Best Travel to Fatehpur Sikri
Explore Fatehpur Sikri, India's "Pompeii", with best Indian travel. It was the capital city close to Akbar's heart, built with great attention to architectural detail, and a feast for the eyes. Akbar built this city as a mark of respect to the famous Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chishti, who had predicted the birth of the son of the emperor who had no heirs at the age of 27. Akbar’s first son was born in 1569 A.D. and was named as Salim (late Jehangir) in deference to Sheikh Salim Chishti. This has been corroborated even by Jehangir in his memoirs. Fatehpur Sikri had a brief span of glory when it served the capital of the Mughal empire from 1570 and 1586 and was abandoned only after 16 years of its construction. Though shrouded in mystery the most plausible reason seems to be the perennial lack of water which forced Akbar's men to boycott this city and Fatehpur Sikri never really attained the glory it had reached out for.
Jehangir who succeeded his father Akbar to the Mughal Throne, writes in his memoirs: “My revered father regarded the village of Sikri, my birthplace, as fortunate for himself, made it his capital, and in the course of 14 years the hills, deserts, which abounded in beasts of prey, were converted into a magnificent city, comprising numerous gardens, elegant edifices and pavilions of great beauty. After the conquest of Gujarat, the village was named Fatehpur Sikri, the City of Victory.”
A tour to Fatehpur Sikri will acquaint you with the rich history and architectural grandeur of the Mughal Dynasty. Now an important tourist center, the little township is worth visiting for its sheer beauty. Occupying pride of place in Fatehpur is the Jama Masjid, also known as the Dargah Mosque. A short climb up a steep flight of stairs takes you to the grand entrance to the mosque complex, the Buland Darwaza. This gate of victory was built to commemorate Akbar's exploits in Gujarat.
As you step into the courtyard of the masjid, a sense of calm sweeps over you. The tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti stands to one corner of the courtyard. Tourists can buy a chadar, a long strip of cloth, to lay at the tomb and pray for their wishes to come true. The tomb is surrounded by fine lattice screens carved out of marble, and the devout are encouraged to make a wish and tie a thread around the lattices, promising the saint that they will return to untie the thread once their wish is fulfilled.
The old city of Fatehpur lies next to the mosque complex. For a smile and a pat on the head, the children peddling their ware around the complex will point out the crumbling entrance to the old city. The first stop here is the Palace of the Christian Wife. This was the home of Akbar's Christian wife Mariam. It's worth checking out this palace just for the sense of history - it's pretty dilapidated otherwise and note really what you would expect of a grand palace.
Also on your itinerary here are the palace of Joda Bai, Birbal Bhavan and the Panch Mahal.
From your vantage point next to the mosque, you can see the ruined city of Fatehpur Sikri for miles around. On one side is the majestic Turkish bath that the emperor built. There's also the Karwan Serai, a group of rooms clustered around a courtyard, where traveling merchants used to stop for the night.
