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Fatehpur SikriUttar Pradesh, India


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Fatehpur Sikri is a palace complex, built by the Mughal Emperor Jalalud-Din

Muhammad Akbar (reg.1556-1605), son of Humayun and grandson of Babur.

Abandoned city in northern India founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1571.

The palace complex is situated on the ridge of a hill about 40 meters in

height by the side of an artificial lake.

The city touches the easternmost tip of Rajasthan and is located on the main route

between Agra

There were two main phases of construction for the complex: 1572 to 1575, when the

main buildings were raised and finished, and 1575 to 1585, when passages and corridors

where added to the existing buildings according to the needs of the Emperor and his

family

The whole complex is spread in three plateaus on receding levels with respect to thetopography of the ridge. The mosque complex is located on the uppermost level of

the ridge, and consists of the Great Mosque (Jami Masjid, with the tomb of Shaykh

Salim Chisti incorporated into its courtyard), which dominates the entire architectural

composition by means of its size, and a small palatial complex called the Nayabad

quarter (including the Rang Mahal).


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The palace complex is laid out on the two lower platforms, covering approximately 250

square meters

The buildings of the complex can be grouped in two main zones. The middle plateau is the

most private, housing the residential buildings: the northern palace (Birbal's Palace), the

Shaqh-i Isbal (Jodh BaisPalace), the Sonahra Makan (Miriams Palace), the guest house(hospitalia) and the stables (Shahi Bazar and Mina Bazar).

The lowest plateau is occupied by the public and semi-public areas of the palace

complex, comprising the public audience hall (Diwan-i 'Am), the (attributed) private

audience hall (Diwan-i Khass), the Ank Michauli and Astrologers Seat, the Panj Mahal,

the imperial apartments (Khwabgah), the royal quarters (Daulat Khana), including the

library (Kutubkhana), the state archives (Daftar Khana), the Anup Talao pavilion and thestorage house (Abdar Khana). Most of the buildings of the public and semi-public area

face east, while the Khwabgah faces north.

The first major structure built at the site was Jami Masjid (congregational mosque)

which was completed in 1571 the year

At the time of its construction it was the biggest mosque in India measuring 160 m east-

west by 130 m north-south. The central courtyard is surrounded by arcades of pointed

arches which lead into small cell-like rooms. The centre of the west of the courtyard is

dominated by the sanctuary which has a huge central iwan leading on to a domed area in

front of the main mihrab. Either side of the central dome are two smaller domes each

covering the area in front of a smaller mihrab


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Fatehpur Sikri

Live map

1- Entrance (Diwan-i-Amm)

2- Diwan-i-Khass

3- Daulat Khana

4- Astrologer's Seat

5- Panch Mahal6- Anup Talao

7- House of the Turkish Sultana

8- House of Miriam

9- Palace of Jodh Bai

10- Garden

11- House of Birbal

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The first court of the palace complex towards the

Diwan-i Amm, the entrance to Akbar's private

residence.

1 . Entrance (Diwan-i-Amm)

Mughal fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectural

styles was embodied in spacious courtyards, wide

palaces, and open pavilions, quarried from the

local sandstone and cooled by numerous water

channels, ponds, and tanks.

An oblong complex comprising a large quadrangular space, 112.38 meters north-south

and 55.20 meters east-west, it is wrapped by a colonnaded passageway (dalan)composed of one hundred and eleven bays

The dalans, constructed from red sandstone, are set on a raised plinth and are composed of

square stone columns with plain bases and slightly molded capitals. These are surmounted

by simple brackets supporting stone lintels and a continuous eave (chhajja).

The Emperors pavilion is a small rectangular structure of red sandstone, measuring 9.27 by6.65 meters, positioned symmetrically to the enclosure and projecting slightly into the

courtyard. In plan, it is a single chamber with stone walls 1.10 meters thick surrounded by a

portico, 3.05 meters wide. The flat-roofed chamber itself rises above the porticos.

The portico is shaded by a stone-tile roof (khaprel) resting upon carved brackets, above which

runs the same carved parapet as the one over the dalans. The eastern portico is divided bytwo exquisitely carved three-part trapezium screens, with the Emperors seat in the center.


