Fatehpur Sikri

A short lived capital of the Mughal Empire

By Grant Cameron

February 1^st, 2019

Proud Mughal Capital

The fortified city of Fatehpur Sikri lies just west of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

The city was briefly the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585, when then Emperor Akbar abandoned it to fight another campaign, and it was eventually completely abandoned in 1610, due to an insufficient water supply.

To get up to the entrance of the walled city one can take an auto-rickshaw (costly!) or the government shuttle bus costing 10 Rupees per person, leaving every 10 or 15 minutes. Clearly, the bus is the better option, but it is not the height of luxury. The journey only takes 10 minutes.

Tribute to a Saint

The story goes that Emperor Akbar established the city from the twin villages of Fatehpur and Sikri, supposedly as a tribute to a famous Sufi saint who had accurately predicted the birth of Akbar's much longed for son, Jahangir.

There are licensed guides available at the ticket counter at the Diwan-e-Am gate, and it is recommended to take a guide from there only, as there are many fake guides roaming around.

A Religious Site

Fatehpur Sikri is made up of two different parts (the original villages). Fatehpur, a religious place, with the Jama Masjid mosque, and the tomb of the Sufi Saint Salim Chishti, and Sikri, the main palace area, where Emperor Akbar, his three wives, and son lived.

To enter the mosque area you'll need to take your shoes off. Sadly, the area is dirty and poorly maintained with lots of people, hawkers and beggars. My group was uncomfortable about leaving their shoes, and so we did not enter, although we later learned we could have carried them with us.

Walled City

Sitting on a 40 metre high rocky ridge, Fatehpur Sikri is primarily built of red sandstone and is roughly 3 kilometres in length by 1 km wide, surrounded by a 6 km wall on three of its sides with the fourth side bordered by a lake.

The complex combines Islamic, Hindu and Christian architecture, reflective of the religions of Akbar's three wives.

The Diwan-i-Khas

The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences) is a magnificent structure featuring a single pillar (the Lotus Throne pillar) that supported Akbar's throne. It is a plain square building with four chhatris on the roof.

The central pillar has a square base and an octagonal shaft, carved with geometric and floral designs, with thirty-six serpentine brackets supporting a circular platform connected to each corner of the building on the first floor by four stone walkways.

It was a chilly and misty early January morning when we visited, with few tourists around.

There are numerous important monuments in Fatehpur Sikri such as the Panch Mahal a five storey building meant for the royal ladies and mistresses, with the top story offering a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Other buildings include the Palace of Jodha Bai, Birbal Bhawan, Diwan-i-Aam and Karawan Serai. My particular favourite, as you could guess from the photographs, was the Diwan-i-Khas.

The Anup Talao is an ornamental pool with a central platform and four bridges leading towards it.

The various buildings that surround it include the Khwabgah (House of Dreams), Akbar's residence, the Panch Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas, the Ankh Michauli and the Astrologer's Seat, in the south-west corner.

As we were leaving we came across an interesting structure, over which historians have been arguing whether this had been a stable used to house 200 horses, camels, and elephants or simply servants quarters.

From the architecture of other historic "stable" buildings in Rajasthan, the stone rings through which restraints could be run clearly suggests these were for securing animals, and therefore it is, after all, a stable.

And then it was time to walk downhill and take our leave of this ancient monument.

The last thing I noticed was a small tomb or sarcophagus structure on top of which rested a drape covered "body". I do not know if the "body" was stone, and part of the structure, or really a dead person, for I did not look, as one or two people were placing flowers on it. Intriguing.

GETTING THERE

Fatehpur Sikri lies about 40 kilometres west of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It can be easily visited on a day or half day trip from Agra.