A Handbook to Agra and the Taj: Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri and the Neighbourhood

This little book is not intended for a history or archaeological treatise, but to assist those who visit, or have visited, Agra, to an intelligent understanding of one of the greatest epochs of Indian art. In the historical part of it, I have omitted unimportant names and dates, and only attempted to give such a sketch of the personality of the greatest of the Great Moguls, and of the times in which they lived, as is necessary for an appreciation of the wonderful monuments they left behind them. India is the only part of the British Empire where art is still a living reality, a portion of the people’s spiritual possessions. We, in our ignorance and affectation of superiority, make efforts to improve it with Western ideas ; but, so far, have only succeeded in doing it incalculable harm. It would be wiser if we would first attempt to understand it.