Agra: Agra Fort, which is better known as the focal point of the Mughal era, used to be the site of major Holi celebrations during the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
Holi used to one of the most celebrated festivals of that period and Akbar played Holi with his wife Jodha Bai. During the regime of Aurangzeb, Holi was not only banned in Agra Fort but in the entire country.
History books have mentioned about Agra Fort and its association with Holi. Mughal courtier Abul Fazal has written about Agra's Holi in his famous book 'Ainee-Akbari'. According to historians when Babar came to Agra, he was surprised to witness Holi celebrations.
Munshi Zakullah's book, 'Tarikh-e-Hindustani', has written about the gala manner in which Holi would be celebrated at Agra Fort during Mughal period. He has written that, Emperor Akbar used to play Holi and himself selected his 'pichkaris' that sprayed colours covering a wide area. History tells us that after playing Holi with Jodha Bai in Agra Fort, Akbar used to go out to play with the commoners.
Jahangir had named Holi as 'Eid-e-Gulabi' meaning festival of colours and during his tenure, it was celebrated in a gala manner at Agra Fort. On the occasion, dance and musical performances would be staged on Jahangir's court.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, senior historian Rajkishore 'Raje' said that Holi was played in Agra Fort during the regimes of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Holi was called 'Aabpashi' meaning festival of water shower by Shah Jahan, he said.
"After which, Aurangzeb sat on the throne of Mughal Sultanate. During his reign, Holi celebrations were completely stopped not only at Agra Fort but across the Mughal Sultanate. Later on, when the Marathas became powerful in the south and the Jat kings of Bharatpur came to power, Holi started to be celebrated again," the historian said.
Raje said that Holi celebrations in Agra during the Mughal era have been depicted by the then painters Govardhan and Rasik. There is mention of Mughals playing Holi in the manuscripts preserved in Braj Culture Research Institute. Verses written in Hindi on Holi are preserved in the Raza Library of Rampur.
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