Location and history:
Fatehpur Sikri - a famous historical place of architectural importance is located in Agra district, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is manly a historical city and was build by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Akbar constructed this city in honor of a Sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti, who had predicted the birth of Jehangir, the son of Akbar. It has been recognized as one of the many UNESCO heritage sites on India. Initially it was known as Fatehbad, and then later on it acquired the name of Fatehpur Sikri. Being the fist planned city by the Mughals, it is the combination of three cultures, the Persian, Indian and the Islamic architecture. There is also the Jain and Hindu style of architecture blended together at Fatehpur Sikri.
Places to see:
The city of Fatehpur Sikri has been built with red sandstone. There are many monuments of tourist attractions at Fatehpur Sikri and it every tourist who visits his finds it to be worthy to visit it. Some of the monument is really very beautiful with excellent architectural work. These monuments are:
Buland Darwaza- it was built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1602 A.D. to celebrate his victory over Gujarat. This huge and magnificent structure is situated on the southern wall of the mosque, Jama Masjid. It is about 54 meters in height and is also considered as the highest gateway of the world. Serving as the main entrance to Fatehpur Sikri, it is referred as the ‘the gateway of magnificence’ by historians. There are two inscriptions in the arch of the gateway and it shows the open-mindedness of the emperor in religious matters. Outside the Buland Darwaza, there is a deep well on the left side.
Sheikh Salim Christi’s tomb- inside the Fatehpur Sikri, there is a marvelous tomb which belongs to the Sufi saint sheikh Salim Chisti, who had foretold the birth of the three sons of Akbar. This is situated within the courtyard of the Jama Masjid. Akbar built this beautiful tomb to honor the great saint.
Panch Mahal- it has palace of pleasure and a very remarkable structure. It is a five storey building with 176 columns carved intricately. The storey gradually decreases from the bottom with a single dome remaining at the top.
Jodha bai’s palace- this palace was built by Akbar to dedicate it to his Rajput queen Jodha Bai. Here the Hindu architectural styles have been mainly used and it is the most important part of the royal harem. And it is the largest part of the palace too. There is also a small temple of lord Krishna built here again showing the liberal views of Akbar regarding all religions.
Other places of visit are Diwan-i-aam, the hall pf public audience and the Diwan-i-khas, the hall of private audience. The Ibadat Khana (house of worship) was also built by Akbar for his new religion Din-i-Illahi. Pachasi court, Naqqar Khana, Mariam’s palace Anup talao, Birbal’s house, Karkhanas and Turkish baths are some of the other tourist places of attraction at Fatehpur Sikri.
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