Fatehpur Sikri Monuments - फतेहपुर सीकरी स्मारक
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Khana i Am Akbar s palace. Sikri was a decrepit little village till the Mughal Emperor Akbar came visiting in 1568. Despite marrying the Amber princess Jodhabai in 1562, and having over 300 concubines at his beck and call, the monarch was childless. Desperate for an heir, Akbar visited the saint, Shaikh Salim who was encamping here and who predicted that Akbar would have a son within 3 years. As fate had willed it, Jodhabai bore him a son the next year. The emperor named him after the mystic.
Not only that, he decided to move lock stock and barrel to the place and named it Fatehpur, or the ‘City of Victory’. His military conquest of Gujarat might also have persuaded him to shift base as must have the local abundance of red sandstone. In fact, apart from the marble-white mausoleum of Salim, nestling in one corner of the Jami Masjid the city is entirely built out of red sandstone.
Fatehpur Sikri was commissioned by Emperor Akbar to act as his imperial capital along with the Red Fort of Agra. Fatehpur Sikri Fort was commissioned in the year 1570 and was completed in 5 years. While the Agra fort acted as a military base and garrison, Fatehpur Sikri fort was used for the residence purpose. Therefore it is but natural that the Sikri Fort has cluster of buildings that were used for different purposes as in case of Delhi and Agra's Red Forts. Following are some of the most important buildings of the Fatehpur Sikri Fort Complex.
Most of the buildings within the precincts of this magnificent Red Fort are a mixture of different architectural styles. The unique integration of these different styles has given the buildings and palaces within the fort a distinctive look. The assimilation of the different architectural styles was the reflection of the period of prosperity and social tolerance, which was the hallmark of Akbar's administration.
However, in the course of time, Akbar decided to shift his capital to Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Akbar used to visit the hamlet of Sikri to take the blessings of the great Sufi saint Salim Chisti in order to have an heir to his throne. Akbar's visitations were fruitful, for he was blessed with three sons. The new city, built on a ridge, grew into a magnificent township larger than contemporary London.
At Sikri the various royal palaces have been built in Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural styles, using trabeate construction ornate columns, fanciful jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens) sumptuous carving and surface ornamentation. These small palaces are largely a sequence of connected rectangular courtyards; these are aligned with the polar axes and so have to be grouped in a staggered formation across, the top of the narrow diagonal ridge. The overwhelmingly Hindu architectural vocabulary, however, cannot conceal the Islamic norms followed in the large-scale planning that is supposed to have derived from Arab and Central Asia tent compartments! Important Monuments Within Fatehpur Sikri There are a number of buildings within the Fatehpur Sikri complex. Each of the small palaces in Fatehpur Sikri has a specific purpose and generally faces a courtyard. Diwan-I-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) is an enclosed space surrounded by colonnades and has a large open area where petitioners and courtiers once stood in attendance. On the western face of this building is the pavilion where the emperor sat in honor surrounded by his courtiers. The Diwan-I-Khas (Hall of Private Audience)-used for serious, confidential, diplomatic, and religious discourses-is just behind. The Diwan-I-Khas is famous for its central decorated pillar consisting of 36 elegantly carved brackets in the Gujarati style-heavy and ornate, and sprouting in shape.
The most intriguing building in Fatehpur Sikri is the Panch Mahal (five-tiered palace), which is a five-storied pavilion of winds. The first two floors are of equal size, while the next two are graded. On top is a single kiosk or open pavilion. Each of the floors is supported on pillars. Originally, jali screens stood between the pillars. The pavilion was originally used by the women of the royal household and ladies of the harem. From the top of the Panch Mahal, one can have a panoramic view of this imperial city with its buildings, palaces, and the courtyards linking them. The Turkish Sultan's palace is known for exquisitely carved panels depicting wildlife-lions, birds, and foliage. Near the Diwan-I-Aam, one can see a tank called the Anup Talao. Four bridges link the central platform at the Anup Talao. Here the famous court musician Tansen played music. Akbar's private apartments stand close to the tank.
