Mankameshwar Temple-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

Mankameshwar Mandir (Temple) in Agra is one of the ancient temples devoted to Lord Shiva. The temple is situated at Rawatpara, near Agra Fort Railway Station. It is said that the shivlinga is covered by the silver metal and was founded by Lord Shiva himself during Dwapara era, when krishna was born in mathura. For child krishna darshan Shiva arrived from mount kailash and rested here. Shamshaan(cremation ground) yamuna which used to flow here, Shiva meditated and night stayed at the Mankameshwar Temple. wished if i would be able to make krishna play on my lap i wil put a linga here.Next day after seeing shiva's swaroop, ma yashoda asked shiva not to come near the child as krishna might get afraid of him.Seeing this krishna did a leela(drama), started crying pointing towards shiva who was sitting under a banyan tree in samadhi position.seeing this ma yashoda called lord shiva and asked him to give his blessings to her child(krishna).Coming back from gokul, shiva came back and laid his linga(swaroop) here.Thus,he said my wishes were fulfilled here;Whosoever in coming future comes here with his mankamna(wishes) you lingaswaroop will fulfill his or her mankamna (wishes).From then onwards this linga swaroop is known as shri mankameshwarnath ji.

The temple has one sanctum sanctorum where the vigraha of Lord Shiva sits. It is surrounded by the typical Shiva family idols. One has to descend down a score of stairs to reach the sanctum sanctorum. One can reach fully close to the main vigraha provided one doesn't wear leather items and English style pants, pyjamas, and salwaar suits.

On 24 July 2004, lord krishna's swaroop(ShriNath ji) was established under the guidelines of Shri nanaji bhai mukhiya ji of Shri Dwarikadeesh nath ji,mathura.Madhurashtkam and aarti of shrinath ji is a special scene to see.

Behind the sanctum sanctorum are several small temples within the main temple complex. These are devoted to various deities like Lord Ganga, Saraswati, Gayatri, Hanuman, Kaila devi, Narsimha, Krishna, Rama to name a few.

Math is looked afterby shri shri mahant Yogesh Puriji, who succeeded his father late shri shri mahant Udhav Puriji. 11 Akhand jyoti are being lit everyday(24 hrs.) of desi ghee. Devotees after fulfilling their wishes comes here to light a deepak of 1.25 Rs. to 1.25 lakh Rs. everyday.

Math also runs a Hospital, Vidyalaya, Gowshaala, at village, digner shamshabad road agra. 17 km far from the temple. Temple of shri girraj maharaj(govardhan nath) is getting constructed over there. At rawatpada a pre-nursery school, homeopathic clinic, computer education centre, a dharmshaala(guesthouse) is also run by the Math Administrator, shri Harihar Puriji.

There are special paan which you get near Mankameshwar. These are folded in such a manner so that their shape becomes that of a pyramid. They are then coated with "chandi ka verk" (Silver Foil) and garnished with coconut powder.

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Guru ka Tal-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

Guru ka Taal is a historical Sikh pilgrimage place dedicated to the memory of ninth Guru Sri Guru Tegh Bahudar Ji. Guru ka Taal is near Sikandra in Agra. The Gurudwara was built over the place where the Guru Tegh Bahadur laid down his arms to offer arrest to Aurangazeb, the Mughal Emperor. Several devotees gather every year to pay homage to the great Sikh guru in this Gurudwara.
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Moti Masjid (Agra Fort)-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

The Moti Masjid (Urdu: موتی مسجد‎, translation: Pearl Mosque) in Agra was built by Shah Jahan. During the rule of Shah Jahan the Mughal emperor, numerous architectural wonders were built. Most famous of them being the Taj Mahal. Moti Masjid earned the epithet Pearl Mosque for it shined like a pearl. It is held that this mosque was constructed by Shah Jahan for his members of royal court.

Architecture
Exterior view Moti Masjid, Agra.

It stands on ground that slopes from east to west to the north of Diwan-i-Am complex in Agra Fort. The courtyard of the Moti Masjid has side arcades and arched recessions and the main sanctuary facade beyond. The sanctuary is roofed with three bulbous domes built of light white marble and stand on the red sandstone walls. There are a series of Hindu-style domed kiosks along the parapet. There are seven bays that are divided into aisles which are supported by piers and lobed arches. The Moti Masjid boasts of extensive white marble facing, a typical stylistic feature of architecture during the reign of Shah Jahan.

