Agra: Two Mughal-era structures, including Haveli of Agah Khan and
Hathi Khana, both located on the sastern side of the
Taj Mahal, have been declared as the monuments of national importance by the Ministry of Culture.
Agha Khan was a eunuch (khwaja sara), who served Mumtataz Mahal and also held the post of fauzdar (commandant in charge of law and order) of Agra til 1652 and later its suburbs. He also held the post of mutawali (trusteeship) of the Taj Mahal.
In 1652, Agha Khan supervised the construction of a hunting palace, Samurgarh, for shah Jahan near Agra. “He was also assigned the job to ensure proper care of a thousand horses of the Mughal army. He died in 1658,” said an ASI official.
Hathi Khana, which is a gateway and probably, as the name suggests, was the entry point to the area where elephants were kept.
The culture ministry has notified both of these structures as protected monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958 by a Gazette of India notification dated July 23, 2018. A total of 266 historical monuments and archaeological sites including two Mughal-era structures have been declared protected by the ASI in Agra circle.
The ASI Agra circle has got two new monuments under its protection, after 19 years since the acquisition of Tomb of Muhammad Khan Bangash Nawab in Farrukhabad district. In Agra district, the number of protected monuments have now gone up from 68 to 70.
The selected monuments find a mention in a book written by Ebba Koch, the Austrian architectural historian, as “riverfront Mughal gardens” in Agra. At present, all the structures are in a dilapidated state.
Talking to TOI, superintending archeologist in ASI (Agra circle) Vasant Swarankar said that the ASI will chalk out a plan for their conservation work and will also undertake a plantation drive.
“We will also seek permission to remove wild trees and bushes to carry out the plantation drive at these sites,” said Swarankar, adding that the regular maintenance of these sites would make them a tourists attraction.
A file photo of Hathi Khana in Agra district