Jodha Bai's Palace (Jodha Bai was Akbar's Rajput queen) has the most distinctively Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural features. A strong portal guards this place, which was the residence of Akbar's prominent queens. Also noteworthy are Mariam's Palace or Sunehra Makan (golden house), Palace of Birbal (one of Akbar's minister notable for his witticisms) and a miniature garden.
Jami Masjid (mosque), sacred center of Sikri, symbolizes the city's spiritual prominence. It stands at the southwestern end of Fatehpur Sikri. A high wall with gateways on three sides opens into a huge courtyard, 111 by 139 meters, making it the largest to be found in the Mughal period. The inner walls are lined with columns and cloisters and the western façade has a massive arched doorways behind which are three domes. In the vast courtyard stands the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti whose blessings are still sought by childless women. This tomb was originally built in red sandstone but was later on made with marble. The tombstone covered by cloth is under a canopy of ebony, mother of pearl and brass. A corridor for circumambulation surrounds the square tomb chamber. The corridor has jail screens having a marvelous quality and the intricately carved serpentine brackets in white marble are pieces of sheer splendor. The tomb has a low dome. The 54 meter high Buland Darwaza or triumphal gateway built in 1575 to celebrate Akbar's successful Gujarat campaign, is the most stupendous architectural work of the Mughals. The gateway is approached by a steep flight of steps, which add height and majesty to the entire structure. The gateway is designed in colored stone and marble. The gateway is so awesome that it hides the magnificent Jami Masjid (mosque), which is just behind.
Fatehpur Sikri had a short life of splendor. Once Akbar left it in 1585, it never regained its lost importance and has remained the most magnificent and well-preserved ghost city of India.
Akbar intended his city of Fatehpur Sikri to serve as an imperial capital, an alternate to the overcrowded city of Agra. Completed in 1585, the city was abandoned after only 15 years because of insufficient water supply. Thereafter it remained deserted, and almost perfectly preserved. Here the early Mughal fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles was embodied in spacious courtyards, wide palaces, and open pavilions, quarried from the local sandstone and cooled by numerous water channels, ponds, and tanks.
Shown here is a view looking west across the first court of the palace complex towards the Diwan-i Amm, the entrance to Akbar's private residence.
This photo shows a part of the walled perimeter of the congregational mosque at Fatehpur Sikri, where a side entrance gate pierces the wall. Akbar built this large mosque to honor a local saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti, who had correctly prophesied that Akbar would have a son. The son later became the emperor, Jahangir.
Sikri an extension of the upper Vindhyan ranges is situated on the bank of a large natural lake, which has now mostly dried up. It is a pre-historic site and, with abundant water, forest and raw material, it was ideal for primitive man’s habitation. Rock shelters with paintings exist on the periphery of the lake. Stone age tools have been found in this area. Ochre Coloured Pottery (c. 2nd millennium B.C.) and Painted Grey Ware (c.1200-800 B.C.) have also been discovered from here.
Sikri has been mentioned in the Mahabharata as ‘Saik’. Lexicons define ‘Saik’ as a region surrounded by water. An inscription found on the stone sculpture of Jaina Saraswati (dated 1067 Vikram Samvat = 1010 A.D.) mentions this place as ‘Sekrikya’, which seems to be a similar derivative. All this shows that Sikri was continuously inhabited since the prehistoric period.
Babur visited the place on the eve of the Khanwah battle in A.D. 1527 and mentioned it as ‘Sikri’ in his Memoirs. He founded here a garden and a Jal-Mahal surrounded by the lake-water, and a baoli (step-well) to commemorate his victory in the Khanwah battle.
Akbar (1556-1605), grandson of Babur, shifted his residence and court from Agra to Sikri, for a period of 13 years, from 1572 to 1585 to honour the Sufi Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, who resided here (in a cavern on the ridge). Akbar revered him very much as the Saint had blessed him with a son who was named Salim in 1569. He raised lofty buildings for his use, and houses for the public. Thus grew, a great city with charming palaces and institutions. Akbar gave it the name of Fathabad and which in later days came to be known as “Fathpur Sikri”.