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Diwan-i Khass, Fatehpur Sikri

PLANSECTION


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3. Daulat Khana and Astrologer's Seat

Fatehpur Sikri

Daulat Khanameans "treasury." Daulat

Khana is one of the monuments of Fatehpur

Sikri The Daulat Khana was Akbars private

quarters. It overlooked the palace of his

Turkish Queen.

The Daulat Khana housed the imperial

library and sleeping quarters. It

encompasses a series of buildingsdecorated with intricately carved stone

screens, elaborate brackets, broad attic and

beautifully carved columns.

The library room on the ground floor had a

rich collection of 50,000 manuscripts. Akbar

often had them read out to him, as hehimself was illiterate.

The emperor also had a resting area on the

same floor. The sleeping quarters,

Khwabgah, was on the second floor,

decorated with Persian insciptions.


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4. Astrologer's Seat, Fatehpur Sikri

Red sandstone domed pavilion, a typical element of Indian

architecture that was widely adopted by the Mughals. Called a

"chhatri," literally meaning umbrella, the function of this

specific chhatri is unknown. Popular legend calls it the"Astrologers Seat.

The pavilion is square in plan, 2.74 meters per side, and is

situated on an extension of the same plinth (1.07 meters

high) that supports the Ankh Michauli. Traces of a stone

railing, which once enclosed it, still remain At each corner is a column, square at the base, with a carved

floral motif on all sides.

The column shaft is divided into two sections: the lower

section is square in section and transitions via a floral design

into the upper section, which is shaped into an octagonal

section. Serpentine struts (toranas) emerge at a 45 degree angle from

a carved stone monsters head (makara) on the octagonal

shaft, rising to meet under the center of each lintel.

5 P h M h l F t h Sik i


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5. Panch Mahal ,Fatehpur Sikri

The Panj Mahal is a rectangular colonnaded

structure open on all sides and built from local red

sandstone. It is positioned to act as a "transition"

building between the semi-public spaces thatsurround the Daulat Khana courtyard and the more

private spaces of the Royal Harem.

The building is comprised of five levels, with the ground floor measuring 22.05 meters north

south by 17.65 meters eastwest, and the upper floors decreasing in their horizontal

dimensions as they rise, forming an asymmetrical pyramid stacked over the southeast corner.

The final, fifth level is a domed chhatri. The total height of the structure equals the totallength of its ground floor

The ground floor is laid out in 8 aisles running east-west and 6 running north-south, with a

total of 84 columns. Double columns appear in the outer row along the east elevation; they

are also used in the interior rows that align (in plan) with the location of the upper floor. The

ground-floor columns are octagonal in section, with the exception of four circular ones

Interior view of detail ofdouble-column capital

The Panch Mahal as seen from

the courtyard of the Daulat

Khana


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The second floor above ground continues to recede to the southeast, with 4 aisles east-west

and 2 aisles north-south. As with the first floor, it has double columns on the eastern external

side and a projecting chhajja with a carved frieze. The third floor contains 12 columns,

doubled and bracketed along the exteriors. Instead of a projecting chhajja, it has a

characteristic jaali balustrade. On its fourth floor above ground, the building is crowned by a

square chhatri with a cupola roof. The pavilion is aligned with the second and third rows of

columns of the floors below

The form of the building is one solution to the problem of adequate ventilation in a multi-story structure.

The first floor above ground level is 6 aisles deep east-west and 4 aisles deep north-south,

with a total of 56 columns. On this floor the external columns are doubled not only along

the east elevation, but along the west and north as well. The corner columns form four-fold arrangements: the columns are round and each one of them bears a unique design.

This floor is the most ornate and details in its carvings. A deep chhajja projects from the

ceiling of the first floor outwards

The ground floor has a carved jaali balustrade, and no projecting chhajja.

Interior view of detail

of column capital Interior detail of column capital


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6-Anup Talao

The Anup Talao, or "peerless pool," was completed in

1576 on a wide platform (chabutara) to the north of

the Khwabgah (imperial apartments) in the Mahal-iKhass courtyard.

The tank served to cool the air near the Khwabgah. It formed part of a system of mini-tanks

and canals built on the eastern platform of the Khwabgah. The tank measures 29.26 meters

per side and is 3.66 meters deep. The island platform (9.14 m2) is flanked by a jaali balustrade,

and has a raised seat (chabutra, 3.66 m2) in its center

The Anup Talao is a red sandstone masonry tank, square in plan and bilaterally symmetrical.

