Agra Under The Rule of The Marathas and The Jats
Travel to India > Agra > Agra Under The Rule of The Marathas and The JatsIntroduction:
Agra was founded by Sikander Lodhi, of the Lodhi dynasty in the 16th century and received lots of attention in Mughal hands that resulted in the construction of many monuments and forts in the city. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats for a very short time and ultimately fell into the hands of the British Raj in 1803.
Agra: Under Marathas and the Jats
Agra, a city situated on the banks of the river Yamuna is generally accepted that Sultan Sikandar Lodhi, the Ruler of Delhi Sultanate founded it in the year 1504. After Sultan's death, the city passed on to his son Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi. The city was then known as Akbarabad, which remained the capital of the Mughal Empire during the rule of Emperor Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It was under the rule of Auragzeb, the entire Mughal empire fell down and thus afterwards Agra came under the rule of Marathas and Jats and at last the Britishers.
During the disorders following Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Marathas and Jat resistance resumed. Although, Marathas has a very short time effect in this region but Jats affected a lot. Under the leadership of Churaman, the Jat power took a big leap forward during the rule of the successor of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb left behind tons of serious problems for his weak successors to deal with people highly agitated like Jats. Churaman's nephew, Badan Singh founded a kingdom whose capital was named as Deeg. From Deeg he further extended his empire to cover Agra and Mathura.
Jahangir Mahal
Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707-1763), Badan Singh's eldest son and successor was described as the "Jat Plato" and the "Jat Ulysses", extended his kingdom to include Agra, Mathura, and many other places. He is known in history of Agra under the rule of Marathas and Jats as a great warrior and the most able statesman among Jats.
Golden Ages of Agra:
The golden era of the city began with the Mughals, with the great Mughal king Akbar. His son Jahangir was fond of gardens consisting of the flora and fauna. Under his order many gardens were laid inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila. Shah Jahan, known for his keen interest in architecture gave Akbarabad its most influential and precious monument, the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built in loving memory of the emperor's wife named Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum was completed in 1653. It was in this era when a large number of important constructions was constructed within Agra, namely, Jahangiri Mahal, Khas Mahal, Anguri Bagh, Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, Golden Pavilions, Macchi Bhawan, Mina Masjid, Pearl Mosque, Tajmahal, Ranhmahal, Shah Jahani Mahal, Sheesh Mahal
Golden Ages of Agra
How to get Around:
Inside Agra, one can easily roam around by taxis, tempos, auto-rickshaws and cycle- rickshaws inside the city. With the use of prepaid taxis and autos in the railway station one can explore the city on one's own. One may also choose to hire a bicycle on hourly basis too. To prevent the Taj from discoloration, now days Govt. has undergone some policies such as, diesel or petrol vehicles are prohibited in the vicinity. Therefore, one can instead opt for environment-friendly battery-operated buses, horse carts or rickshaws.
How to Reach
By Air - Agra is well connected with all the modes of transportation. Agra is connected with almost all the airlines from the major airports. The airport in Kheria is situated about 6 km from downtown, which is easily reachable by the other destinations of Agra.
By Rail - Agra being an important center of the Central Railway, is well connected to all parts of the country. Major connections are the two fastest connections from Delhi : one is the super-fast Shatabdi Express (journey time 2 hours) and secondly, Taj Express (2.5 hours).
By Road - Driving on NH 2 from Delhi is a pleasurable and attracting journey because of its four-lane double carriageway with very good and smooth surface. It doest not even take an entire 4 hours journey to cover the distance of 200kms from Delhi to Agra.