Here practically, all Mughal institutions such as the ‘Ibadat-Khanah’, ‘Din-i-Ilahi’, ‘Tarikh-i-Ilahi’ , Jharokha-Darshan, the doctrine of Sulh-i-Kul and policy of liberal patronage to indigenous arts and literatures, were founded. It was also here that workshops of various handicrafts were established.
Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughals. The sloping levels of the city were connected into terraces which were utilised for various complexes such as Jami masjid, Buland-Darwazah and tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti; Khass Mahal, Shahi-Bazar, Mina-Bazar, the Panch-Mahal, Khwabgah, Diwan-i-Khass, Anup-Talao, Chaupar and Diwan-i-Am. The efficient system of drainage and water-supply adopted here suggest an extremely intelligent town-planning by the Mughal emperor.
All these palaces were built of red sandstone in the trabeate beam-and-post order, and composed of pillars, ornamental arches, brackets-and-chhajjas, jharokhas, chhatris, chhaparkhats, chaukhandis and so on. Domes have been used sparingly. Sometimes corbelled pendentives have been employed in the transition phase.
The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri has a definite all-India character. It is prolific and versatile Indo-Muslim composite style, which is a fussion of the composite cultures of indigenous and foreign origins.
Diwani-i-Am
The Diwani-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) is where the monarch sat and lent a patient ear to all the petitions he received. A paved courtyard called the Pachisi was where the monarch played chaubar, a game that closely resembles chess using slave girls as pieces.Diwani-i-Khas
TheDiwani-i-Khas nearby housed theIbadat Khana or the ‘House of Worship’ where the emperor debated various systems with noted theologians. Although semi-literate, Akbar was the most liberal of the Mughal emperors, and in 1579, he was declared the highest authority in matters of religion by the famous ‘infallibility decree’. Three years later, the emperor founded Din-a-Ilahi or the ‘Religion of God’ which was an amalgam of all the major religions of the world. Decried by religious zealots from his own community as an apostate, Din-a-Ilahi disappeared as a faith after Akbar’s death in 1605.Ankh Michauli
As you enter the Ankh Michauli (Closed Eyes) pavilion, you realise that Akbar could be as flippant as he was profound. Here the Mughal played ‘blind man’s buff’ and indulged in frivolous pranks in the company of his harem.Jodhabai’s Palace
Jodhabai’s Palace is befittingly the grandest of all palaces in Fatehpur Sikri as she was his most favoured wife and the mother of the crown prince. Other notable palaces at Fatehpur Sikri are the five-storeyed Panch Mahal and the Hawa Mahal.Friday Mosque
Begun in 1571 and completed four years later, the Friday Mosque was the largest of its kind in India at the time, measuring 168 metres by 144, with a huge inner courtyard. The Buland Darwaza or ‘Sublime Gateway’ was added later to commemorate Akbar’s military conquest of Gujarat. The gateway, which rises to a height of 45 metres, presents an awesome spectacle of isolation, and has exquisite Persian calligraphy inscribed on it. It says, “ The world is a bridge. Pass over it but build no house upon it, for whoever hopes for one hour, hopes for all eternity. The world is one hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen”. No more eloquent epitaph to the Mughal Empire or any other empire can be written.Buland DarwazaSalim Chisti’s Mausoleum
and a trip to Fatehpur Sikri would be incomplete without visiting Salim Chisti’s Mausoleum the sage who played an important role in Akbar’s life. Issueless parents visit his shrine in droves to pray for sons as Akbar did over four centuries ago. They tie little cords and paper wishes to the screens and any other object they can find.The Everlasting Glory of Fatehpur Sikri
By 1585, Akbar wearied of the dry, hot climate of the city and moved to the cooler climes of Lahore. Within a few years, the pomp and pageantry of the city vanished but the sandstone monuments endure to this day. Such were the construction methods employed, that there is not a single derelict monument in the city. The Mughal Empire has long since vanished from the firmament but the greatest of the Mughal emperors, Akbar etched his name forever in the sands of time by building the Fatehpur Sikri.Fatehpur Sikri was commissioned by Emperor Akbar to act as his imperial capital along with the Red Fort of Agra. Fatehpur Sikri Fort was commissioned in the year 1570 and was completed in 5 years. While the Agra fort acted as a military base and garrison, Fatehpur Sikri fort was used for the residence purpose. Therefore it is but natural that the Sikri Fort has cluster of buildings that were used for different purposes as in case of Delhi and Agra's Red Forts. Following are some of the most important buildings of the Fatehpur Sikri Fort Complex.