A square island platform stands in its centre. Stone bridges, 0.61 meters wide and supported

by stone columns with bracket capitals, span 10.06 meters from the center of each side of

the platform to the side of the tank. Another name for the Anup Talao, the "Char-Chamad,"refers to these four bridges.

Two consecutive series of six broad stairs step down from the sides of the tank to the

original water level (0.96 meters, or just below the twelfth step). The tank was originally

filled via one water channel from the waterworks near the Elephant Gate to the west: the

water was carried via a stone duct north of BirbalsPlace, Miriams Garden, and the Kothi. A

second channel came from the eastern waterworks. Overflow was diverted to the tank

found north of the building with a central column (Ekastambha-Prasada), to keep the levelof water in the Anup Talao constant.


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7-Turkish Sultana's House

Northeast of the Anup Talao is a profusely ornamented chamber popularly referred to as the"Pavilion of the Turkish Sultana," and now more simply referred to as the Anup Talao pavilion

Square in plan, the pavilion measures 3.96 per side on the interior, and features a khaprel

ceiling. Along its west elevation is a rectangular portico, 2.64 by 4.07 meters, with the same

floor-ceiling height as the main chamber and supported on piers that are square in section

and octagonal columns.

Carved in floral and geometric patterns, the main chamber is one of the most richly

ornamented structures of the entire complex. Opulent carvings adorn dado panels, columns,

pilasters, double columns, brackets, and friezes.

Every square meters of the interior dado panel is covered with vegetable and animal motifs

with distinctive borders of hexagons and swastikas. These panels depict scenes from forests,

orchards, and gardens, ingeniously crafted. The pavilion has three windows, each of whichare filled with exquisite white marble tracery.

Detail of the interior panels, decorated

with exotic animals in lush foliage

Detail of ornamentation in carved

sandstone on the verandaExterior view of close-up of

south faade, showing columns

and carving on roof edge


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8-House of Miriam

West of the Anup Talao court and placed in the center of

its own courtyard is a red sandstone building known as the

Sonahra Makan (Golden House), on account of its rich

interior murals. It is also popularly named "Miriam's Kothi"

(residence).

In terms of function, this structure, with its open and formal character, profuse

ornamentation, and lack of bathroom facilities, was likely not used as a residence but rather

as a drawing room (baithak) where Akbar would receive his court artists.

Measuring 18.24 by 14.75 meters on the exterior, it is bilaterally symmetrical along its long

(north-south) axis. Divided into 5 bays along the north-south axis, the building has two main

parts.

The interior partitioning walls are approximately 1.2 meters thick. The hall is 5.18 meters in

height and surrounded on its east, north, and west by a high colonnaded portico that fillsthe outer 7 bays. From the outside, the entire building appears to be single-storied;

however, while the central hall and porticos are single-height, the southern rooms occupy

two stories.


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Exterior view from west showing

faade and chatthri

Interior detail of patterns on ceiling,

walls and corniceInterior close-up of

corner and cornice

A continuous stone chhajja runs along each elevation, supported on carved brackets. The

carvings depict Hindu deities, symbols, and motifs such as rows of elephants, swans, and

kirttimukhas(monsters, lit., "faces of glory").

The building has a flat roof, with a rectangular chhatri over its northern section. This chhattri

is composed of eight columns with bracket capitals, carrying lintels that support a projecting

horizontal eave.

Both the interior and exterior walls of the building were entirely painted, mostly in a figurativestyle, directly on the surface of the stone. These paintings depicted elephant fights, hunts,

battle scenes, tournaments, and architectural subjects. Within the color scheme, deep blue,

red, and gold predominated. Indian flora and fauna, as well as typical clothing, was worked

into the design

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9-Palace of Jodh Bai

. The Shabistan-i Iqbal, or Principal Haram Sara, is the

largest and best-preserved of the residences of the

imperial zenana (harem sara). Its popular name,

Jodhbai's Palace, is probably a misnomer: Jodhbai was

the daughter of Mota Raja Udaisingh of Jodpur andwife to Akbar's son Jedhangir.

