Agra Red Fort Travel Map

Agra Red Fort, located 2.2 km north-west of Taj Mahal, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sprawling over an area of 380,000 sq m, the fortress is situated on the right bank of River Yamuna.This fort was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar, after he defeated the Afghans at Panipat in 1556. Originally, this fort was held by the Hindu Sikarwar and subsequently, by Ibrahim Lodi, Babur, Humayun and Sher Shah.The fort was in bad shape when Akbar rebuilt it using red sandstone, which was brought from the Barauli area in Rajasthan. The renovation was completed in 1573, after eight years of hard work of 1,444,000 labours.The fort is often referred to as walled city, as seventy feet high walls surround it on all sides. Out of the four gates provided on its four sides, Delhi Gate and Lahore Gate are the most notable.Delhi Gate, which lies on the western side of the fort, was the grandest entrance. It leads to the inner gateway, the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate, which is guarded by two life-size stone elephants.Presently, Amar Singh Gate is the only gateway leading to the fort. There are numerous palaces within this fort, like the Khas Mahal, Shish Mahal and octagonal tower of Musamman Burj.Tourists visiting the fort can see reception rooms like Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Am, which were built in 1637 and 1628, respectively. Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque and Nagina Masjid are also housed with the fort. Moti Masjid was constructed between 1646 and 1653 by Shah Jahan, while the Nagina Masjid was built during the reign of Aurangzeb.Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb in this fort. It is believed that Shah Jahan took his last breath in Musamman Burj, which is a tower with a marble balcony, from where the Taj Mahal can be seen. The fort has been the site of the Indian rebellion of 1857, which led to the end of the British East India Company's rule in India.