The Red Taj - Agra
4.2/5
★
based on 8 reviews
Contact The Red Taj
| Address : | Nehru Nagar, Civil Lines, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282003, India |
| Postal code : | 282003 |
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Sreenivaas Surathu on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Travellers and tourists visiting Agra get so glued to the beauty of the Taj Mahal that they tend to ignore other gorgeous sites in the city.
One such unexplored and well-kept secret of Agra is the Red Taj, also known as John Hessing Tomb. But unlike Taj Mahal, the Red Taj was built by a wife in memory of her beloved ‘man’ and this man was called John Hessing!
Who was John Hessing?
John Hessing was basically a Dutch traveller who ended up becoming an army officer and served in the troop of the Marathas in Agra. Happy with his loyalty and dedication, he was given the command of the Agra Fort by Daulatrao Scindia in 1799. But unfortunately, the fort was attacked by British Army in the year 1803, during when the commander John Hessing was killed in the battlefield trying to defend his fort.
Devastated and heartbroken by his husband’s death, his wife Ann Hessing commissioned this monument in the memory of her husband. The tomb was designed to look like the Taj Mahal but in red sandstone, a near replica of the original Taj Mahal in Agra.
The Red Taj, as it is called, displays Mughal architecture and stands on a square platform with a corridor around, while the top is a typical dome-shaped structure. The dome-shaped pavilions surrounding the Red Taj are symbolic of pride and honour. You can see the grave of John Hessing inside the central hall and a few English inscriptions that are engraved on his tomb.
Today, the Red Taj is not more than a forgotten tomb or a cemetery in Agra, but it’s certainly a reminder of the era when European adventures and mercenaries visited the country and earned a name for themselves in the local Indian troops. John Hessing too was one of those brave soldiers who rose to the rank of commander. The Red Taj or Hessing Tomb is housed inside a Catholic cemetery in Agra.
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Vasiyuddin Shaikh on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Though it is part of a currently in use cemetery, the feel of being in a cemetery does not come. It is surrounded by graves dating back by centuries. An interesting fact to look into.
Red Taj itself it expression of fine workmanship with its own beauty.
Place is visited by few tourists.
My recommendation is to visit it.
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Vishal Singh on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It's very very beautiful and marvellous place. It's very quiet and peaceful place. Everyone's gonna love it
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Prashant Pachauri on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A pleasant discovery in Agra. Poor state of maintenance by ASI. Also known as Roman Catholic Cemetery. Wonderfully similar to Taj in its construction. Many other gravestones tell long lost stories
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Shipra Tripathi on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It's a beautiful hidden gem, it's an amazing place to get your photoshoot done, as it's a quite place with no rush. I loved it in first sight..
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Sanjay negi on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It's beautiful, Mughal style architecture, full of greenery, lots of trees,plant and very less crowded..nicely managed by the govt..The Roman Catholic Martyrs’ Cemetery of Agra..The Agra Cemetery is the oldest Christian burial ground in North India, initially built for the Europeans. Many graves had Latin, English and Persian inscriptions on them...It is the tomb of John Hessing William who hailed from Utrecht in the Netherlands and was in military service with various rulers in India. When he died he was buried here.The site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India but tourists are mostly unaware about it..
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Twinkle Arora on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Its a roman catholic cemetery with replica of taj mahal in it. It's not so touristy less crowded it has intriguing details.
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Sharada Prasad on Google
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A hidden gem. Went with no expectation and was pleasantly surprised. Nothing compared to the Taj and would be a mistake to even compare. The similarity begins and ends at a domed tomb with a square platform and carving.
But Hessing was no Mughal Emperor and his widow Anne no Mumtaz- but as lore says she built it in local architectural style reflecting her love. And therein is the connect. Was fascinated to see the graves of the other British and Europeans in the Catholic Cemetery in Agra (which also had some Muslim graves)
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