India 2015

Photographed through a coach window

Photographed through a coach window

Known also as Lal Qila, Fort Rouge or the Red fort of Agra because of the red-sandstone it was made of, it was the seat of Muglah Empire. The construction started with the orders of Akbar in 1565. Shah Jahan constructed the main buildings and Aurangzeb built up the ramparts. Agra Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site located 2km northwest of Taj Mahal.

This private mughal ladies garden is thought to take its name from the decoration on the roof of the Khas Mahal (Private Palace). It has a reflecting pool with scalloped edges, a marble cascade and a parterre

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.