In the Shadow of the Taj - A Portrait of Agra

Author: Royina GrewalPublisher: PenguinYear: 2007Language: EnglishPages: 267ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143102656 DescriptionI asked a young man in a ghetto in Agra if he had ever seen the Taj Mahal. “Taj Mahal?” he said. “I haven’t seen it, but yes, I have heard of it. It is in Delhi.”’Agra has more than mere mention in the Hindu scriptures. And the city’s position of strategic importance astride important trade routes historically attracted empire-builders ranging from the Lodhis and the Mughals to the British.Now, says Royina Grewal, Agra has fallen prey to a lassitude that has caused large swathes of the once magnificent capital of emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to succumb to decay and haphazard development.Delving into myth and history, drawing deep conclusions from her lengthy conversations with varied citizens of multi-cultural Agra, Grewal weaves grand strands from the past with the humbler textures of present-day Agra to explain why the home of the world’s best-known mo