About Chhatri Rani Hada:
Opposite the Bagh-i-Gul Afshan on the right side of River Yamuna, Chhatri (Mausoleum) or Samadhi of Hada Rani was built in her memory by her brother-in-law Raja Jaswant Singh sometime between 1644-58 AD. It is said that Hada Rani who was the wife of Rao Amar Singh Rathor and the princess of Bundi committed Sati (burnt herself alive on the funeral pyre of her husband) according to the local traditions. Raja Jaswant Singh was the younger brother of the Rao. It is for this reason that this place is also known as ‘Sati ka Chabutra’. This act of offering her body to fire with her husband was considered to be the holiest and purest form of love for a married woman and thus, married women offer traditional bridal articles such as bangles and vermilion powder to the stone placed in the central pavilion to get her blessings for happy and blissful marital life. The surrounding wall is now in a dilapidated condition. However the monumental screen on the eastern side facing the river has survived. Originally this side has three entrances with staircases descending into the water, a series of arched openings with ‘jalis’ and two octagonal towers crowned by ‘chhatris’ that as projecting ‘chhajjas’ supported on brackets. The inverted lotus crowned the main dome. The main chhatri or burial site of the queen is set in the centre of a garden on a raised platform. The pavilion is rectangular in shape like a baradari with three openings on each side that are closed by delicately carved jalies and entrance through an opening in the eastern side. Twelve jalie panels are used on the longer sides of the rectangle while the shorter sides have only seven panels sporting carved geometrical designs.
General Information about Chhatri Rani Hada:
Location: Agra
State: Uttar Pradesh
Capital: Lucknow
Language: Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 26˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach Chhatri Rani Hada:
By Air:
Agra airport is 7 km from the city centre and 3 km from Idgah bus stand and is connected by domestic flights from major Indian cities. There are daily round trip flights from Delhi to Agra, Khajuraho, and Varanasi, with a return to Delhi. It takes only about 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
By Road:
Agra is about 204 km from Delhi, the capital of India. There is an excellent national highway connecting Delhi and Agra and it is only a 4 hours drive from Delhi. There are many luxury taxis and buses that drive to Agra everyday. Idgah and Agra Fort are the main bus stands of Agra from where anybody can catch buses to and from or Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura and Fatehpur-Sikri.
By Rail:
Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. There are many trains connecting Delhi and Agra like Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Taj Express and luxury trains like the Palace on Wheels.