Discover the Multi Religion Fabric during Aga Tour |
Posted: July 27, 2018 |
Agra and its surroundings were included in the “Brij Chettra” which is the region of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This entire area is characterized by a typical dialect of Hindi called “Brij” Bhasa. This area also includes parts of Rajasthan, UP and MP. The original and old religion of this area has been “Shaivism”- the worship of Shiva. Lord Shiva temples are situated in all four corners of Agra, the most prominent being “Mankameshwar” meaning the one who grants all wishes. This very old temple is situated in old part of Agra very near to Mughal monuments like Jama Masjid and Agra Fort. On your full day Agra tour you can explore this old Shiva temple which even today is the centre of Shiva devotees. On the north western boundary of Agra lies the Kailash temple situated on the banks of river Yamuna this temple a few decades back was way out of the city but now is very much part of Agra city. The northeast part of Agra has another very old Shiva temple called “Balkeshwar”. Being part of Brij the Vaishnava cult is also very strong and you can see some very old Lord Krishna temples. Apart from the Hindu religion. Agra has been a prominent place in the Jain religion’s history and you can see temples related to both Digambar and Swetambar cults of Jainism. The centre of Digambar Jain religion today in Agra is very near to “Sanjay Place” the hub of commerce in Agra. “M.D Jain” is a school run from the premises of the same Jain temple. Some very old notable Jain temples related with Jain Tirthankaras lie in old mohallas like Belenganj, Taj Ganj, Roshan mohalla. The svetambar sect also has temples like “Dadabari” Islam the other major religion also has the presence of its both sects Sunni and Shia in Agra. Mughals being from a Sunni sect of Islam made some grand structures. Jama Masjid the grand mosque build during the reign of Shahjahan is the best example. Agra also has some very old mosques build maybe some 800 years back, The most prominent mosque of Shia sect is situated very near to Bhagwan talkies crossing. Christianity the most popular religion in the world also has a very prominent presence in Agra. The archdiocese of Agra is the centre for adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan some 15 districts are served by the same. The Jesuits were patronized by the Mughal courts. The first church in north India was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar. You can visit the same on your same Day Agra tour by car. This small church which is probably the oldest has the residence of the archbishop and a large church made on the Portuguese designs and style of architecture. There is also an old convent in the premises of St. Peter’s Church. Apart from Roman Catholics’ the Protestant religion has very strong presences in Agra ST Paul’s Church and many other churches are related to the same. The western religion Christianity brought a new wave of convent schools to north India. Agra has some of the oldest convent schools in north India. ST. Patrick’s dated 1842 ST Peter’s College 1846. ST. John’s College Agra 1850 are some very old institutions in a long list of missionary seen educational institutions of Agra. In a way, Agra is the hub of educational activities in north India. Apart from some beautiful churches and schools, Agra harbours history as well, with some very old Christian cemeteries in the region very after we have a tourist who wants to search the graves of their forefathers who lived worked and died in Agra. Roman Catholic cemetery near Bhagwan Talkies has an impressive memorial in shape of Taj Mahal made in red sandstone and is popularly called as the Red Taj Mahal. Sikhism the Indias no. 4 religion also has a lot to share with Agra. Guru Nanak Dev the founder of Sikh religion came to Agra and lived over here for a while. The gurudwara Lohamandi was made in memory of the master’s visit to Agra. There is a large Sikh temple on the Delhi Agra highway known as “Guru ka Tal” there is another one in old city called as “Maithan” both are related with the ninth master Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. The tenth master(Guru Gobind Singh ji) also visited Agra and there is a Gurudwara Hathi Ghat in memory of the same. All these Sikh temples called as Gurudwara have a community kitchen serving free of cost food to all humans regardless of caste creed or religion. Agra once was the thriving centre for the Parsi (Zoroastrian) religion, In fact the first hotel in Agra was opened by the Parsi community “Cecil mansion”. The liquor trade and the spinning mills of Agra had many professionals practising Parsi religion. Now only six people in Agra practice Parsi religion. A rest house called as Parsi Dharam shala and a “tower of silence” the final resting place for the dead are what is left today in the city. Though today Agra has no followers of Jewish religion but once it had a small population of Jews who find their reference in Mughal courts, Sure when the Jews lived they had their place of prayers called synagogue but the Jews of Agra either moved to Delhi or Mumbai hater. A cult was born in Agra in 1861 under Shiv Dayal Singh Ji, today this cult has more than 3 millions devotees in India. This cult is called “Radha Swami” a new town around 10 km away from the then Agra came up “Dayal Bagh” as it was called is the hub for the religious movement of Radha Swami cult. A grand memorial was started in the year 1904 and till date is not complete this memorial is the Samadhi of Shiv Dayal Singh the first master of Radha Swami Cult. This grandiose structure is carved from white marble and in coming time it will be a big attraction for tourists coming to Agra. All these places of worship can easily be seen if you book your same day Agra tour by train as it gives you ample of time to explore the city. The sat-sang (congregation) is celebrating its centenary this year (2018) In August, the samadh will be finally open to the devotees and the tourist, Intricate carving, Beautiful design, a history to be told well this grand piece of architecture has everything. Agra is a kaleidoscope of India’s unity with diversity. So many different religions live in Agra peacefully blending at ease with each other, infect a new culture was born in Agra. Rightfully Agra is the city of “sulah kul” as envisaged by the great Emperor Akbar who envisioned about the friendly relations between different religions has given birth to a new culture quite conspicuous to Agra. So next time if you make a tour of Agra think about this beautiful city in these terms.
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