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In the lanes of Agra
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Lucy Peck has come up with a guide to explore Agra beyond the Taj
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The leisurely past Babar’s Aram Bagh in Agra
Few people know just how much more there is to Agra than the Taj Mahal. A recent listing by INTACH has identified many beautiful ruined Mughal gardens, tombs and mosques, colonial buildings, and havelis along the winding lanes of the old city.
Now Lucy Peck has come up with a book for those who want to do more than the normal tourist route.
Historic guide
Called “The Architectural Heritage: An INTACH Roli Guide”, it takes the visitor through historic Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, revealing the lesser-known buildings to be found in both places. “The format is similar to my book on Delhi. It is illustrated with photos, line drawings and numerous maps, many of which feature walks through the historic areas,” says Lucy, a qualified architect with a degree in Town Planning.
Lucy says, “The Mughals shifted their capital from Agra to Delhi when the city started getting congested and the river front started eroding. Also Shahjehan was interested in building monuments and wanted to explore new territories.” Ironically, now Delhi has become congested.
“But Agra is no longer an option,” says Lucy. “The old city is less congested than Delhi and the gateways and gardens could still be a site for tourists to visit unlike Old Delhi.”
Lucy is very impressed with the Samadhi of the founder of Radhasoami sect being built at Dayalbagh.
“It is being built since 1905 with high quality workmanship by real craft people.”
She also suggests the gardens near Itmadadullah which have been restored.
“For the discerning there are beautiful gateways in the old city. Then in Sikri village there are remnants of the Mughal era, which are worth a visit. Maps have been provided in the book so that people don’t face a problem in locating the place.”
In the recent years, we have seen films and books where directors and authors have taken liberty with historical figures and have presented them in a new light. Ketan Mehta’s Mangal Pandey, Jaishree Misra’s Rani and now Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Jodhaa Akbar are few cases in point. Lucy says she has no problem on the new trend of mixing history with the folklore, as long as the author’s intentions are clear.
“If you dig deep into folklore you find a kernel of truth, and India has a long tradition of passing the happenings of the time orally. But, the reader or viewer should be told how much of the work has documentary proof and how much has been spun around folklore.”
ANUJ KUMAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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