Private Living Quarter
Private living quarters are situated at the southern end of courtyard. They are architecturally centered on the pool known as Anup Talab. It houses the famous library of Emperor, which was a seat for the philosophical and intellectual discourses. Close by is the Royal Archive called Daftarkhana. This was used to store all the official records of the empire. Above the Daftarkhana lies 'Khwabgah' or royal bedroom. Water channels were reportedly used to cool the whole space.Miriam Palace
Miriam Palace is actually women's quarter also called Zanana or Harem in Hindustani. Miriam Palace lies east of the Male quarters. A small doorway joins the male quarter with the female one. The palace has been named after one Miriam of the then Goa who was one of the wives of Emperor Akbar. The interiors of the Miriam Palace were richly embellished with gold.Jodhabai' s Palace
Jodhabai' s Palace is the largest of all the palaces in Fatehpur Sikri. This was named after Jodhabai, Akbar' s favorite wife and mother of his heir Salim. This palace was specially made to house his queens. The Architectural elements of Gujarat, Mandu and Gwalior have been blended with traditional Islamic designs to decorate this palace.Diwan-e-Aam
Diwan-e-Aam is the first enclosure of the palace from the entrance. Divan-e-Aam is actually a vast courtyard that was used by Emperor Akbar for the daily public audience called 'Jharokha' in Hindustani. It was also used to dispense justice.Diwan-e-Khas
Diwan-e-Aam gives access to the second enclosure that is called Divan-e-Khas. This is undoubtedly the finest building in the entire Fatehpur Sikri. The hall was used for the private audiences and other court activities. Divan-e-Khas is a magnificent chamber that is dominated by a massive carved pillar. It supports a capital that in turns support a balcony.Mixed Style Of Architecture
The buildings within Fatehpur Sikri are a unique blend of different architectural traditions. Though the general layout and concept of the buildings conform to the Islamic style of architecture, the actual buildings (mainly palaces), their ornate columns, arches, carving style, etc., show a strong Hindu style in general and that of Gujarat and Rajasthan in particular.Fatehpur Sikri
Akbar was the greatest of all the Mughal rulers and one of the best to have ruled India. In 1556, he ascended the Mughal throne at the tender age of 14, after the sudden demise of his father, Humayun. As soon as he consolidated his power, he turned his attention towards building an imperial capital in Agra. The result was the Agra Fort, which not only served military purposes, but was also the royal residence.Most of the buildings within the precincts of this magnificent Red Fort are a mixture of different architectural styles. The unique integration of these different styles has given the buildings and palaces within the fort a distinctive look. The assimilation of the different architectural styles was the reflection of the period of prosperity and social tolerance, which was the hallmark of Akbar's administration.
However, in the course of time, Akbar decided to shift his capital to Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Akbar used to visit the hamlet of Sikri to take the blessings of the great Sufi saint Salim Chisti in order to have an heir to his throne. Akbar's visitations were fruitful, for he was blessed with three sons. The new city, built on a ridge, grew into a magnificent township larger than contemporary London.