The haram sara is a double-storied structure composed of rooms arranged around a big

open-air courtyard. Rectangular in plan, it measures 211.34 meters east to west and 196.5

meters north to south. An adjunct structure housing baths and latrines projects to the south,

and a balcony connected to a viaduct projects to the north.

From the exterior, the palace appears massive; apart from the entry and its guard-towers,

the only apertures in the elevations are jharokhas(projecting balconies)

The jharokha balcony is supported on four brackets with a jaali balustrade. Each exterior

corner of the palace above the jharokha windows is further protected by a chhajja, which is

in turn surmounted by a square base supporting an octagonal drum and a shallow dome.

The exterior enclosing walls - constructed of red and yellow sandstone blocks - are plain but

for a continuous intermediary frieze with decorative carvings, which indicates the ceiling

level of the rooms on the ground floor within, and decorative merlons along the parapet

interrupted only by the corner chhajjas.


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Exterior view of east entrance of

guard-house, showing bay windows

and chatthris

Exterior view of west faade

showing dome and bay window

supported by corbels

Exterior close-up of faade, entry and

detailed corbels and overhang

Interior detail of wall

Interior detail of carved

circular portion of ceiling

The palace is can only be accessed via a single

monumental gateway in the center of its eastern wall

The entrance opening is in the center of the gateway,

3.31 meters high and 2.28 meters wide and flanked by

engaged columns that support stone brackets and a

massive lintel

At ground level, the entrance is flanked on either side by a small decorative

arched iwan, or large niche. Above the iwans and to either side of the band offive arches are two jharokha windows supported on brackets

The gateway is further protected by a small detached stone guardhouse roofed with a gabled

roof to the southeast.

Passing through the gateway, one follows a "Z"-shaped path without a direct view into the

inner courtyard


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Interior courtyard view toward

northwest

The inner courtyard measures 54.9 meters by 49.32 meters.

Its central sunken area, 46.95 by 41.85 meters, is accessed

via a single step running along all four sides. In its center

stands a small square tank.

Around the inner court are double-storied residentialquarters at the corners and formal "suites" in the centers

of each side, excepting the east, which contains the

entrance gateway. Along the north and southern walls,

the suites are nearly identical

In the overall building scheme, the forms of the north and

south apartments are similar, and likewise the east and westapartments make a pair.

10 G d


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10-Garden

Exterior aerial view toward westExterior view toward south,

looking at pavilion in foreground

North of the imperial haram sara, and adjoining the northwest corner of the courtyard of

the Sonahra Makran, is is a garden known as "Miriams Garden," or the zenana garden.Used by the royal ladies of the palace

It was completely enclosed via rubble walls faced in cement. Its doorway was flanked by a

guardhouse at the northwest corner of the Sonahra Makran courtyard.

The garden is based on a traditional chahar bagh garden, laid out on two terraces, of which

the upper measures 27 by 28.4 meters, and the lower approximately 19 by 37 meters. Eachlevel is divided by orthogonal walls into two quarters; flowers, plants, and shrubs lined their

sides. The garden was originally paved in stone.

On the southeast corner of the upper level stand the ruins of a covered cistern, built below

ground level, which held water from the water works at the Elephant Gate. The square tank

measures 7.31 meters/side and is 1.22 meters deep. It was used as a swimming and bathing

pool for the ladies of the court.

11 Bi b l' H


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11-Birbal's House

This building is also known as "Birbal's Palace," and may have once formed part of the

haram sara, with its own covered and screened passage connecting it to the principal haramsara viaduct.

It is sited at the northern end of the zenana area at the very edge of the complex, north and

west of the principal palace of the haram sara.

Exterior view toward southwest

looking at double-column arcade

Interior detail of stone carving

Interior detail of carving

Lotus Niche

The house is a two-storied building, splendidly ornamented with carving, both inside and

out. From the construction, it would appear that Hindus were the architects; but the

decoration, from which it is easy to discover the taste of the occupants, is nearly allArabian or Persian in style,.

11 Hi Mi


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The Hiran Minar ("deer tower") is located north and west of the

Hathi Pol, outside of the palace complex, just north of the imperial

caravanserai.

Measuring twenty-one meters in height, the tower's plan isoctagonal at its base, circular after the height of 3.91 meters, and

topped with a chhatri.

