FATEHPUR SIKRI | TOURIST PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO FATEHPUR SIKRI

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Buland Darwaza or the Gate of Magnificence serves as the main entrance to the Jama Masjid Complex Fort in Fatehpur Sikri of Uttar Pradesh. This massive gate is the highest gateway in the world and it was built in 1576 AD by Akbar to commemorate his victory over Gujarat.

Buland Darwaza is an astounding example of the Mughal architecture. It is made of red and buff sandstone, decorated by white and black marble. One needs to climb a flight of 42 steps in order to reach the gateway, which stands tall at a height of 40 m. The total height of the structure is about 54 m (176 feet) from the ground level. It is a15 storied high gateway acting as the southern entrance of the city of Fatehpur Sikri. It took nearly 12 years to build this magnificent gateway.

It is semi octagonal in plan and two smaller triple storeyed wings on either side. It has three kiosks on its top surrounded by thirteen smaller domed kiosks. There are .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Jama Masjid or Jami Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India and situated on the highest point of the ridge in Fatehpur Sikri Complex. This is one of the most notable tourist attractions to visit in Fatehpur Sikri as part of Agra tour. This mosque was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

The Jami Masjid was built by Akbar in 1571-72 AD. This is also called Friday mosque. It is the congregational mosque and was perhaps one of the first buildings to be constructed in the complex. It was built under the supervision of Sufi Saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti and his descendants.

The structure of the Jama Masjid is in a rectangular form and is placed on an elevated platform. The mosque has a large courtyard and has gateway entrance from North, South and East. There are series of square shaped chhatris topped by beautiful brackets situated on the other three .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Panch Mahal is five-storey architectural monument located on the northeast direction of Jodha Bai's palace inside the Fatehpur Sikri Fort Complex of Uttar Pradesh.

Panch Mahal was built by Emperor Akbar primarily used as a recreational and pleasure palace by the queens and the other ladies of the court. This is also known as badgir or the wind tower. This pillared pavilion is made of red sand stone comprising of five pavilions, each of which is connected to the next floor by a flight of stairs. The ground floor of the building is made up of 84 pillars that supports the entire structure. As one climbs up the Panch Mahal, the size of the pavilions becomes smaller and the number of pillars supporting the upper floor decreases in number. The first floor has 56 pillars, 20 pillars on second floor, 12 on the third floor and 4 on the fourth level.

The top floor consists of a single dome with floral motifs on top. All the .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Jodha Bai's Palace (or Jodha Bai Ka Rauza) is one of the largest buildings in the complex of Fatehpur Sikri. This Palace was constructed by Akbar for his favorite wife, Jodha Bai who was a Rajput Princess.

According to history, after Akbar conquered Malwa he faced strong resistances from the Rajput kings. Akbar dealt with the problem diplomatically, allowing them to keep their kingdoms and getting into marriage alliances with the princess of the Rajput clan. He married Jodha Bai, sister of Man Singh, the powerful ruler of Jaipur. She was his favorite queen and allowed to worship Hindu deity in her palace.

Jodha Bai Ka Rauza is an excellent example of the fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectures. The palace has distinct Gujarati and Rajasthani architectural patterns. The palace building consists of a rectangular block with a single magnificent gateway on eastern side, which .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Hiran Minar is located close to Caravanserai in Fatehpur Sikri Fort. It is believed that Akbar built Hiran Tower in the memory of his favorite elephant, Hiran. Alternatively, it is also believed that this tower served as a mile post and a light house for the night travelers.

With a height of 21.34 m, Hiran Minar is octagonal at the ground level and circular to the rest of the tower. This is built over an octagonal platform, which in turn stands on a square base. This tower is decorated with an alternate row of hexagons and six point stars. Earlier, elephant tusks were placed emerging from the center of each star, which are now replaced with stone tusks.

