FATTEPUR SIKRI 

 Introduction:

40 km from Agra, the city of Fatehpur Sikri served as the capital of the Mughal Empire between 1570 and 1586. Akbar selected Sikri as the seat of his government believing it to be auspicious for himself. He experimented both with architecture and art and built a city expressing his ideals and vision. Today, Fatehpur Sikri is a deserted, phantom city. But the inner fort is flawlessly preserved. The finest monuments within this area are the Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, Buland Darwaza and the tomb of Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, and the Jama Masjid (one of the largest mosques In India). Open on all weekdays from sunrise to sunset. Entry fee for those above 12 years is Rs. 5.00. and provisions of free entry on Fridays.

History related to it:

It was previously a rural community, called Sikri, celebrated as the dwelling of renowned Sufi Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, a Muhammadan, or saint. While returning from an operation, Akbar in 1564 halted near the cave in which the saint lived. The Mughal emperor Akbar had many wives but had no heir. The desire for a son led him to Salim Chisti who lived in an isolated cave near Sikri. The saint blessed Akbar and soon a son was born to him. The emperor named his son "Salim" after the saint and erected the grand Jami Masjid near the saint's dwelling. According to the legends if Akbar had to be blessed by a son, a sacrifice was to be made of a very dear one. The saint's son volunteered to be sacrificed so that the heir to the throne could be born. To the west of the mosque lie two graves, one of the saint and the other of the saint's infant son. And thus Salim was born to the empress, Mariam-uz-Zamani on 30th August, 1569 and the emperor vowed to build a great city. This brought about the emerged the splendid city of Fatehpur Sikri on a stony ridge. Jahangir, who describes all these circumstances in his memoirs, adds: "My respected father, regarding the village of Sikri, my birthplace, as fortunate to himself, made it his capital, and in the course of fourteen or fifteen years the hills and deserts, which flourished in beasts of prey, converted into a magnificent city, comprising many gardens, graceful edifices and pavilions, and other places of great magnetism and splendor. After the conquest of Gujarat, the village was named Fatehpur (the town of victory)."
                                                                                   BULAND DARWAJA

       The magnificent buildings in Fatehpur Sikri can be divided into two categories namely, the religious and the secular. The religious buildings are the imposing Jama Masjid with the Buland Darwaza. The Buland Darwaza is the most stupendous gateway of India which is the main entrance to Fatehpur Sikri. The 175 feet Buland Darwaza is the highest gateway in the world. It was built by Akbar to commemorate his victory over Khandesh in Gujarat. The Buland Darwaza was erected in the year 1602, to commemorate Akbar's conquest over Deccan

The doorway is richly carved with verses from the Holy Quran cut in bold Arabic letters. Entrance to the Dargah is through the Buland Darwaza. The Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chisti or Jami Masjid was built in 1581 out of pure white marble. Thousands of devotees and tourists from all over the world visit the Fatehpur Sikri to offer their gratitude to Sheikh Salim Chisti. A Koranic inscription upon it read, "The world is a bridge, pass over it but build no house upon it. He, who hopes for an hour, hopes for Eternity, for the world is but an hour". Just outside the gateway is a deep well wherein local daredevils leap from the top of the entrance into the water. The Shahi Darwaza is the official entrance, where licensed guides can be hired.