Zohra Bagh: Historic Mughal-era Zohra Bagh Dome in Agra Collapses Ahead of Conservation | Agra News

AGRA: Two floors of the historic 3-storey Zohra Bagh tower, including its grand dome, suddenly collapsed in Agra on Sunday. The Mughal-era structure, believed to be built by emperor Babur‘s daughter Zuhara Mahal, was awaiting conservation, an official said. It is a centrally protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Superintending archaeologist Rajkumar Patel, who along with other officials conducted an inspection, said on Monday, “Conservation plans of Zohra Bagh were made, but there is no direct route to access the site. Currently, the garden is reached by passing through the Chini Ka Rauza. Conservation work at Zohra Bagh tower was scheduled to begin after completion of the ongoing work at Chini Ka Rauza.”
Patel added: “It is suspected that rainwater may have seeped through causing damage to the monument. ASI aims to restore the tower to its original form.”
Local guides, however, raised questions. “Tower along with the dome suddenly crumbled. First floor sustained damage. ASI had last carried out conservation works at the tower facing the Chini Ka Rauza almost 10 years ago,” a govt-approved tourist guide pointed out.
Another guide said, “The tower was constructed with Lakhori bricks and mud masonry. Exterior walls were adorned with red sandstone featuring designs of bouquets and pitchers. Now, these decorative elements have been destroyed. Also the tower roof was made of lime and was 80 to 85 cm thick, which became weak over time.”
Built by the Mughals in 1526, Zohra Bagh is a sprawling garden located north of Chini Ka Rauza and south of Jawahar Bridge. They set up a camp across the Yamuna and carried out various construction works, including the development of gardens, and the area was known as “Mini Kabul”.
As per ASI records, the damaged tower is a remnant of Zohra Mahal or Zohra Bagh. But the garden hardly exists today due to encroachment by settlements and development of a nursery.
Notably, in Sept, the walls of Etmad-ud-Daulah and Rambagh had crumbled due to heavy rainfall, and there were damages to the walls of the Taj Mahal as well. In the same month, a 500-year-old Lodi-era three-domed mosque, situated in Sikandra, also collapsed.