At Sikri the various royal palaces have been built in Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural styles, using trabeate construction ornate columns, fanciful jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens) sumptuous carving and surface ornamentation. These small palaces are largely a sequence of connected rectangular courtyards; these are aligned with the polar axes and so have to be grouped in a staggered formation across, the top of the narrow diagonal ridge. The overwhelmingly Hindu architectural vocabulary, however, cannot conceal the Islamic norms followed in the large-scale planning that is supposed to have derived from Arab and Central Asia tent compartments! Important Monuments Within Fatehpur Sikri There are a number of buildings within the Fatehpur Sikri complex. Each of the small palaces in Fatehpur Sikri has a specific purpose and generally faces a courtyard. Diwan-I-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) is an enclosed space surrounded by colonnades and has a large open area where petitioners and courtiers once stood in attendance. On the western face of this building is the pavilion where the emperor sat in honor surrounded by his courtiers. The Diwan-I-Khas (Hall of Private Audience)-used for serious, confidential, diplomatic, and religious discourses-is just behind. The Diwan-I-Khas is famous for its central decorated pillar consisting of 36 elegantly carved brackets in the Gujarati style-heavy and ornate, and sprouting in shape.
The most intriguing building in Fatehpur Sikri is the Panch Mahal (five-tiered palace), which is a five-storied pavilion of winds. The first two floors are of equal size, while the next two are graded. On top is a single kiosk or open pavilion. Each of the floors is supported on pillars. Originally, jali screens stood between the pillars. The pavilion was originally used by the women of the royal household and ladies of the harem. From the top of the Panch Mahal, one can have a panoramic view of this imperial city with its buildings, palaces, and the courtyards linking them. The Turkish Sultan's palace is known for exquisitely carved panels depicting wildlife-lions, birds, and foliage. Near the Diwan-I-Aam, one can see a tank called the Anup Talao. Four bridges link the central platform at the Anup Talao. Here the famous court musician Tansen played music. Akbar's private apartments stand close to the tank.
Jodha Bai's Palace (Jodha Bai was Akbar's Rajput queen) has the most distinctively Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural features. A strong portal guards this place, which was the residence of Akbar's prominent queens. Also noteworthy are Mariam's Palace or Sunehra Makan (golden house), Palace of Birbal (one of Akbar's minister notable for his witticisms) and a miniature garden.
Jami Masjid (mosque), sacred center of Sikri, symbolizes the city's spiritual prominence. It stands at the southwestern end of Fatehpur Sikri. A high wall with gateways on three sides opens into a huge courtyard, 111 by 139 meters, making it the largest to be found in the Mughal period. The inner walls are lined with columns and cloisters and the western façade has a massive arched doorways behind which are three domes. In the vast courtyard stands the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti whose blessings are still sought by childless women. This tomb was originally built in red sandstone but was later on made with marble. The tombstone covered by cloth is under a canopy of ebony, mother of pearl and brass. A corridor for circumambulation surrounds the square tomb chamber. The corridor has jail screens having a marvelous quality and the intricately carved serpentine brackets in white marble are pieces of sheer splendor. The tomb has a low dome. The 54 meter high Buland Darwaza or triumphal gateway built in 1575 to celebrate Akbar's successful Gujarat campaign, is the most stupendous architectural work of the Mughals. The gateway is approached by a steep flight of steps, which add height and majesty to the entire structure. The gateway is designed in colored stone and marble. The gateway is so awesome that it hides the magnificent Jami Masjid (mosque), which is just behind.
Fatehpur Sikri had a short life of splendor. Once Akbar left it in 1585, it never regained its lost importance and has remained the most magnificent and well-preserved ghost city of India.
