The walled City of Victory

 

Destination : Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh

Fatehpur Sikri is a royal walled city situated 40 miles west of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, northern part of India. It is listed as one of the world’s heritage site by UNESCO due to its unique features and inter-cultural architecture. The city is considered to be Akbar’s masterpiece as he seems to have left a piece of him in these red walls, even though it lay abandoned. The architecture of the monuments leave a tale behind.  Many stories were created and retold in this imperial city. The local guides manage to take you back to the time of Jodha, Akbar, Birbal. And like any well told story no one will know which version is the correct one and yet each one makes the place look more beautiful, immortal and magical.

An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation from 1999-2000 indicated that there was a habitation, temples and commercial centers here before Akbar built his capital.  Sikri was first noticed by Babur when he defeated Rana Sanga in the 16th century. As written in the book Fatehpur Sikri Revisited by Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, the name Sikri came from the Sikarwar Rajputs who controlled the city briefly at the end of the 12th century. After his victory, Babur constructed a garden there, which he named Bagh-e-Fath (victory garden). He gave the city a title, Shukri, feeling grateful, as a token of  thanksgiving. It was also the home of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti who lived in a cavern here. Legend has it, Akbar had visited the village of Sikri to consult the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti, who predicted the birth of an heir to the Mughal throne. When the prophecy came true, Akbar built his new capital here, including a stunning mosque, still in use today, and three palaces, one for each of his favorite wives – one a Hindu, one a Muslim and one a Christian.  In the later years, Akbar marched to a successful victory over the rulers of Gujarat and renamed this place as Fatehpur Sikri or the City of victory.

You have to leave your vehicles at the car park and take a shuttle bus for the short distance via the Agra Gate through the ruins of the Chauhar Suq with a triple-arched gateway. We entered the royal complex via the Diwan-e-Aam where Akbar held public court. It’s a large complex with galleries on four sides with an imperial box in one gallery, meant for the emperor. When we came out of this, we passed by what is named the Hakim’s quarters, which, Rezavi writes, was too close to the emperor’s chambers and too grand to be anything else except the quarters of Prince Salim. In fact, Salim was born in one of the mahals near the shrine, as Akbar had sent Salim’s mother there for confinement and delivery. Rezavi also says that the palace known as Maryam’s house was actually a royal dining hall. Given that the kitchens were nearby and it was cordoned off from the female quarters and lay outside the Haram Sara, this sounds feasible.

The king’s own quarters in the imperial palace were divided into private and public areas: Daulat Khana-e-Khas and Daulat Khana-e-Aam. The beauty of the palace is enhanced when these carved walls (pic above) are filled with lit diyas (candles) in winter. The courtyard of this private area has some of the most stunning buildings, including the Anup Talao or peerless pool, and the rectangular, five-level Panch Mahal. The most carved and decorated room in the courtyard which is known as the Turkish Sultana’s room is actually the Hujra-i-Anup Talao, another room used for receiving guests by Akbar. Since I had learnt so much by then, the fact that the free-standing square Chahar Khana (known as Diwan-i-Khas) in this courtyard was actually just symbolic and meant to emphasise Akbar as a universal ruler sitting in the round column head didn’t surprise me.

The Lotus Throne pillar (pic above) of Diwan-i-Khas is known for its massiveness and magnificence. This single red stone pillar is constructed with a set of 36 arched shaped pensile brackets holding up the circular raised area from which emanated the four passages. This six meter high architectural wonder was believed to be supporting the king’s throne.

The Shabistan-i-Iqbal (seraglio), which is commonly known as Jodha Bai’s palace (pic above), has exquisite carvings, columns with beautiful mouldings and brackets. Only the emperor’s seven or eight main wives lived there. The rest lived in the minor Haram Sara, with the emperor accessing the area via covered passages from his chambers. Corresponding to the style used in Hindu architecture, the main palace has a courtyard, around which the entirety of the palace is built. The living quarters are all built after keeping the courtyard as the center of the complex. Added to the brilliance of the red sandstone are the turquoise bricks, which are used on the roofs of the buildings.

