Battis Khamba
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Battis Khamba (literally "tower of thirty-two pillars") is a
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
located in
Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
, in the Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
.


Background

The tower is dated to 1615–1620, during the reign of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...
. Traces of an extension on southeastern side of the tower indicate that it was originally part of a larger complex. It was part of a garden known as ''Buland Bagh'' (literally, "high garden"), built by a
eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...
known as Buland Khan, who served in Jahangir's court. While there is no record regarding the purpose of the tower, it is presumed to have served as a
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
and a check-post, for collecting
duties A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; , past participle of ; , whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, e ...
on goods transported across the Yamuna river. The area in which the tower stood was part of the ''
jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...
'' (grant) of the empress
Nur Jahan Nur Jahan (; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have be ...
. An account by Dutch merchant
Francisco Pelsaert Francisco Pelsaert ( – September 1630) was a Dutch merchant who worked for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) best known for his role as the commander of the . The ship ran aground in the Houtman Abrolhos, off the coastal regions of West ...
, who lived in Agra in the 1620s, notes that the officers of the empress imposed levies on all goods transported across the river. It is part of a
monument of national importance A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
, listed as "Chattries on the Yamuna bank to the north of Ram Bagh, Agra", protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. , a fence has been built around the monument.


Description

As described by the architectural historian
Ram Nath Ram Nath (R. Nath, born 9 March 1933) is an Indian historian who specializes in Mughal architecture. He obtained a doctorate from the Agra University, and later taught at the University of Rajasthan. He is regarded as one of India's leading art h ...
, the tower has an octagonal plan, and is built out of
brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
and stone masonry. It has three stories, with a ''
chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...
'' (pavilion) structure mounted at the top. On each side of the first story (ground floor) is an arched entrance leading into the interior, which is an octagonal hall. The second story (first floor) follows the same plan as the first. The third story (second floor) consists of an octagonal room in the center, surrounded by a columned
veranda A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
. While four pillars are present on each side, one of these is common to two sides, thus making for a total of 24 pillars, leading to the name of the tower, which literally translates to "tower of thirty-two pillars", to be described as a
misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the nam ...
; however, the next level has an additional eight pillars for at total of 32. In the middle of the terrace on the third floor, there is a ''
chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...
'' with more pillars and brackets to support the surviving ''
chhajja A ''chhajja'' is an overhanging eave or roof covering found in Indian architecture. It is characterised with large support brackets with different artistic designs. Variation is also seen in its size depending on the importance of the building on ...
'' (eave or roof). Now in a dilapidated condition, it was originally covered with glazed tiles. A flight of steps on the southern side used to lead from the ground floor to the terrace. This has now been destroyed.


References


Bibliography

* {{coord, 27.2095, 78.0380, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IN, display=title Buildings and structures of the Mughal Empire Towers completed in the 17th century Towers in India Octagonal buildings in India Buildings and structures in Agra