Fatehpur Sikri
Uttar Pradesh
Perched atop 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. Fatehpur Sikri is built in red sandstone, and is a beautiful blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural elements. The sandstone is richly ornamented with carving and fretwork. Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned 14 years after its creation. A shortage of water is believed to be the reason. Today it is a ghost city, its architecture is in a perfect state of preservation, and wandering through the palaces it is easy to imagine that this was once a royal residence and a dynamic cultural center.
Tourist Spots
The first enclosure of the palace is a vast courtyard in which the emperor gave daily public audience and dispensed justice.
The Diwan-I-Aam gave access to the second enclosure, a large quadrangle which contained all the major functions of the palace, and the finest buildings of Fatehpur Sikri. At the northern end is the Diwan-I-Khas. Also referred to as the Hall of Private Audiences, it is an astonishing chamber dominated by a massive carved pillar, which supports a fantastic capital above which is a balcony.
The paving of this courtyard is laid out to resemble the cruciform board on which the game Pachisi is played. It is believed that Akbar used live pieces for the game.
How to Reach
Air |
Kheria Airport at Agra – 40 km.
Rail |
Agra Cantt Railway Station 40 km
Bus |
Fatehpur Sikri is connected to Agra and neighbouring centres by regular bus services of UPSRTC.
NearBy Places
25 km. A paradise of bird watchers and ornithologists, the sanctuary is also known as the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. More than 300 species of birds have been sighted here including the famous Siberian Cranes. The best season to visit the park is between October and February when migratory birds are here.
Perhaps no other historical monument has evoked as much awareness and admiration from tourists and travellers alike, as the magnificent Taj Mahal - fondly called by people as the ultimate requiem of love, from a great Mughal Emperor to his beloved. So overwhelming is the exquisite beauty and presence of this marble mausoleum that centuries later today, even the very land where it has been located - Agra - has been immortalised as the City of the Taj. Yet, it doesn’t take much for the roving eye to discover that there's more to Agra than just the fabled Taj Mahal. The city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery… a freeze-frame from a resplendant era that's long since gone by. In the great epic 'Mahabharat' the region of Agra is described as 'Agraban' (an integral part of the Braj Bhumi or the land of Lord Krishna). The latter part of Indian history outlines the origins of Agra to 1475 A.D., when the reign of Raja Badal Singh.