The entire palace has these delicately designed windows which serve a purpose - people sitting inside get a complete view of the scene outside while people outside are unable to see anything inside. It is such architectural marvels in the times when no form of design was easily accessible makes the trip worthwhile.

 

 

Anoop Talao (pic above) was the famous place where Tansen regaled the court with his music. The water reflected the monuments as it was connected by small bridges to them. Seated in the island in the centre of the pond, Tansen used to sing four different ragas during the day. The beautiful red rock Did Tansen charm Akbar’s daughter Mehrunissa and marry her eventually? Did he really make the clouds melt with rain with raga Megha Malhaar? Did he really die when he was engulfed by the fire that broke out when he was singing raga Deepaka? History does not really answer these questions, but very often these are the stories that linger in our minds.

Panch Mahal (pic above) also known as “Badgir”, which means windcatcher/tower. This is an extraordinary structure, entirely columnar, consisting of four storeys of decreasing size disposed asymmetrically upon a ground floor, which contains 84 columns. The pillars, that originally had jaali between them, support the whole structure. These screens provided purdah (cover) to queens and princess on the top terraces enjoying the cool breezes and watching splendid views of Sikri fortifications and the town nestling at the foot of the ridge.

Birbal’s House stands near the northwest corner of Jodhabai’s palace. Notable features of the building are the horizontal sloping sunshades or chajjas and the brackets which support them.        

The khanqah of Sheikh Salim existed earlier at this place. Another attraction is the unusual Hiran Minar. To reach this spiky tower, walk down the steep stone path through the palace complex's Elephant Gate. Some people say that Akbar used to watch antelopes (hiran) from the top of the tower. Others say it was built over the tomb of Akbar's favorite elephant named Hiran, which executed people by walking over them and crushing their chests. It's encrusted with stone elephant tusks.

 

When Akbar acquired the Gujarat, Buland Darwaza (pic above) this architecture was built to celebrate the victory of the nation. The dimensions of the gate are 53.63 meters high and 35 meters wide.

 

Salim Chishti's tomb is famed as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India. The main tomb building is enclosed by delicate marble screens (pic above) on all sides, and the tomb is located in the centre of the main hall, which has a single semi-circular dome. The marble building is beautifully carved, and has an ivory-like appearance. Devotees ask for the blessings of the saint and seek fulfillment of their wishes. It is believed that tying a thread on the marble screens of the main tomb building serves as a constant reminder to the saint of their wishes. This tomb is known for child birth blessing.

The city has a mix of big malls, shopping complexes and local markets. For a flavor of tradition, I recommend trying the daily local markets. The vendors here dress in ethnic wear and will explain the details of their artwork with pride. It is famous for various handmade fabric designs such as chikankari embroidery and brocade. Artists also carve décor items from stone. For the kitchen you could pick artsy metal brassware, glass and various kinds of pottery. As a thumb rule, do not buy the items at the asking price. Bargain it to half or third of it! Unfortunately this city dominated by the multitude of hawkers, beggars and touts that roam uncontrolled. Prepare to be very persistently and aggressively harassed from the moment you arrive. This is not the time to appear friendly. Rather, ignore them or be as assertive as you have to be to get rid of them.

No trip is complete without having an opinion on the local food. Like most of Agra, the cuisine at Fatehpur Sikri is Mughlai. It is known for biryani, chaat, kebabs and mouth-watering curries. You could eat at the ethnically styled restaurants around the Bulund Gate area or venture to the food stalls by the railway station and the bus stand. Meat is the main ingredient in all the dishes but vegetarian food is easily available and in huge variety. The sweet-toothed visitors must try ghewar and kheer. For snacks, try the local chai along with fried yummies such as gujiya, pakodi or bhujiya.

No matter how complicated the facts and myths make this part of history appear to us, the majestic red sandstone buildings in the walled complex of Fatehpur Sikri will have you fall in love with them. It is such a treat for your eyes that you will want to visit the place again. 

If you would like to experience the real Fatehpur Sikri with us reach out at (91)9819524980 or heritagetrips18@gmail.com. For details on other trips visit our website - www.heritagetrips.net. 

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If I could tell the story in words, I would never need to lug around a camera.