This masjid was constructed at a cost of 1 lakh and 60 thousand rupees and took four years to build. According to Sant Nihal Singh, "It struggles of the soul to soar above worldly entanglements."

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Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

The Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani is the mausoleum of Mariam-uz-Zamani, the Hindu consort of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She was the mother of next Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The tomb is located in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra.

Architecture

The structure was originally an open baradari (pleasure pavilion) under Sikander Lodi who built it in 1495 AD. It was adopted by the Mughals in 1623 AD and converted into a tomb by making a crypt below the central compartment. They remodelled it substantially. The ground floor consists of some forty chambers built by Sikander Lodi, which bear faint traces of paintings on plastered walls. The centre of the ground floor houses the cenotaph of Mariam.

The mausoleum contains three tombstones: one in the underground mortuary chamber, which is the grave itself; the cenotaph above it on the ground floor and another cenotaph on the terrace.

This square tomb stands in the centre of a sprawling Mughal garden. The square building of the tomb of Mariam Zamani is built on a raised platform with stairs on its northern and southern sides. The two corridors running from east-west and north-south divide the structure into nine sections that are further subdivided into smaller compartments. The largest one is at the centre, four small square ones at the corners and four oblong ones in the middle of four sides. Massive piers have been used to support the broad arches and vaulted ceilings. The building material is brick and mortar, with the finishing done in stucco.

The four facades of the building were reconstructed with red sandstone panels and a chhajja with addition of duchhati (mezzanine floors) at the corners by the Mughals. On each facade is an arch in the centre, set in a rectangular frame which projects forward. It is flanked on each side by a wing which consists of three arches and a set of double arches, one over the other, thus accommodating a duchhatti at each corner of the building. The arches are pointed. The wings are protected by chhajjas. The duchhatti are accessible by stairways.

The superstructure was also remodelled by Mughals by addition of chhatris and chhaparkhats. The superstructure has four massive octagonal chhatris on its four corners, and four oblong chhaparkhats on the middle of the four sides. Each chhatri is made out of red sandstone and stands on a square platform. Brackets have been used to support the internal lintels and external chhajja, five on each pillar, making a total of 40 brackets in one chhatri. Each chhaparkhat is rectangular and has eight pillars with a similar cluster of brackets. While the chhatris are made out of red sandstone, their domes are white. The roof of each chhaparkhats is white. Their domes are crowned by an inverted lotus or 'padma kosha'. These chhatris and chhaparkhats constitute the most important ornament of the whole composition. The rectangular chhaparkhats with eight pillars and a cluster of brackets resemble the corner cupolas. They dominate as much on façade as on superstructure. The building is complete in itself even without a dome. The mausoleum is of architectural importance in the category of Mughal tombs without a dome.

Another important aspect of the tomb is that the building looks identical from the front and back. Unlike other Mughal era structures, the back entrance is not a dummy but can actually be used.
 
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Musamman Burj (Agra Fort)-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

Musamman Burj also known as the Saman Burj or the Shah-burj, is an octagonal tower standing close to the Shah Jahan's private hall Diwan-e-Khas in Agra Fort.

Architecture

The Musamman Burj is made of delicate marble lattices with ornamental niches so that the ladies of the court could gaze out unseen. The decoration of the walls is pietra dura. The chamber has a marble dome on top and is surrounded by a verandah with a beautiful carved fountain in the center.

The tower looks out over the River Yamuna and is traditionally considered to have one of the most poignant views of the Taj Mahal. It is here that Shah Jahan along with his favorite daughter Jahanara Begum had spent his last few years as a captive of his son Aurangzeb. He lay here on his death bed while gazing at the Taj Mahal in Agra.

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Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

The Jama Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri is a mosque in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, completed in 1571-5 by Sheikh Salim Chishti. The Imam of the Mosque has been the late Hazrat Shah Muhammad Mazhar Ullah and now his son Maulvi Mukarram Ahmad leads the prayer.Being the mosque constructed by the Mughal Emperor,they are referred to as 'Shahi Imams' (Royal Imams)

Architecture
Buland Gate Jama Masjid

The rectangular mosque comprises a central nave with a single dome, two colonnaded halls on either side, with two square chambers crowned with domes. Carved mihrabs adorn the main chamber and the two smaller rooms.

