Agra: The Roman Catholic Cemetery

There are certain other gems other than the usual Taj and Sikri...the Roman Catholic Cemetery now under the Archaeological Survey of India is a place to visit, even if briefly to get a better sense of the place in the late 18th, 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.

So this Dutch general Hessing fought alongside the marathas in the late 18th and early 19th century,well quite early actually, he passed away in 1803. His wife built this mausoleum in his memory. The attempt was to create a red Tajmahal, albeit a small one.

There are some beautiful structures and some very interesting people have their resting places here. For example, John Mildenhall, someone who seems to have come to India twice all the way from England. Enterprising person but a crook?!

I did not have too much time and not a great camera but still, these are some structures to look at



next time will get you more photographs. But, I can't but marvel at it that Agra had such a syncretic culture. In Akbar's reign there were Dutch, French, British probably Portuguese staying in the city. Having lived in the city now, can barely imagine it.