Fatehpur Sikri
 Fatehpur
Sikri 40 kms away on Agra Jaipur highway is the deserted city,
built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1569 and abandoned due to scarcity of
water. The literal meaning of Fatehpur Sikri is " The city of Victory
built at Sikri ". The audience halls, palaces and mosques are still
in a state of perfection as are the tomb of Muslim saint Sheikh Salim
Chisti, Panchmahal and the Buland Darwaza. On arrival at Jaipur check-in
at hotel.
Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar,
Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire
for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a
uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India,
the Jama Masjid.
The largest building complex at Fatehpur Sikri is the palace, covering
an area approximately 250 m square. The layout is similar to that of other
imperial Mughal palaces with three main areas, the public area, the mardana
or men's area, and the zenana or women's area. Visitors approaching the
palace first enter through a gateway to a large arcaded courtyard with
the Diwan-i Amm (public audience hall) in the centre of the west side.
In other Mughal palaces this is usually a grand, highly decorated building,
but in this case it is a small rectangular pavilion with a central bay
at the front to accommodate the emperor. There is no direct access from
the courtyard to the pavilion which is raised at least 2 m above the level
of the courtyard. This arrangement suggests a greater degree of security
than at other palaces, a theme which is repeated throughout the palace
particularly in the women's quarters.
The Architectural Style
 At
Sikri, the various royal palaces have been built in Gujarati and Rajasthani
architectural styles, using ornate columns, fanciful jali work (intricately
perforated decorative stone screens), sumptuous carving, and surface ornamentation.
Most of the buildings located inside Fatehpur Sikri are a unique blend
of architectural traditions flourishing at that time in India. 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!
Fatehpur Sikri - Location
Fatehpur Sikri is located 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.
Fatehpur Sikri - Facts
Built in 16th century
Built by Akbar
Location Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh)
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