WHY DID AKBAR ABANDON FATEHPUR SIKRI......, ?
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How are you all
Hope excited to travel much more and explore unseen destination of world tourism
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.......CheLa The Excited Traveler ......
This time Heritage site of UP tourism Fatehpur Sikri ,,,it was a last Sunday spent in Heritage destination on 29th December 2019.
Welcome to Fatehpur Sikri
This magnificent fortified ancient city, 40km west of Agra, was the short-lived capital of the Mughal empire between 1572 and 1585, during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Earlier, 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 favourite wives – one a Hindu, one a Muslim and one a Christian (though Hindu villagers in Sikri dispute these claims).
The city was an Indo-Islamic masterpiece, but was erected in an area that supposedly suffered from water shortages and so was abandoned shortly after Akbar’s death. The red-sandstone palace walls are at their most atmospheric and photogenic near sunset.
The name Fatehpur came much later, as it was from here that Akbar marched to a successful victory over the rulers of Gujarat and renamed it as the City of victory. The first thing that we saw here was the 54 metres tall Bulund Darwaaza , a gate that was built here to commemorate the victory. It is also one of the places to see in Fatehpur Sikri.
Buland Darwaza, or the "Door of victory", was built in 1601 A.D. by Mughal emperor Akbar to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. It is the main entrance to the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri, which is 43 km from Agra, India. Buland Darwaza is the highest gateway in the world and is an example of Mughal architecture.
The Tomb of Salim Chishti is famed as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India, built during the years 1580 and 1581, along with the imperial complex at Fatehpur Sikri near Zenana Rauza and facing south towards Buland Darwaza, within the quadrangle of the Jama Masjid which measures 350 ft. by 440 ft.
I headed to the ornamental Anup Talao 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. Suddenly history was forgotten amidst lore.
But the story of Fatehpur Sikri defies logic. Here was a king who passionately built the city brick by brick. It was believed that he was at the quarry personally working along with the workers. But the city that took 15 years to build was inhabited for just 14 years. When Akbar moved his capital, he left it as a ghost town.
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.
One wondered if he moved because of the shortage of water or as some historians say that he had no intention of building a permanent capital. Whatever the reason may be, Fatehpur Sikri remains 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.
Thanks for pay attention ,
Best regards
CheLa