How To Reach
The city of Fatehpur Sikri is only 40 km from Agra city. Agra is well connected by air with Khajuraho, Varanasi, and Delhi. It has good rail and bus connections with major Indian cities. There are daily trains from Agra Fort railway station to Fatehpur Sikri. Tourists can also take buses from Agra's Idgah bus terminal. Private tour operators, who conduct excursions around the city, make a stopover at Fatehpur Sikri. Travelers can also hire taxis and cars for Fatehpur Sikri.Akbar intended his city of Fatehpur Sikri to serve as an imperial capital, an alternate to the overcrowded city of Agra. Completed in 1585, the city was abandoned after only 15 years because of insufficient water supply. Thereafter it remained deserted, and almost perfectly preserved. Here the early Mughal fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles was embodied in spacious courtyards, wide palaces, and open pavilions, quarried from the local sandstone and cooled by numerous water channels, ponds, and tanks.
Shown here is a view looking west across the first court of the palace complex towards the Diwan-i Amm, the entrance to Akbar's private residence.
This photo shows a part of the walled perimeter of the congregational mosque at Fatehpur Sikri, where a side entrance gate pierces the wall. Akbar built this large mosque to honor a local saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti, who had correctly prophesied that Akbar would have a son. The son later became the emperor, Jahangir.
Sikri an extension of the upper Vindhyan ranges is situated on the bank of a large natural lake, which has now mostly dried up. It is a pre-historic site and, with abundant water, forest and raw material, it was ideal for primitive man’s habitation. Rock shelters with paintings exist on the periphery of the lake. Stone age tools have been found in this area. Ochre Coloured Pottery (c. 2nd millennium B.C.) and Painted Grey Ware (c.1200-800 B.C.) have also been discovered from here.
Sikri has been mentioned in the Mahabharata as ‘Saik’. Lexicons define ‘Saik’ as a region surrounded by water. An inscription found on the stone sculpture of Jaina Saraswati (dated 1067 Vikram Samvat = 1010 A.D.) mentions this place as ‘Sekrikya’, which seems to be a similar derivative. All this shows that Sikri was continuously inhabited since the prehistoric period.
Babur visited the place on the eve of the Khanwah battle in A.D. 1527 and mentioned it as ‘Sikri’ in his Memoirs. He founded here a garden and a Jal-Mahal surrounded by the lake-water, and a baoli (step-well) to commemorate his victory in the Khanwah battle.
Akbar (1556-1605), grandson of Babur, shifted his residence and court from Agra to Sikri, for a period of 13 years, from 1572 to 1585 to honour the Sufi Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, who resided here (in a cavern on the ridge). Akbar revered him very much as the Saint had blessed him with a son who was named Salim in 1569. He raised lofty buildings for his use, and houses for the public. Thus grew, a great city with charming palaces and institutions. Akbar gave it the name of Fathabad and which in later days came to be known as “Fathpur Sikri”.
Here practically, all Mughal institutions such as the ‘Ibadat-Khanah’, ‘Din-i-Ilahi’, ‘Tarikh-i-Ilahi’ , Jharokha-Darshan, the doctrine of Sulh-i-Kul and policy of liberal patronage to indigenous arts and literatures, were founded. It was also here that workshops of various handicrafts were established.
Sikri was the first planned city of the Mughals. The sloping levels of the city were connected into terraces which were utilised for various complexes such as Jami masjid, Buland-Darwazah and tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti; Khass Mahal, Shahi-Bazar, Mina-Bazar, the Panch-Mahal, Khwabgah, Diwan-i-Khass, Anup-Talao, Chaupar and Diwan-i-Am. The efficient system of drainage and water-supply adopted here suggest an extremely intelligent town-planning by the Mughal emperor.
All these palaces were built of red sandstone in the trabeate beam-and-post order, and composed of pillars, ornamental arches, brackets-and-chhajjas, jharokhas, chhatris, chhaparkhats, chaukhandis and so on. Domes have been used sparingly. Sometimes corbelled pendentives have been employed in the transition phase.
The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri has a definite all-India character. It is prolific and versatile Indo-Muslim composite style, which is a fussion of the composite cultures of indigenous and foreign origins.
 Photo by : sundar_m77 in Flickr |
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 Photo by : vikrampahuja in webshots |
 Photo by : jlascar in webshots |
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