The circular part of the tower is decorated with stone spikes, and a

circular balcony projects on stone corbels from the upper part of the

tower.

Its exact function is unknown, but it may have been a lookout tower

or a distance marker for travelers.

11-Hiran Minar

Exterior close-up view of

tower showing surface

decorations and projecting

elements


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11-Jami Masjid


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The Friday mosque of Fatehpur Sikri is the sacred complex of the fortified imperial city built

by Akbar between 1571-85.

A congregational mosque organized around a large courtyard, it was the largest mosque in

India at the time of its construction

The Fatehpur Sikri Friday Mosque complex includes the enclosure of the mosque itself,

containing the prayer hall, the tomb of Salim Chishti, and the tomb of Nawab Islam Khan. On

the same plateau is the small Nayabad palace, the Stonecutters Mosque, and the Rang

Mahal.

The main imperial entrance to the mosque complex, called the Badshahi Darwaza

("Emperors Gate") is located along its eastern edge, opposite the prayer hall, and was likelyused by royal palace residents.

On the southern side of the courtyard, known as the Buland Darwaza ("Lofty Gate").

A multistoried, semi-octagonal structure, it measures about 40 meters east-west and 20

meters north-south and contains large rooms, passages, and stairways. The exterior

(southern) elevation of the Buland Darwaza rises to a height of 40 meters above the levelof the mosques court.

Exerior view toward west showingarched entryway and colonnade

Exterior view looking up at BulardDarwasa, steps leading to gateway

Interior view toward north of

courtyard showing white marble tomb

of Shaykh Salim Chishti

h l d l d d d ll d h l h f h


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The Buland Darwaza is clad in red and yellow sandstone, while the rest of the mosque

complex is clad predominantly in red sandstone.

Within the enclosure wall is a rectangular courtyard, measuring 133 meters east-west and

109 meters north-south. The white marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti occupies a

prominent position in the court.

Approximately ten meters to the east of this tomb is the larger tomb of Nawab Islam Khan

The northern, southern, and eastern sides of the courtyard are filled with spacious dalans

(arcades), 11.66 meters deep.

The dalans are organized in two continuous bays. The inner bay is composed of small hujras

(cells), likely used as sleeping chambers for pilgrims and practitioners. The outer bay is a

continuous arcade with broad, pointed arches supported on square pillars; it forms thecourtyard edge.

The main prayer hall is located along the western side of the courtyard, and measures

about 88 north-south and 20 meters east-west. Its entry (eastern) elevation of the hall is

dominated by a central gateway composed of a high recessed ogee arch set within a

rectangular frame and surmounted by a row of domed chattris.

Rectangular in plan, the gateway is roofed by a semi-dome and contains three arched

openings that lead into the prayer hall.

The central archway is clad with bands of red and yellow sandstone, while the smaller

arched openings have mosaic inlay work in geometrical patterns.

The interior of the pra er hall is di ided into three ba s the central ba is sq are and


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The interior of the prayer hall is divided into three bays; the central bay is square and

measures 12.5 meters per side and is topped by a single dome supported on squinches

The two side bays measure approx. 29 meters north-south by 19 meters east-west. Each is

composed of a colonnaded hall with a square domed room (8 meters per side), located

centrally within this hall along the western (qibla) wall. Within each bay, nine mihrabs are found along the qibla wall, for a total of 21 mihrab niches

in the entire prayer hall.

The central mihrab niches located within the square domed rooms has been given special

attention: set within a larger arch, it is ornamented with inlay stone work, glazed tiles, and

carved and painted inscriptions.

The mihrabs located in the colonnade on either side of the square domed rooms occur in adouble-story pattern.

These two side bays of the prayer hall display a combination of arcuate domed construction,

present in the 2 smaller square rooms, and a trabeated system of tall Hindu-style pillars

supporting a flat ceiling, present in the colonnaded halls. In the square room, corbels start

low in the corners to form the transition from rectangular plan to octagonal drum. The drum

is finished in plaster and articulated with radiating bands. With the exception of the marble-clad tomb of Salim Chishti, the complex is rendered in red

sandstone, with some yellow sandstone accents. Its style and ornamentation owe much to

Gujarati architecture

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