Agra

Agra
Presidency: Bengal
Coordinates:	27.179700°N 78.021400°E
Altitude:	171 m (561 ft)
Present Day Details
Place Name:	Agra
State/Province:	Uttar Pradesh
Country:	India
Transport links
Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway East Indian Railway Great Indian Peninsula Railway

The city of Agra is situated about 105 miles (170km) south-south-east of Delhi. As well as being the home of the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, Agra is an important railhead and junction. The ancient Mughal capital Fatehpur Sikri is to the south west of the city.

History

Administration

The British took possession of Agra in 1803, and until 1829, the civil administration of the city was conducted by a Collector under the orders of the commissioners of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. Between 1834 and 1836, Agra had its own Presidency, the Presidency of Agra, but this was abolished and the city was taken into the North-Western Provinces. The first Lieutenant-Governor installed there was Charles Metcalfe. Agra remained the seat of government for the province until 1858, when the administration was transferred to Allahabad. Ten years later, the High Court of Judicature followed.

In 1903, the North-Western Provinces were renamed the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (United Provinces for short) and under independant Indian rule this province became Uttar Pradesh.

Military

• Battle of Agra 1803 in the 2nd Maratha War
• Retreat to Agra 1804 in the 2nd Maratha War
• Battle of Agra 1857 in the Indian Mutiny

Social

Over three quarters of a million people, mostly Indians, died during the Agra famine of 1837–38 that hit the North-Western Provinces.

Churches and missions

St George's Church

Anglican

• St George's, Cantonment - built 1828, consecrated 1835
• St John's Church, native church - built 1856, run by the Church Mission Society
• St Mathias's Church, Agra Fort
• St Paul's, Civil Lines - built 1855, run by the Church Mission Society

Roman Catholic

• RC Cathedral, Civil Lines - built 1848, the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Agra
• St Patrick's, Cantonment

Other denominations

• Havelock Chapel, Cantonment - run by the Baptist Mission, erected 1873 in memory of Sir Henry Havelock who, with the 13th Regiment of Foot, built a Baptist chapel in the Cantonment in 1837
• American Episcopal Methodist - by the District Courts, built 1887

Missions

• Church Mission Society, St John's College
• Baptist Mission
• Methodist Mission

Cemeteries

BACSA (British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia) cemetery publications are

• Agra Cantonment Cemetery by Robin Volkers, 2001 A record of over 5,000 burials from 1806-1990s, including all existing MIs, with plot diagrams indicating the shape and location of the tombs. 697pp, 106 illustrations and plans
• Agra St Paul's Cemetery by Robin Volkers, 2007 A record of burials from 1849-1958, monuments, wall tablets and inscriptions, including those at the nearby Tot ka Tal and Sikandra cemeteries. 102pp, 22 illustrations

BACSA have put the indexes to these cemetery books online and these indexes are free to browse. If an indexed name is of interest then application can be made to BACSA for details of the relevant burial inscription - charges apply for this service

Education

Colleges

• Agra College - founded in 1823 with an endowment from the East India Company
• St Peter's College - Roman Catholic institution, founded 1841 (wikipedia entry)
• St John's College - founded by the Church Mission Society in 1850 (wikipedia entry)
• Medical College - opened in 1855 for native hospital assistants

Schools

• Victoria High School - founded in 1862
• St George's High School for European children
• Convent school for girls

Orphanages

• The Roman Catholic Church ran two orphanages in Agra for European children, c 1857, St. Paul's for boys, and St. Patrick's for girls.

Railways

Agra Fort Station

Agra was an important rail head, served by the East Indian Railway, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, and by both broad and metre gauge lines of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway.

Stations

Agra rail connections, 1938

Agra has had a number of stations, the names of which changed over time. Many are no longer operational. Known stations are:

• Agra Cantonment (BB&CIR, GIPR) - (became Idgah) in the centre of the city, along the Fatehpur Sikri Road
• Agra City (EIR, GIPR) - in the northern part of the city
• Agra East Bank (BB&CIR, EIR) - on the opposite side of the river to the Fort
• Agra Fort (BB&CIR, EIR, GIPR) - next to the Fort
• Agra Jail - (became Bilochpura) in the North West of the city, by the District Jail
• Agra Junction - (became Jumna/Yamuna Bridge) on the right bank of the Jumna river
• Agra Road (GIPR) - (became Agra Cantt) to the south west of the cantonment, near the Sadar Bazaar
• Alumganj
• Belanganj (GIPR)
• Drummond Road
• Raja-ki-Mandi (GIPR) - in the northern part of the city

External links

• Agra Love to Know 1911
• Agra Wikipedia
• This India List post notes a researcher available in Agra, mentioned again in this post.
• Diocese of Agra, Church of North India Dioceseofagra.org
• This India List post advises that the baptism, marriage and burial records for St George’s Church (now the Cathedral) are kept at the Diocesan Office, near St Paul’s Church.

Historical books online

• A hand-book to the English pre-mutiny records in the government record rooms of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh by Douglas Dewar c 1919 Archive.org