The Postcard
A postally unused postcard published by H. A. Mirza & Sons. The card, which has a divided back, was printed in Germany.
H. A. Mirza & Sons
H. A. Mirza & Sons of Chandni Chowk, Delhi, India were photographers who published both photographs and printed postcards between 1907 and 1912.
While they produced common view-cards, many depicted scenes from places throughout South Asia and the Middle East that held religious significance.
Of particular importance were postcards depicting the pilgrimage to Mecca that were purchased by many who found it impossible to go on the hajj.
Their cards were printed in Germany as tinted heliotypes, and the titles were published in either English or Urdu.
Agra Fort
Agra Fort is an ancient fort in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh in India. It was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi.
It was also known as the “Lal-Qila”, “Fort Rouge” or “Qila-i-Akbari”. Before capture by the British, the last Indian rulers to have occupied it were the Marathas.
In 1983, the Agra fort became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal.
Given its sheer size, the fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.
Like the rest of Agra, the history of Agra Fort prior to Mahmud Ghaznavi's invasion is unclear. However, in the 15th. century, the Chauhan Rajputs occupied it.
Soon after, Agra assumed the status of capital when Sikandar Lodi (A.D. 1487–1517) shifted his capital from Delhi and constructed buildings in the pre-existing Fort at Agra.
After the first battle of Panipat (A.D. 1526) Mughals captured the fort and ruled from it. In A.D. 1530, Humayun was crowned in it. The Fort acquired its present appearance during the reign of Akbar (A.D. 1556–1605).
Realising the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. The fort at the time was in a ruined condition, and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Rajasthan.
Architects laid the foundation, and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.
It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble.
The fort was invaded and captured by the Maratha Empire in the early 18th. century. Thereafter, it changed hands between the Marathas and their foes many times. After their catastrophic defeat at Third Battle of Panipat by Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761, Marathas remained out of the region for the next decade.
Finally Mahadji Shinde took the fort in 1785. It was lost by the Marathas to the British during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, in 1803.
The fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India, and led to a century of direct rule of India by Great Britain.
There was a gunpowder explosion in the cartridge factory at the fort on the 30th. November 1871 when 36 people died.
Layout of the Fort
The 380,000 m2 (94-acre) fort has a semicircular plan, with its chord lying parallel to the river Yamuna. Its walls are seventy feet high, with double ramparts and massive circular bastions at intervals, with battlements, embrasures, and string courses.
Two of the fort's gates are notable: the "Delhi Gate" and the "Lahore Gate." The Lahore Gate is also popularly also known as the "Amar Singh Gate," after Amar Singh Rathore.
The monumental Delhi Gate, which faces the city on the western side of the fort, is the grandest of the four gates, and a masterpiece of Akbar's time.
It was built circa 1568 both to enhance security and as the king's formal gate, and includes features related to both. It is embellished with intricate inlay work in white marble. A wooden drawbridge was used to cross the moat and reach the gate from the mainland; inside, an inner gateway called Hathi Pol ("Elephant Gate") - guarded by two life-sized stone elephants with their riders - added another layer of security.
The drawbridge, slight ascent, and 90-degree turn between the outer and inner gates made the entrance impregnable. During a siege, attackers would employ elephants to crush a fort's gates. However without a level, straight run-up to gather speed, such an attack was not possible.
The site is very important in terms of architectural history. Abul Fazal recorded that five hundred beautiful buildings in the style of Bengal and Gujarat were built in the fort. Some of them were demolished by Shah Jahan to make way for his white marble palaces.
Most of the others were destroyed by the British troops of the East India Company between 1803 and 1862 in order to build barracks. .
The Shish Mahal (A.D. 1631–40)
The Shish Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as part of summer palace. Its most distinctive feature is the glass mosaic work on its walls and ceiling.
These glass pieces have a highly reflective quality and glitter in the semi-dark interior. The glass was imported from Syria.
Shahjahan also built glass palaces at Lahore and Delhi.