Why no heritage status for Agra?

By Brij Khandelwal Jul 25, 2007, 3:57 GMT

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) It boasts of three heritage monuments - Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri - and several other historical structures, but Agra has still not been deemed fit to be called a heritage city.

Ever since the Taj Mahal got listed among the new seven wonders of the world a fortnight ago, tourism bodies have been demanding several concessions and grants for Agra, saying it will help promote tourism.

And conservationists and historians are once again questioning the stand taken by the central government in the Supreme Court in February this year against granting heritage status to Agra on the ground that it lacked infrastructure.

There are a 'whole lot of contradictions in the government stand because till date nobody has clarified which areas in the city come under the heritage description and which structures need conservation efforts', comments noted historian R.C. Sharma.

The city hasn't changed much if one takes into account the 1723 ghazal written by Lakshmi Chandra, who describes in great detail the roads and the localities of Agra - from Agra Fort to Charsu Darwaza and beyond to Lashkarpur - which was then the tenting ground for the Mughal army, Sharma adds.

Agra, some historians say, was founded in 1504. Even today the city remains well connected, the names and functions of various places also remain largely the same.

'Yes, in the so-called modern Agra there is evidence of haphazard planning and irrational growth, but then those are not the heritage pieces one would like preserved,' says N.R. Smith, a meticulous chronicler of Agra's modern history through his columns.

'We have to begin by demarcating the areas as Mughal Agra, the British Agra and the Agra Development Authority's Agra. Only then can one go ahead with conserving the real heritage of the city of Taj Mahal. And those who think people and their workplaces need to be demolished to make way for modern malls or parking slots are only hurting the spirit of conservation,' Smith adds.

Were emperor Akbar to rise from his grave in Sikandra some day, he would have no difficulty reaching Agra Fort without asking for directions. 'The road plans have not changed, the landmarks are all there,' says social activist Rajan Kishore.

Agra boasts of three heritage monuments right now, and proposals to confer the heritage status on the Etmauddaula and Sikandra tombs are under consideration.

Mayor Anjula Singh is personally spearheading the movement for a total makeover of the city.

But Mughal historian R. Nath has accused the Archaeological Survey of India of ignoring its own conservation manual (Sir John Marshall 1923).

Cement with some coloured powder (geru) is being extensively used in Agra to plaster walls both in the Agra Fort and various other monuments, including the Taj Mahal.

Cracks are bound to develop in any structure over the years, but they have to be periodically investigated and filled with material that is compatible with the structure.

'Quick lime has been discussed in ancient Indian architectural texts both for stucco and mortar, used for plastering the walls as well as for brick and stone masonry, flooring and roofing. The lime-mortar mix was used in ancient and medieval times for roofing and for filling the cracks and crevices.

'Such ingredients as gum, gud, urad dal, bel giri water, rumi-mastagi and tukhm-i-balanga were added to it for excellent water proofing quality, as was used in the Taj Mahal whose dome leaked in 1652, just four years after its completion. Then Aurangzeb repaired them with the same material in several thick layers and the leakage was plugged permanently. Three hundred years later there were reports of another leak in the Taj, which were similarly repaired.'

The granting of heritage city status to Agra, tourism industry leaders say, will trigger a series of changes for the monuments here and ensure that foreign tourists prolong their stay in the city.

(Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brijkhandelwal@hotmail.com )

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service