3+ 
Travels into the INDIE S. Part III. 
Palaces of the 
great men at 
Square places 
at Agra. 
§ltier vender as 
of Azra. 
Baths of Agrai 
Sepulchres of 
Agra. 
The Sepulchre 
of King Ecbar. 
The beautiful 
Maufoleum of 
Tadge-Mehal. 
The Tomb of 
King Gehan- 
guir. 
The Air of 
Agra. 
King Cha-Ge- 
han prifoner 
in his Palace. 
Auran-Zeb 
imprifoned the 
King his Fa- 
ther. 
This Palace is accompanied with five and twenty or thirty other very 
large ones, all in a line, which belong to the Princes and other great Lords 
of Court -, and all together afford a moft delightful profpe£t to thofe who 
are on the other fide of the River, which would be a great deal more a- 
greeable, were it not for the long Garden-walls, which contribute much 
to the rendering the Town fo long as it is. 1 here are upon the fame line 
feveral lefs Palaces and other Buildings. All being defirous to enjoy the 
lovely profpedtand convenience of the Water of the Ge?»«<},endeavoured to 
purcnafe ground on that fide, which is the caufe that the Town is very 
long but narrow, and excepting fome fair Streets that are in it, all the reft 
are very narrow, and without Symmetry. 
Before the Kings Palace, there is a very large Square, and twelve other 
befides of lefs extent within the Town. But that which makes the Beauty 
of Agra befides the Palaces I have mentioned, ûi^c ^er'vanjsras vthich 
are above threefcore in number-, and fome of them have fix large Courts 
with their Portico's, that give entry to very commodious Appartments, 
where ftranger Merchants have their Lodgings : There are above eight hun- 
dred Baths in the Town, and a great number of Mofcjues, of which fome 
ferve for Sanduary. There are many magnificent Sepulchres in it alfo, 
feveral great Men having had the ambition to build their own in their own 
life-time, or toered Monuments to the memory of their Fore-fathers. 
King Gehanguir caufed one to be built for King Ecbar his Father, upon ah 
eminence of the Town. It furpaflfes inmagnincnce all thofe of ihc Grand 
Signiors^ but thé faireft of all, is that which C^.z-GeA^« Ereded in honour 
of one of his Wives called Tadge-Mehal, whom he tenderly loved, and whofe 
death had almoft coft him his life. I know that the Learned and curious 
Mr. Bernier hath taken mémoires of it , and therefore I did not take the 
pains to be exadly informed of that work. Only fo much I'll fay that 
this King having lent for all the able Architefts of the Indies to Agra, he 
appointed a Council of them for contriving and perfeding the Tomb 
which he intended to Ere£t, and having fetled Salaries upon them, he or- 
dered them to fpare no coil: in making the fined Maufoleum in the World, 
if they could. They compleated it after their manner, and fucceeded to 
his fatisfadion. 
The ftately Garden into which all the parts of that Maufoleum, are di- 
ftributed, the great Pavillions with their Fronts, the beautiful Porches, the 
lofty dome that covers the Tomb, the lovely difpofition of its PillarSj the 
railing of Arches which fupport a great many Galleries, Qtiiochques and 
Terralfes, make it apparent enough that the Indians arc not ignorant in 
Architedure. It is true, the manner of it feems odd to Europeans -, yet it 
hath its excellency, and though it be not like that of the Greeks and other 
Ancients, yet the Fabrick may be faid to be very lovely. The Indians fay 
that it was twenty years in building, that as many Men as could labour in 
that great work w:ere employed, and that it was never interrupted during 
that long fpace of time. 
This King hath not had the fame tendernefs fôr the memory of his Fa- 
ther Gehanguir, as for that of his Wife Tadge-Mehal ^ for he hath raifed no 
magnificent Monument for him : And that Great Mogul is Interred in a 
Garden, where his Tomb is only Painted upon the portal. 
Now after all the Air ot' Agra is very incommodious in the Summer-time, 
and it is vcrv likely that the excefTive heat which fcorches the Sands that 
environ this Town, was one of the chief caufes which made King Cha- 
Gehan change the Climate, and chufe to live at Dehly. Little thought this 
Prince that one day he would be forced to live at Agra, what averfion foe- 
ver he had to it, and far lefs ftill, that he fliould be Prifoner there in his 
own Palace, and fo end his days in afflidion and trouble. That misfor- 
tune though, befel him, and Auran-Zeb his third Son, was the caufe of it, 
who having got the better of his Brothers, both by cunning and force, made 
fure of the Kings Perfbn and Treafures, by means, of Soldiers whom he 
craftily flipt into, the Palace, and under whofe' Cuflody the King was kept 
till he died. -j 
So 
