18 Interesting Facts About Agra Fort

Agra fort, as the name implies, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It is about 2.5 kilometre distant to Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.  The present-day structure was made by the Mughals, though it is said that it has stood here by the name of “Badalgarh” since the 11th century.
Have a look at more interesting history facts. 

1. First Delhi Sultan

agra fort 1

Sikandar Lodhi was the first Delhi Sultan who shifted his headquarters to Agra Fort and ruled from there. He gave it a magnitude of “second capital”.
Source: wikipedia, Image: historyfacts.com

2. The Flow Chart

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Ibrahim Lodhi lost the fort in Battle of Panipat (1517-1526)-> Babur took over after defeating Ibrahim and also built a baoli there. (1526-1530)-> Humayun (1530-1540)-> Sher Shah Suri captured the fort and it remained under the Suri Dynasty until 1555 when Humayun recaptured it->Hemu (1555-1556)-> Akbar defeated Hemu in second battle of Panipat and captured Agra.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikimedia

3. Architectural History

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When Akbar came to Agra in 1558, his historian, Abul Fazal told him that the ruined palace was known as ‘Badalgarh’. Akbar rebuilt it with red sandstones from Rajasthan. 
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia

4. Shah Jahan

shah jahan

Shah Jahan had a knack of building things with white marble. He rebuilt some of the structures in Agra Fort too. Hence, this is how the modern Agra Fort acquires its beauty.
Source: wikipedia, Image: historyofemperor.com

5. Shah Jahan’s Death

shah jahan improsenment

When he took his last breath, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. The rumour has it that that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony and a view of the Taj Mahal.
Source: wikipedia, Image: historyofindia.com

6. Site of Battle

east india company

The fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which was the cause of the end of the British East India Company’s rule and led to a century of direct rule of India by Britishers.
Source: wikipedia, Image: britishwarfacts.com

7. The Gates

agra gate

Agra Fort has two gates- Delhi Gate and Lahore Gate which is also called as Amar Singh Gate after the name of Amar Singh Rathore. Since the Indian military is still using the northern portion of the Agra Fort, the Delhi Gate is not opened to public. Tourists enter via the Amar Singh Gate.
Source: wikipedia, Image: easytravelsofindia.com

8. Important Aspect

map of agra fort

The building is an architectural wonder (Also won Aga Khan Award for architecture in 2004). Abul fazal recorded that almost 500 hundred buildings in Bengal and Gujarat were built on the design inspired by the building(s) of(/in) Agra Fort.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia

9. Destruction By British

whats in your mind

Apart from Shah Jahan, the buildings inside the fort was destructed by Britishers to make barracks instead.
Source: wikipedia

10. Sherlock Holmes

holmes

The Agra Fort plays an important role in the Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The episode featuring the fort is The Sign of the Four.
Source: wikipedia, Image: sherlockholmesfans.pinterest.com

11. Age Of Empires 3

GTA

In the second expansion pack for the video-game “Age of Empires 3- the Asian Dynasties”, Agra fort is one of five wonders for the Indian civilisation. (This is an awesome game by the way. Worth giving a shot because you’re gonna get addicted eventually.)
Source: wikipedia, Image: gamesofwarstead.com

12. Jodha Bai Place

Jodha Bai

You can see the Taj Mahal through the slits in the wall of Jodha Bai’s palace in Agra Fort.
Source: remotetraveller.com, Image: traveleasyofindia.com

13. Modelled for Red Fort

diwan i khas

The Khas Mahal of the Agra Fort was the model for the Diwan-i-Khas at the Red Fort in Delhi.
Source: remotetraveller.com, Image: easytravelsofindia.com

14. Kohinoor

Kohinoor

The Diwan-i-Khas in Agra Fort once housed Shah Jahan’s iconic “Peacock Throne”, which was inset with precious stones including the magnificent Koh-i-noor.
Source: remotetraveller.com, Image: youtube

15. Sheesh Mahal

sheesh mahal

Sheesh Mahal sets an example for decorative water engineering in the hammams. The water here may have been warmed by lamps. The mirrors, which were more precious than marble, were set into the walls, often specially chiselled to accommodate their crooked shape.
Source: daily.bhaskar.com, Image: youtube

16. For the Ladies

nagina masjid

Nagina Masjid is a small but exquisite mosque built by Shah Jahan at the Agra Fort. It was solely built for the ladies of the Fort.
Source: daily.bhaskar.com, Image: wikimedia

17. Time of Construction

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When Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone, about 1,444,000 builders worked on it for eight years, completing it in 1573.
Source: daily.bhaskar.com
18. Walls Of Fort
red fort wall
The walls of the fort are mighty 70 feet high!
Source: historyfacts.com, Image: picturesofbeauty.com