The mosque marks the phase of transition in Islamic art, as indigenous architectural elements were blended with Persian elements. The pillared dalan of the facade, the liwan with three arched openings framed by panels and crowned by five chhatris and the central mihrab adorned with an inlaid mosaic of stones that are bordered by glazed tiles, and it has golden inscriptions on a royal blue background, a tribute to this fusion. The interiors of the iwan are adorned with watercolour paintings depicting stylized floral designs. The dado panels, spandrels of arch and soffits are painted profusely. Unlike other monuments, where domes are supported on squinches, here corbelled pendentives support the dome.

The Buland Darwaza and the Tomb of Salim Chishti are also a part of the mosque complex.
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Ram Bagh-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

The Ram Bagh (Hindi: Aaram bagh, Urdu: اراما باغ‎) is the oldest Mughal Garden in India, originally built by the Mughal Emperor Babur in 1528, located about five kilometers northeast of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Babur was temporarily buried there before being interred in Kabul.

The garden is a Persian garden, where pathways and canals divide the garden to represent the Islamic ideal of paradise, an abundant garden through which rivers flow. The Aram Bagh provides an example of a variant of the charbagh in which water cascades down three terraces in a sequence of cascades. Two viewing pavilions face the Jumna river and incorporates a subterranean 'tahkhana' which was used during the hot summers to provide relief for visitors. The garden has numerous water courses and fountains.

The name is a corruption of the Persian Aaram Bagh meaning 'Garden of Rest'. It is also variously known as Bagh-i Nur Afshan 'Light-Scattering Garden', Aalsi Bagh or 'Lazy Garden': according to legend, Emperor Akbar proposed to his third wife, who was a gardner there, by lying idle for 6 days until she agreed to marry him.

Jahangir waited in the garden in early March 1621 for the most astrologically auspicious hour for him to enter Agra after he took the Fort of Kangra. The preserved, surviving architecture dates to his reign and demonstrates the skill of his wife Nur Jahan as a garden designer.

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Panch Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

Panch Mahal is a five-storey palace in Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India.

It is also known as "Badgir", which means wind catcher tower. Panch Mahal stands close to the Zenana quarters or Harem and that supports the fact that it acted as a pleasure palace. This is an extraordinary structure, entirely columnar, consisting of four storeys of decreasing size disposed a symmetrically upon a ground floor, which contains 84 columns. The pillars, that originally had jaali between them, support the whole structure. Once these screens provided purdah (cover) to queens and princess on the top terraces enjoying the cool breezes and watching splendid views of Sikri fortifications and the town nestling at the foot of the ridge.

The pavilion gives a majestic view of the fort that lies on its left. It was built by Akbar and only took 10 years to build the whole city.Built on the pattern of a Buddhist Temple, Panch Mahal was basically a pleasure palace of emperor Akbar. He primarily used it for relaxation and entertainment purpose.The pool in front of the Panch Mahal is called the Anoop Talao. It would have been filled with water, save for the bridge, and it would have been the setting for musical concerts and other entertainment.The Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas are notable for their layout.
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Chini Ka Rauza-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

Chini ka Rauza is a funerary monument, rauza in Agra, India, containing the tomb of Allama Afzal Khan Mullah, a scholar and poet who was the Prime Minister of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The tomb was built in 1635. Chini ka Rauza is situated just 1 kilometer north of Itmad-Ud-Daulah Tomb, on the eastern bank of Yamuna river in Agra.

The facade of the monument is also known for one of finest examples of glazed tile work, called kashi or chini in Mughal era buildings.
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Tomb of Akbar the Great-Agra-www.vishvabhraman.com

The Tomb of Akbar the Great is an important Mughal architectural masterpiece, built 1605–1613, set in 48 Ha (119 acres) of grounds in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.Architecture

The south gate is the largest, with four white marble chhatri-topped minarets which are similar to (and pre-date) those of the Taj Mahal, and is the normal point of entry to the tomb. The tomb itself is surrounded by a walled enclosure 105 m square. The tomb building is a four-tiered pyramid, surmounted by a marble pavilion containing the false tomb. The true tomb, as in other mausoleums, is in the basement.

The buildings are constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Decorated inlaid panels of these materials and a black slate adorn the tomb and the main gatehouse. Panel designs are geometric, floral and calligraphic, and prefigure the more complex and subtle designs later incorporated in Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb.

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