A View of Part of the Ruins of the City of Agra(019XZZ000000744U00035000)

This is plate 35 from William Hodges' book 'Select Views in India'. Hodges went to Agra in 1783. Agra became the capital of the Mughal Empire under the rule of Akbar (1556-1605). Located on the west bank of the river Yamuna, it is today well known for the fantastic Mughal monuments constructed at that site, such as the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal. This view depicts the ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707) and, according to Hodges, some "similar monuments of once human greatness ... now dissolving in the dust".