Fatehpur Sikri, the Indo - Islamic fort

Bulund Darwaza

Did you know "Sikri" in Fatehpur Sikri has been mentioned in the Mahabharata? And that it has been inhabited since prehistoric times? I didn't know any of it. I always thought it was named by Akbar! Read the legend below to learn more about Sikri's antecedents. I always associated Fatehpur Sikri with Akbar’s new religion Deen i ilahi/Din i ilahi, a confluence of different religions. In one sense I was right. Fatehpur Sikri, the fortified town is a confluence of Indian and Persian styles

Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar's son Salim (Jahangir) was born after he prayed to the Sufi saint, Salim Chishti who lived in a cave in Sikri. A grateful Akbar built a fort with a tomb for Chishti and moved his capital to Sikri. It was renamed Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar lived here for 13 years between 1571 and 1585.

The fortified town has a very well-preserved core. We picked up a guide and took a buggy ride from the ticket counter to it. A very well-maintained lawn, a hallmark of ASI, with the Diwan i Am standing at one end welcomed us. The lawn covered a three-sided courtyard with cloisters all along it. We had to be content with admiring the Jaali screens separating the women section from outside. This building was not open to the public.

Diwan i Am
Cloisters	Zoom to admire the jaali

All the buildings are built of red sandstone and are on three levels. Higher your status, higher the level at which your building lies. Salim Chishti’s tomb, Jama Masjid and Buland Darwaza take the cake and were at the topmost level. 

A profusely carved column with a colossal, bracketed Capital took our breath away in the Diwan Khana i Khas/ Diwan i Khas, the next building. It was jaw dropping. We could not get enough of it and stood gaping at it. The column fenced off by glass stood in the center of the room and all the action happened on the first floor. Akbar's throne stood on top of the column and four arms at 90 degrees each ran from the center to 4 corners for his ministers. This was how secrecy was maintained and highly confidential matters discussed. Obviously, there are stairs to reach their designated places but nope we were not allowed up. The number of pictures I have of it shows how impressive it was. The young guide had offered to be our personal photographer too and took a picture of us with the column in the background and led us out. 

Diwan i khas	Bracketed column with 4 arms
Look at the carving	Carving in the bottom
Another view of the column	Fenced by glass

Fatehpur Sikri is an amalgamation of Indian and Persian styles resulting in the Indo-Muslim composite style. A huge Rajasthani "Toran" called out and we walked towards it, mesmerized. A Pavilion with Torans on all four sides leads to the Treasury. The Treasury was a series of 3 rooms, and the treasure was buried in the walls too. This building was also called the Ankh Michauli since this game was played here. 

Treasury	View of the treasury and the courtyard
Rooms inside	Toran
Pavilion with Toran leading to the treasury

All the buildings are built in a huge courtyard, and our guide was keen on taking our pictures with the Panch Mahal as the background. Panch Mahal is a 5-story pyramid like building meant for relaxation and entertainment. We posed individually and as a group on the Love seat in the courtyard and got our pictures. 

Panch Mahal	Another view of the Panch Mahal
Love seat

The school was okay, but we had eyes only for the Turkish Queen's Palace.  Akbar had a wife from all the 3 religions, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The ornately carved Turkish Queen's Palace was mind blowing. Every inch of it was carved, the roof, the pillars, the walls, the interiors, all. Floral and geometric patterns adorn them. Trying to remember where I have seen this kind of ornate carving on red sandstone. I remember now. It was at the Mandore gardens in Jodhpur. Zoom the pictures below to marvel the details of the Turkish Queen's Palace.

Turkish Queen's palace details	Turkish Queen's palace
See the Roof	Ornately carved pillars
Side view	Another view of the side
Zoom it	Roof and pillars
Another view of the roof	Carvings and carvings

In the courtyard in the middle of a water body is a performing area fit for a king. Guess, Tansen played there with his audience distributed all around including in the Panch Mahal. 

Stage in the midst of a water body

Such a pretty stage!

Jodha Bai, the Rajput princess who married Akbar has a Palace and a huge kitchen for herself. The kitchen walls are adorned with patterns of Jhumkas (earrings). So, when hubby dear enjoyed her food, he would wave his royal hand at these and ask her to name her choice. Jodha would name her price and get that Jhumka delivered. Anyone wants to try this trick? I regret I have no pictures of the designs to share. Sad.I thought I had taken one.

Jodha's palace

Jodha's kitchen

Kitchen

Closeup of the entrance

I am thinking outsourcing photography to an over eager guide has made me miss many pictures I would have taken otherwise. Guides come with their agenda of wanting to cover the whole thing in a particular duration. With boards everywhere it is better to explore on our own I am thinking.

In a huge temple we saw niches for Gods lining the walls. And this building was a clear amalgamation of Rajasthani and Muslim styles with Hindu columns and Islamic Cupolas. Did the guide say this was Jodha's temple? A board nearby refutes it and calls this the Shabistan i Iqbal. I don't remember the guide calling this building by this name.

Shabistan i Iqbal	Niches for Gods
Shabistan i Iqbal	Another view

The guide hurriedly waved in the direction of the Jama Masjid as he shepherded us to the Dargah/ Tomb of Salim Chishti, Akbar's Guru. Ornately built with white Marble it stands out against the red buildings.  It is a beautiful contrast. The outer walls are completely adorned with Jaali work.  Rows of graves were everywhere, and we picked our way through them. This part is maintained by Chishti’s descendants and could use sweeping and cleaning. In a narrow alley amongst graves, Chadars (sacred covering for the tomb) were being sold. A friend picked one. The guide was disappointed that the rest didn't. We went in and offered the Chadar to the saint and walked out. 

Salim Chishti's tomb	See the jaali and the graves around the tomb
Courtyard of the tomb

Buland Darwaza beckoned. I had been wanting to see this since I saw its picture from a friend's visit.  Buland Darwaza was built to commemorate Akbar's victory over Gujarat in 1573. Standing 176 feet from the ground, this is the world's tallest doorway. Our guide was in a hurry. He asked us to pose before it for a photo, didn't let us go down the 40 odd steps. He said we cannot climb them! Wonder who he was talking about! He didn't let us stand and gape at it. He shepherded us to a buggy. A senior lady was in the buggy with her guide. Her husband was in Jaipur for a conference, and she was visiting Agra alone. We met a solo traveler. I had never met one before. I was impressed. She had planned her trip through a travel company. She was a senior lady, not a foot loose twenty something content creator/ influencer. She was on her way to see the Taj in Sunset. We had done it in Sunrise. The buggy drove to the front of Bulund Darwaza much to our guide's embarrassment, who had not let us admire it for long.  The rear view (inside view) of Buland Darwaza is very different from the front view. It reminded me of Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow.  Rumi Darwaza too has dissimilar facades(The Imambaras of Lucknow). I am realizing this only now. I also see beautiful calligraphy adorns three sides of the Darwaza.

Rear view of the Bulund Darwaza	Closeup
Closeup of the entrance
Bulund Darwaza closeup	Long shot of the Bulund Darwaza

We were ravenous by the time we got into the car. We asked the driver to take us to the nearest and best Veg restaurant. He took us to Shiv XXXX. The food was hot and delicious. It is here we ate the very tasty ghee dripping Missi roti (Monkey business, mismatched slippers and food stories). We were still enjoying our food when the driver who had eaten straight off the fire in the Kitchen went to the Car. Our food also had been straight off the fire, no regrets there but his meal might have been free we thought. Drivers, guides are all middlemen for hotels, souvenir shops and all kinds of businesses. They all make money by taking their clients to these shops.

Happy and well-fed we left for Agra fort soon. That is another blog.