Agra is synonymous with the Taj Mahal. The city is recognised all through the world because of the marble monument of love.

It is a wonder but across the Yamuna lies another marble wonder, equally awe-inspiring, though not as famous. Itmad-Ud-Daulah, the exquisite mausoleum, is a less known and still lesser visited monument that is as beautiful as Taj. 

Standing on the left bank of Yamuna, this marble monument is said to have been instrumental in inspiring the design of Taj Mahal. Some people refer to it as Baby ‘Taj’. Itmad-ud-Daulah, the exquisite tomb of Mirza Ghiasuddin Baig, the father of Empress Nur Jahan, is a masterpiece of architecture.

It is the first Mughal monument to be crafted totally from marble and using the art of pietra dura (slices of semi-precious stone laid in the hollows of the designs).

The dome-less tomb is a masterpiece that differs from the generally domed Moghul tombs and marks the transition from starkness of red stone to graceful and serene white marble. All Moghul structures till the time of Akbar had been constructed with the red sandstone it was only after the creation of Itmad-ud-Daulah that marble structures found favour. Shah Jahan, thereafter, built most of his edifices with marble.

Itmad-ud-Daulah was the title given to Mirza Ghiyas Beg by Emperor Akbar. The Mirza, a resident of Persia, had to flee his country fearing persecution after the death of its ruler, Shah Tahmasp.

He travelled through the deserts and rough terrains with his family for months, penniless and wanting. While crossing the desert, his wife gave birth to a baby girl who grew up to become Nur Jahan. The family arrived at Agra and the Mirza presented himself before Emperor Akbar.

The astute emperor, who had an eye for the talented, immediately spotted the potential in the poor Persian and Ghiyas Beg found himself employed in the emperor’s court.

The émigré rose to a position of power. The ultimate success for the family came when Ghiyas Beg’s daughter, Meherunnisa, married Emperor Jahangir and donned the crown of a queen who came to be called Nur Jahan. For 16 long years Nur Jahan ruled Hindustan from behind a veil while Jahangir immersed himself in wine and opium. 

She surrounded herself with her family and elevated them to various posts of importance; with her father as the prime minister. For the first time in Mughal history, coins were struck in the name of a woman.

To ensure her position of power in the Mughal court, Nur Jahan brought in the match of Shah Jahan with her niece Mumtaz Mahal. Her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg was one of the most powerful men in the Mughal court during her years of reign and when a man whose daughter is an empress dies, it is but natural that a beautiful mausoleum be constructed for him.

Personal eye

It is said that Nur Jahan personally supervised and designed the details of the mausoleum. Apart from her other abilities she is reputed to have had an uncanny sense of design. Her initial plans for the mausoleum were ambitious and extravagant, with gold plated doors and ample use of silver.

It was her brother, Asaf Khan, who dissuaded her from using precious metals due to fears of theft and plunder. She then made use of the art known as pietra dura, till then an unused art in the Mughal monuments. Nur Jahan completed the construction of her parents’ tomb in 1628, nearly seven years after his demise.

The main entrance to the tomb is on the east side, while ornamental gateways have been constructed in the north and south sides of the edifice. The river Yamuna flows sedately behind the monument.

The western side of the monument has a multi-storeyed pavilion in red sandstone. The shallow water channels, sunk in the middle of the raised stone paved pathways with intermittent tanks and cascades divide the garden into four equal quarters.

Water channels run all along the sides of the garden and around the mausoleum. The mausoleum stands at the centre of a Charbagh, enclosed within high walls. The Charbagh, essentially, a depiction of the paradise with its four gardens criss- crossed with water channels, was a concept that was brought to this country by Babar when he arrived in India.

The main building stands on a plinth of red sandstone with the middle of each side facing a lotus tank with fountain. Each façade has three arches, the central one being the entrance to the cenotaphs, and the other two on the sides are enclosed by intricate jaalis of marble. Each side has a ‘chhajja’ with a jaali balustrade above it.

The ornamentation and mosaic pattern on the marble surface are some of the most beautiful elements of the monument. Rose water vases, grapes, platters filled with fruits, wine cups and flasks, Cyprus trees and other Persian motifs cover the walls. According to records the motifs were once studded with semi-precious stones.

The inner walls of the chambers were covered with colourful paintings of flowers, birds, and animals, done in an expert hand. Animal motifs as well as human figures are depicted in painted designs, mostly inside the jar shaped Guldastas.

The main structure comprises a central hall which is parallelogram in shape and houses the tomb of the Mirza and his wife, Asmat Begum. The cenotaph of Asmat Begum occupies the centre of the hall, which is surrounded by smaller chambers which hold the tombs of other family members of Nur Jahan, including her daughter Laadli Begum from her first husband, Sher Afghan.

A sandstone staircase leads to the first floor, where an elegant oblong dome is found surmounting a pavilion over the central hall. It is topped by two pinnacles. Unlike the hemispherical domes prevalent in most Mughal mausoleums, the Itmad-Ud- Daulah, has the rectangular one. The oblong dome has finely designed marble screens on all sides. At the corners of the building stand four round towers which are surmounted by marble kiosks.

A daughter’s tribute

Itmad-Ud-Daulah is the creation of an adoring daughter for a father who transformed the family’s fortunes from rags to riches.  As one wanders through the chambers that housed the remains of the Mirza, his wife and other relatives, the thought that comes is whether they would have found such a beautiful resting place had Meherunissa not become Empress Nur Jahan and ruled the Mughal Empire for 16 years.