Fatehpur Sikri

The historical places are a world of memories, a world of deeds, a world of tears, and a world of glories..

The captivating city of Fatehpur Sikri got constructed in 1571 by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the honour of Salim Chisti, a resident saint of Sikri. The place is located at about 26 miles west of Agra. It was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986. King Akbar was illiterate himself he took a keen interest in literature, architecture and arts. He supervised the making of the Fatehpur Sikri and is said that he even quarried stone along with his workmen. Climb out of an apartment and you would find a tree perfectly framed in a window. The layout of the city shows a conscious attempt to produce rich spatial effects by the organization of built forms around open spaces in interesting ways. The architecture of Fatehpur Sikri is outstanding and is definitely a crowning architectural legacy of Akbar.

History Behind The Making
There is a popular legend that goes as - since Akbar was without an heir for a long time, he made a pilgrimage to the renowned Sufi saint, Sheik Salim Chisti, to seek his blessings. When a son -- later to be known as Jahangir -- was born to him, Akbar named him after the saint as a mark of his gratitude and built the new capital to mark his birth. Construction of the new ceremonial capital, with its elaborate palaces, formal courtyards, reflecting pools, harems, tombs and a great mosque, commenced in 1571. Since then the city has become a great tourist spot.
Places to look for....
There are a number of important buildings in the city of Fatehpur Sikri. Some of them are -

• Jama Masjid or the Friday Mosque
• Buland Darwaza
• Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chisti
• Palace of Jodha Bai
• Birbal Bhawan

The De Facto
Location - Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Built In - 1571
Area - 250 sq. km
Elevation ( gate way )- 45 metres
Best Tim To Visit- October to March
Timings - Sunrise to sunset
Entrance Tariff - Rs. 20 for Indians and Rs. 260 for foreigners.

Access
Air
Agra airport is 7 km from the city center and 3 km from Idgah bus stand. Major Indian airlines operate daily tourist shuttle flights to Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and back. It only takes 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
Road
Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where one can catch buses for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri, etc. Buses for Mathura also leave from Agra Fort bus stand.
Rail
Agra is well connected by railroad. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. Trains like Palace on Wheel, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express are the best choices if you want to reach Agra from Delhi in luxury.
Did You Know?

• The Buland Darwaza erected in 1602 AD to commemorate Akbar's victory over the Deccan, is the highest and grandest gateway in India and ranks among the biggest in the world.
• It is also famous as the Ghost Town.
• Fatehpur Sikri is the best example of the culmination of Hindu and Muslim architecture.
• The city of Fatehpur Sikri has a population of about 30,000.