The tower is entered through a flat-topped door bordered by sand stone panel and flanked by closed arched panels. There are 53 steps leading to the top inside the tower. One can get a bird's eye view of Fatehpur Sikri from the top of the tower. It is believed that this .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 27 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station and 58 km from Agra, the Keoladeo National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is situated in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. It is among the top places to visit from Delhi and Agra cities.

Keoladeo National Park is located around a man-made wetland and was created in18th century by Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur. Formerly the private duck shooting reserve of the Maharajas of Bharatpur and the British Officials, this site was established as a bird sanctuary on 13th March 1976 under the name of Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Later on 10th March 1982, the site was designated as a national park and was named Keoladeo Ghana National Park. In 1985, the Park was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the finest bird parks in the world, Keoladeo, the name derives from an ancient Hindu temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, which stands at the center of the park. Ghana means .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Sheikh Salim Chisti Tomb is situated within the Jama Masjid Complex in Fatehpur Sikri Fort of Uttar Pradesh.

Emperor Akbar built the tomb of Sufi Saint Salim Chisti in 1580-81, after the saint died in 1572. The saint Salim Chisti was a successor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti of Ajmer, and lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. The mausoleum, constructed by Akbar as a mark of his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the birth of Akbar's son, who was named Prince Salim after the Sufi Saint and later succeeded Akbar to the throne of the Mughal Empire, as Jahangir.

When Salim Chisthi died, he was buried in the same Sikri complex where he once resided. A tomb was later commissioned that stands in the middle of the courtyard of the Jama Masjid in Sikri Fort. Originally it was built with red sandstone but was later converted in to a marble one in 1606 by Qutubuddin Khan Koka, on orders from Jahangir. Much later in 1866, .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience is located inside the complex of Fatehpur Sikri Fort.

Diwan-i-Khas is situated in the northeast corner of the royal complex with a huge and richly carved pillar in the center. It is a place where the Emperor meets his private guests and dignitaries. Also known as the jewel house, it is the most intriguing section of the palace complex.

This single storeyed square red sand stone building has four double-storeyed facades. The four beautiful kiosks at each corner of the building are in octagonal shape and have a circular dome with an inverted lotus on the top. The hall is surrounded by richly decorated square balcony.

Doors from all the four sides of the palace lead to a single hall, with a very high ceiling. Bridges which run diagonally from the corners of the gallery connect to a balcony supported by a Lotus shaped Throne Pillar. This stone column supports a flat dome .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience is located inside the complex of Fatehpur Sikri Fort. This is the first enclosure of the palace from the entrance.

Diwan-i-Am was constructed during 1570 to 1580 AD by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar. He heard the petitions of general public every morning in this hall. It is also used for public prayers and celebrations.

This building mainly consisted of three parts; front space for public, center space for the emperor and adjacent space for royal ladies. This is a rectangular structure multiple bays with a large courtyard in the front. The most impressive feature of this structure is the Throne Chamber facing east. It is said that it was so built because of Akbar's belief in sun worship. This chamber showcases a unique stone tiled roof. There are pillars corridors surrounding the three sides which can seat over a thousand audiences. To the west, is the pavilion with the Emperor's throne .....

...read more

...read more

At a distance of 1 km from Fatehpur Sikri Railway Station, Birbal's Palace is situated in the northwest corner of Jodha Bai's palace inside the complex of Fatehpur Sikri Fort.

Birbal's Palace is one of the important monuments in Fatehpur Sikri and is the residence of Raja Birbal, Akbar's Hindu Prime Minister, one of the most trusted persons and was also one of the Navratnas or Nine Jewels in Akbar's court. It was built in 1571 and is believed to be part of the Imperial Harem and housed Akbar's senior queens, Ruqayya Begum and Salima Begum.

The architecture of the Birbal's Palace is based on the typical Mughal style. It is a two storeyed structure. The ground storey is made up of four rooms, while the upper storey is made up of two rooms and open terraces. These rooms are interconnected with open doorways. The upper rooms are roofed by dome-like towers while the porches have pyramidal roofs, all of which are constructed to keep the interior cool.

There are exquisitely .....

...read more

...read more