Fatehpur Sikri, Agra

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Akbar built this city in 1571 intending for it to be his capitol. But the city was abandoned after just 14 years, possibly because of problems with the water supply. It is built entirely of red sandstone. Like a big ghost town.

A mosque is part of the complex and inside its walls you will find local "craftsmen" selling candle holders, statuettes etc. In fact, if you're like me, your guide will take you right to them and work hard for his commission off their sales. Anyway, the items are junk and will fall apart at the slightest touch. I learned that the hard way:).

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Fatehpur Sikri is a place in the province of Uttar Pradesh, only 40 km from Agra towards the city of Jaipur. It was the political capital in the Mogul empire during the time of Akbar the great. The mighty wall around the place is 6 km long, and you pass close to it on the way from Agra to Jaipur.

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An UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fatehpur Sikri, lies 40km from Agra and was once the capital of the Mughal Empire - from only 1571 to 1585 because of water shortages.
In the "royal" part of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar built his for 1st wife (his Hindu and favourite wife) a massive and magnificent palace, for his 2nd wife (a Portuguese Christan from Goa) a palace with beautiful paintings and for his 3rd (muslim) wife a small but intricately carved palace. For himself he built an enormous stone bed which he enjoyed many a concubine with! The royal kitchens consist of two separate buildings. One kitchen was solely for preparing vegetarian food for the Hindu wife. The other kitchen prepared all the other dishes for the rest of the household.

Akbar loved his elephant and when it died he built a cmmemorative tower for it. The outside of the tower has what looks like hundred of elephant tusks all over it... but they are not real - made from stone. Akbar also liked to play a game similar to draughts. In the courtyard there are the markings to thsi game. The only difference is Akbar used real, live (and they had to be beautoiful) slave girls as his game pieces!!!

It is, in my opinion, worth taking a guide around the royal side of Fatehpur Sikri - our guide was very informative and we learnt a lot from him. His father had been a guide here and he had every intention for his sons to be guides here.

The other side to Fatehpur Sikri is the 'holy' side. Jama Masjid is huge and beautiful but be prepared... whilst the royal side is tranquil and seemingly empty, the mosque is overflowing with visitors and even moer annoying, it is a bubbling hot spot for sellers and beggars. Honestly there was no place to turn without somebody pestering me for something.
Inside the courtyard there is the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti. You can for a "donation" buy a piece of cloth (small, medium or large) to place over his tomb. The small cloths are Rs500. The cloth goes to the local poor women to turn into clothes. You lay the cloth over the shrine, scatter petals and then get given a piece of strong to tie around the jali and make a wish. Childless women apparently flock here to make wishes for families...
There is a locked entrance that apparently conseals a tunnel which (allegedly) leads all the way back to Agra!

Fatehpur Sikri also has the tallest gateway in India... it was for the common people.

It makes a good day trip from Agra... and a good en route to Jaipur one too.

Fatehpur Sikri (Hindi: फतेहपूर सिकरी, Urdu: ÝẾæÑ Óی˜Ñی) is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The historical city was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570 and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned for reasons that remain unclear. The surviving palace and mosque are a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Fatehpur Sikri was planned as a great town by Akbar with great care and planning in the honor of Sheikh Salim Chisti but had to be abandoned only after fifteen years due to scarcity of water in the town. Sheikh Salim Chishti was a Sufi saint who blessed the Akbar with his first son and heir, who was named Salim after him and later came to be known as Jehangir. The town was otiginally named Sikri after the village, where it was founded but its twin city Fatehpur (Victory Town) was erected to celebrate Akbar's conquest of Gujarat in June 1573.

However, ruins of the temple dating back to 12th century suggest the reign of Rajputs in the area long before Mughals took over the area. The two mosques in the village of Sikri have inscriptions, which announce their conception in 1314 under Mohd. Khilji. There have been records that Babur renamed the village 'Sikri' as 'Shukri', meaning 'thanks to the god'. It was also the famous dwelling place and khanqah of Shiekh Salim Chishti, the famous Sufi saint whom Akbar revered for blessing him with child.

This tourist spot is perched a top a rocky ridge 37 km west of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri came into being four centuries ago when the Emperor Akbar, not yet 28 years old, created the first planned city in Indo-Islamic style. The city was actualised with great energy, but was completely abandoned a little more than a decade later.
Buland Darwaza
In 1568, Akbar was secure and powerful but he had no son and heir. His search for blessing for the birth of a successor brought him to the Sufimystic Shaikh Salim Chisti, who lived in Sikri village. The saint prophesied the birth of three sons and soon after was born Prince Salim, later to become Emperor Jahangir. In gratitude for the blessing Akbar decided to create imperial residences in Sikri, which would function as a joint capital with Agra. As a mark of his faith and his recent victories, he named his new city Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar was a keen builder and the plan of Fatehpur Sikri reveals an architectural mastermind at work. Research has proved that it was planned on a definite mathematical grid.

The history is very nice and so as the tourist spot. So do not miss to pass by here when you go to Agra.

Fatehpur Sikri is an erstwhile capital of India’s Mughal Empire under Akbar’s reign and was abandoned due to lack of water. Fatehpur Sikri in the current scenario is most deservingly designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its awe inspiring site of architecture. The entire palace complex has influences of Hindu and Jain architecture along with Islamic elements added to it. Some of the beauteous buildings in the city include religious and secular monuments. Out of which Diwan-i-Am, Hall of Public Audience caught my eyes while driving through the city. It was the place where the emperor used to hear the public cases and used to caste his verdict of justice.

In the same complex lies Diwan-i-Khas which was the Hall of Private Audiences such as ministers and high officials. This hall had a circular platform the seat of Emperor Akbar. The royal accesses can be guessed from the fact that the Kings had several palaces for various reasons similarly Fatehpur Sikri also has a spectacular Palace for the erstwhile Queen, Jodhabai. Today the city lacks human populations but is an ideal place for us travelers to take a journey back to the era of Mughal regency.

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The history and architecture is amazing and it made it that much better having Mr. Khan tell it. Fatehpur Sikri includes one of the largest mosques in India (the Jama Masjid). Fatehpur Sikri is full of beautiful monuments and temples that can’t be missed. You can get lost walking around here. Really beautiful! the details of the architecture had so much history and there was a meaning behind every detail -hiring a guide would be ideal.