yamuna,
northwest of the Taj Mahal. The foundation of this majestic
citadel was laid by the Emperor Akbar and it developed as a
stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations.
The curved bastions of the huge walls are interrupted by
impressive gates of which only the Amar Singh gate is now open to
the public. The original and grandest entrance was through the
Delhi Gate, which leads to the inner portal called the Hathi Pol
or Elephant Gate.
The graceful Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences, made of
red sandstone, was constructed by Shahjahan in 1628. Three rows
of white polished stucco pillars topped by peacock arches
support the flat roof. Today, this Hall is bereft of brocade
decorations, silk carpets and satin canopies which would have
enhanced the elegance of the settings when the Emperor sat down
with his subjects to hear their complaints.
The Agra Fort houses the Royal Pavilions, which were designed to
catch the cool breeze wafting across the river. Other
attractions comprise the Macchi Bhawan or the Fish Palace, the
Hammam-i-Shahi or the Royal Bath, the Nagina Masjid or the Gem
Mosque, and the Zenana Meena Bazaar, where the ladies of the
court would browse through goods like silk, jewellery and
brocade.
Past the Chitor gate, installed in 1568, is the Diwan-i-Khas, or
the Hall of Private Audience. Here, the emperor would receive
kings, dignitaries and ambassadors. Tucked away by the west wall
of the hall is the Mina Masjid or the Heavenly mosque, where
Shahjahan prayed when he was imprisoned in the Fort by his son
Aurangzeb.
A doorway from the rear of the Diwan-i-Khas leads to the
Mussaman Burj, a two-storeyed pavilion, where Shahjahan caught
the last glimpse of the Taj Mahal before he died. Surrounded by a
verandah, the elegant chamber has a lattice-screen balustrade
with ornamental niches; exquisite inlay covers almost every
surface and a marble chhatri (umbrella) on top adds the finishing
touch.
The Khas Mahal or the Private Palace was used by the emperor as
a sleeping chamber and is designed for comfort, with cavities in
the room to insulate against the heat. The Mahal is flanked by
two golden pavilions. Other ornate palaces within the Fort are
the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), the Shah Jahani Mahal
(Shahjahan's Palace), Jahangiri Mahal (Jahangir's Palace) and
the Akbari Mahal (Akbar's Mahal). These palaces are hybrid in
design and some are distinctly Mughal in style while others like
the Jahangiri Mahal are almost entirely Hindu in their interior
design.
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Ethipothala Falls,AP
Buland Darwaza
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