Beyond the Taj: Agra's hidden heritage sites cry out for preservation

During the Diwali week, a newspaper report served up a firecracker that startled and shocked heritage lovers. A historical monument in Agra, albeit of relatively minor importance, had collapsed. It was a tower that stood on the banks of the Yamuna and was dated to a time that was Agra’s heyday – when it was one of the most important cities of the Mughal empire, including a period as its capital.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) list for Agra district stands at 67 monuments. Number 32 on that list has now been confined to a state of rubble. This was the corner tower of the Zahara Bagh – mentioned in the ASI list as ‘Zohra Bagh and river side kiosk’. The newspaper incorrectly dated it to 1526, which was when Babur first arrived in Agra, after his victory over the Lodis. As per detailed research done by historian Ebba Koch, the Bagh in question was built nearly a century later under the patronage of Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Mughal Prince Khurram and later empress when Khurram succeeded to the throne as Shah Jahan.

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According to a 17th century map found by Ebba Koch in a Jaipur museum, the Zahara Bagh was one of several walled gardens built alongside the Yamuna in Agra, throughout that century. Like the Zahara Bagh, most of the others too were created under the patronage of either members of the Mughal imperial family or high nobility. Close to the Bagh lies the Chini ka Rauza, tomb of a senior nobleman. A short distance further is the magnificent tomb of Itmad-ud-daulah, the father of empress Nur Jahan. The Bagh, thus, was in a zone meant for the empire’s elite.

Except that its name wasn’t Zahara Bagh! After Mumtaz Mahal, the Bagh was passed on to her eldest daughter, princess Jahanara and was named after her. ‘Jahanara’, over time, mutated to ‘Zahara’. Even worse, some term it ‘Zohra’. Names apart, the real tragedy of heritage-rich locations like Agra is that so many nuggets of their past tend to fall off the radar of those responsible for their upkeep. Lack of adequate funds is a significant cause, as is the lack of initiative and passion.

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Perhaps the greatest error in the Indian approach to heritage management is that it tends to be monument-centric, looking at structures individually rather than the larger ecosystem they are part of, indeed an ecosystem that may well have spawned the monument itself. In this approach, monuments of stature – either in terms of historical importance or sheer size – get all the attention and the funds. The smaller ones, like the ‘Zahara’ Bagh, are left to prove that God indeed exists somewhere.

Agra was once a city filled with such gardens and havelis - huge mansions where the nobility and wealthy citizens resided. Most were intact even at the beginning of the 18th century. Since then, events such as the gradual decay of the Mughals to their final collapse and the Partition combined with the decadent lifestyle of the nobles themselves to ruin them — leading to the gardens being gradually abandoned and mansions sold to whoever could pay, usually wealthy merchants. Over time, the mansions were sold in parts to different buyers, or some merely occupied by families needing to resettle. New walls replaced the old, elegant features such as towers and domes were demolished to make way for functional rooms and soon, all structural integrity was lost. Exploring Agra today, one observes remnants of many such lost structures.

Starting with the now-lost corner tower of the ‘Zahara’ Bagh itself. Two months ago, it stood tall – three levels rising above a ground floor, topped by a dome (as shown in the lead image). Now, only the ground floor remains under a pile of rubble.

A short drive from the Bagh brings a visitor to the Chauburji. Usually, the gate to the walled compound that houses this structure is locked. But if a person gets a peek within, a squarish tomb stands within. This is believed to be the original tomb of Babur himself, before his body was disinterred and taken to Kabul.

On the same side of the river lies a village called Kachhpura, considered a not-too-safe part of the city to go to on account of some supposedly anti-social elements who reside there. In an earlier era, it witnessed the creation of a mosque by Humayun. The structure is still in use.

Etmadpur: Outside Agra on the road to Tundla, this was once an elaborate complex with a tomb on one side of a large water body. In the middle of a water body stands an octagonal pavilion connected to the edge of the tank with a causeway. In the tomb lies a nobleman called Itimad Khan, who died around 1578. In the late 19th century, it appears British troops used the place to camp, carving their names and dates on the walls, making their graffiti a part of our history now.

Fatehabad: Located east of Agra city, in a place named after Aurangzeb’s victory over Dara Shikoh, lies a small complex. Some of the buildings here have been turned into a government medical facility when this author last visited the place. Some elegant pavilions in the complex are overgrown by vegetation and falling apart.

Tal Firoz Khan: Originally a village just outside Agra on the road to Gwalior, it has now been absorbed into the growing city. The village was created around the tomb of a Mughal nobleman called Firoz Khan, a eunuch who may have served Shah Jahan. His magnificent red sandstone tomb, built over two levels and richly embellished, still stands. The water body – the ‘tal’ – is now filled with refuse and much reduced in size. It may soon vanish, taking away a part of the monument’s ecosystem and leaving visitors to wonder about the village’s name.

Suraj Bhan ka Bagh: Located close to Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra, this monument is strangely in private hands, in a compound kept locked. While no trace remains of a bagh, a large gateway in red sandstone stands, richly carved on its exterior.

Tomb of Ladli Begum: This is the classic example of a monument that no longer exists and whose existence itself is now mere legend. The tomb is said to have been on the old road from Agra to Delhi. There is no sign of it now!

Some opinions dating over a century ago say that the tomb was sold to wealthy merchants from Mathura who pulled it down, using the land for different purposes. Given that the only known Ladli Begum – daughter of Nur Jahan from her first marriage – was buried next to her mother in Lahore, there is also doubt about whose tomb this was.

These examples are but a handful from a city that has hundreds of vulnerable monuments. And unlike these, many have no board parked next to them proclaiming the state’s protection for their existence. As much a part of the city’s past as the Taj, they need documentation and some conservation to survive. One hopes that the loss of the ‘Zahara’ Bagh will stir some people into action.

The author is a heritage explorer by inclination with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.