In Urdu ''Fateh'' mean victory...
During the Mughal era, the founder of Mughal Empire, Babur in his memoir Baburnama mentioned it as ‘Sikri’, when he visited it on the eve of Battle of Khanwa on March 16, 1527, at Khanwa a few miles away. After he defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar in the battle, which gave him control of North India, he subsequently built a garden, a Jal-Mahal (Lake Palace), and a baoli (step-well) commemorate his victory....
There is a beautiful and interesting history related to the origin of Fatehpur Sikri. The Mughal emperor Akbar had three wives but had no heir. The desire for son led him to many holy men and finally to the renowned Sufi Saint Sheikh Salim Chisti who lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. The saint blessed Akbar and soon he became the father of a son. The emperor named his son ''Salim'' to honour the saint.and would later rule the empire as Emperor Jahangir
Here after the second birthday of Jahangir in 1571, Akbar then 28 years old, decided to shift his capital from Agra to the Sikri ridge, to honor Salim Chishti, and commenced the construction of a planned walled city which took the next fifteen years in planning and construction of a series royal palaces, harem, courts, a mosque, private quarters and other utility buildings He named the city, Fatehabad, with Fateh, a word of Arabic origin in Persian, meaning "victory", it was later called Fatehpur Sikri.
Fatehpur Sikri sits on rocky ridge, 3 km. in length and 1 km. wide, and palace city is surrounded by a 11 km wall on three side with the fourth being a lake at the time.It is at Fatehpur Sikri that the legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the nine jewels or Navaratnas, were born . One of them, musician and singer Tansen is said to have performed on an island in the middle of the pool Anup Talao.
According to contemporary historians, Akbar took a great interest in the building of Fatehpur Sikri and probably also dictated its architectural style. Seeking to revive the splendours of Persian court ceremonial made famous by his ancestor Timur, Akbar planned the complex on Persian principles. But the influences of his adopted land came through in the typically Indian embellishments. The Easy availability of sandstone in the neighbouring areas of Fatehpur Sikri, also meant that all the buildings here were made of the red stone.
The imperial Palace complex consists of a number of independent pavilions arranged in formal geometry on a piece of level ground, a pattern derived from Arab and central Asian tent encampments. In its entirety, the monuments at Fatehpur Sikri thus reflect the genius of Akbar in assimilating diverse regional architectural influences within a holistic style that was uniquely his own.
Some of the important buildings in this city:
Jama Masjid: It is a ''Jami Mosque'' meaning the ''Friday Mosque'' congregational mosque, and was perhaps one of the first buildings to come up in the complex, Jami Masjid was built in 1571 AD. as the date of its completion, with a massive entrance to the courtyard, the Buland-Darwaza added some five years later.Inside, there is a vast congregational coutyard. To the right, at the corner, is the Jammat Khana Hall and next ot this is the tomb of the royal ladies.
It was built in the manner of Indian mosques, with iwans around a central courtyard. A distinguishing feature is the row of ''chhatri'' over the sanctuary. There are three ''mihrabs'' in each of the seven bays, while the large central mihrab is covered by a dome, it is decorated with white marble ''inlay'', in geometric patterns. To the left of the Jami Masjid is the Stone Cutters’ mosque, the oldest place of worship at Fateh Pur Sikri. It is entered through the eastern entrance known as the Buland Darwaza.
Buland Darwaza: In Urdu buland means hight and Darwaza means Gate..The gate erected in 1602 AD to commemorate Akbar’s victory over Deccan is the highest and grandest gateway in India and ranks among the biggest in the world.
It set into the south wall of congregational mosque, the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri, this stupendous piece of architecture is 176 feet high, from the outside,
The gate was added some five years later after the completion of the mosque. as an 'victory arch', to commemorate the Akbar's successful Gujarat campaign. It carries two inscriptions in the archway, one of which reads: "Isa (Jesus) Son of Mary said: ''The world is a bridge, pass over it, but build no houses on it. He who hopes for an hour may hope for eternity. The world endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen".
Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chisti :
To the North of the Mosque is the Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chishti, a white marble encased tomb of the Sufi saint, Salim Chisti. This Dargah was built in 1570. Here, childless women come for blessings of the saint. Even Akbar was blessed with three sons, when he came here. The lattice work in the Dargah is among the finest to be found any where in India. The single-storey structure is built around a central square chamber, with has the grave of the saint, under a ornate wooden canopy, encrusted with ''mother-of-pearl'' mosaic.
The ''Dargah'' is beautifully designed by 54 several types of lattice of white marbel and most of them are made of single piece marbel. Stone pierced screens all around with intricate geometric design, and an entrance to the south. The tomb is influenced by earlier mausolea of the early 15th century Gujarat Sultanate period. Other striking features of the tomb are white marble serpentine brackets, which support sloping eaves around the parapet.
BATTLE GROUND OF KHANWA: This is the pleace where the battle of Khanwa was taken place on March 16, 1527, between Babar and Rana Sanga. Babar defeated Rana Sanga in the battle, which gave him control of North India,it the second major battle fought in modern day India, by the first Mughal Emperor Babur after the Battle of Panipat (1526).
The Hindu Rajputs and Babur's Muslim opponents gathered a formidable army much larger and more well organized than that of the previous Ibrahim Lodi had gathered at the Battle of Panipat (1526).
THE DIWAN-I-AMjourney to the royal palace begins with Diwan-I-Am or the Hall Of Public Audience. This hall was also used for celebrations and public prayers. It has cloisters on three sides of a rectangular courtyard. To the west is a pavilion with the Emperor’s throne. Beautiful jali screen on either sides separated the ladies attending the court.
By Air: Though a domestic airport, the Agra airport has an efficient network system as it is well connected to several Indian cities and also provides it’s commuters with special shuttle systems which travel between the cities of Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and back. The nearest International Airport to the city is at Delhi, which is located at a distance of around 40 minutes from Agra.
By Road: Reaching Fatehpur Sikri by road can also be a suitable option since the region is well connected to all the major cities of the region by a well maintained and an efficient network of roads.
