A Haveli at the Agra Riverfront: Link to a Lost Heritage

Abstract

Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire at its zenith, and the splendour of the city during this period can only be imagined. There is an abundance of royal buildings which are protected by the Government of India. There were other significant buildings too, housing the high nobility, away from both the royal quarters as well as the ordinary peoples’ houses. These have largely vanished, being large enough to attract builders as well as developers. The article describes and establishes the significance of one such rare traditional townhouse or mansion called ‘haveli’ located on the river Yamuna, Agra, in relation to a larger historical and cultural landscape. It also discusses the possibilities of conservation and management for protecting and enhancing the significance of the premises and planning for its sustainable development in future.

The current edifice appears to be a coalescence of British and Mughal architecture with some local features. The building stands where similar-sized havelis stood during the Mughal period, housing high nobility. The architects of these buildings efficiently used the features of the river. With most such havelis having disappeared from the riverfront, this large residence-like edifice provides an interesting glimpse of the lost heritage. Fragments of information obtained from old maps and paintings, site surveys and some few research works have been joined together to reconstruct the origin and transformation vis-a-vis the present condition.