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Home » Tourist Attractions in Agra » Buland Darwaza |
Buland Darwaza |
The Buland Darwaza is another famous historic monument protected by the Government of India. It is built in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and is about 200 kilometers from the capital city, Delhi. Agra is mostly well known for the majestic Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort and the Fatehpur Sikkri. Agra attracts a huge number of tourists every year without fail and because of the sudden increase of people and business, the pollution in the surrounding area of the monuments have got up many folds. This has led to the Government putting an action committee to oversee the protection of the national treasures.
The Buland Darwaza of Agra means high or great gate when translated in Persian. It is located in Fatehpur Sikkri which is about 43 kilometers outside the city of Agra. Sometimes referred to as the Gate of Magnificence, the Buland Darwaza was built in the year 1602 by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great to commemorate his successful conquest of Gujarat over king Khandesh in 1573. The Buland Darwaza begins with 42 steps leading to the entrance and is about 40 meters high when measured from ground to peak.
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As with most structures built during the 16th century in India, the Buland Darwaza is also made of red sandstone with white marbles lining the inside walls of the structure. There are call calligraphic inscriptions etched on the front of the towering arch taken from the Koran. More inscriptions can be found on the pillars inside and the chattris. The religious tolerance shown by Akbar the Great at the time of his reign can be fathomed by the inscription on the Buland Darwaza taken from the words of Jesus. It reads ‘The World is but a bridge, pass over but build no houses on it’.
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