Itmad-Ud-Daulah Tomb in Agra
Travel to India > Agra > Itmad-Ud-Daulah Tomb in AgraLocation:
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is situated on the left bank of the Yamuna River and it is located in a large garden spreaded with water courses and walkways.
Significance:
In India Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra stands as one of the significant architectural marvels. Often known as the 'jewel box', Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is also considered to be the "draft" of the Taj Mahal. As such, it is also referred as the Baby Taj.
Description:
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is without doubt one of the most notable monuments around Taj Mahal. Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb also consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens. Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb in Agra was mainly the resting place of Mirza Ghiyas Beg and his wife Asmat Begum who were the parents of Empress Nur Jahan, the wife of Emperor Jehangir. Queen Nur Jahan built this eye-catching white marble mausoleum for housing her parents' remains. Moreover, Mirza Ghiyas Beg was a prominent official in the Mughal court and was awarded with the title of 'Itmad Ud Daulah' that means 'the pillar of the state'.
Itmad minar
Architecture:
The tomb was constructed between 1622 and 1628. Like the Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's tomb in Sikandra, the Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is built from red sandstone with marble decorations. Being the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture, it reflects all the properties of Mughal style. The foundation of the tower is about 50 meter square and 1 meter high; the tomb is about 23 meters square. Each tomb situated in the corner is about 13 meters tall. The walls of the tomb are built of precious white marble from Rajasthan, which is embellished with semi-precious stone decorations. It includes cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and topaz. The interiors of the tomb receive light from the delicate jali screens of intricately carved white marble.
Paintings on The Itmad-Ud-Daulah tomb
The interiors of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's tomb near Taj Mahal are simply spectacular; it consists of the complex latticework and carvings on marble to produce spectacular marble screens. An interesting attribute of the inlay work done on the walls of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is the frequent theme of wine caskets with snakes for handles. Other things to be noticed here is that the skillfully laid patterns of cypress trees which represent death and exotic amalgamation of geometrical patterns that embellish this tomb. The accumulation of delicate carving and inlay work make the entire tomb look like a classy jewel casket and it owns the honor for being the first pure marble tomb of its kind in India.
Useful Information about Agra:
Agra is one of the popular tourist destinations in India and attracts travelers from all across the globe. Located at a distance of 200 kilometers from New Delhi; Agra is a very famous tourist target in India. With a very rich historical background dating back to the medieval period, when great mughal emperors reigned over India, this world renowned city had lots of tourist attraction places to visit. Some of these places are: Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's Tomb, Mariam's Tomb, Jama Masjid and Chini Ka Rauza. With so many historical places in and around Agra, this city is always full with tourists. Agra Tourist Information Center provides all the details regarding major tourist spots as well as the easiest route of travel and the timing.
There are in all total three Tourist Information centers in Agra. Tourist information center provided by the Government of Agra located on Mall Road in Agra can be contacted over phone at (0562)363377, which provides all the necessary information regarding the time and best route to reach the tourist attraction places.
Another tourist information center is located in the surrounding of Agra Cantonment Railway Station. You are required to + (91)-0562-368598 to contact the authorities.
The third Agra tourist information center is placed on the Taj Road. UPTDC, located near Clarks Shiraz can be contacted over phone at (0562) 360517.