This was because the Mughal army found the large lake to be very useful as a water source. In fact, Babur loved the place so much that he called it “Shukri”, meaning “Thanks”. Before him, his ancestors, Babur and Humayun used Sikri as a sort of holiday-home away from Agra – like a largish country house of sorts, I guess… 😉 The earlier Mughals’ connectīy the way, it isn’t as if Akbar discovered the place. Till the Emperor again abandoned the city and shifted out due to various military campaigns, before finally abandoning the city in 1610 AD. Thus, started the Golden period of the city. He then renamed the city as Fatehpur Sikri meaning the “City of Victory”. In the meantime, in 1573 AD, Akbar led the Mughals to a victorious campaign in Gujarat. A more political reason could be that Akbar brought legitimacy to his rule by aligning himself with this popular Sufi sect of Sheikh Salim of Chisti. The decision was probably not all emotional. He then shifted the Mughal capital to Sikri.
This was when Jahangir turned 2 years of age. Akbar, in commemoration of the Sheikh and his son’s birth, began construction of a religious building.Īkbar decided to construct a walled city there with a palace. The Sheikh had in fact predicted the birth of Akbar’s son Jahangir who was subsequently born at Sikri in 1569 (Akbar’s son Murad was also born here later). The Sufi gatherings of the famous mystic Sheikh Salim of Chisti used to happen here. Before that, there are traces of this being a major Jain religious and cultural site more than a 10 centuries ago – excavations here have unearthed hundreds of Jain statues (of Bhagwan Adi Nath, Rishabh Nath, Bhagwan Mahavira and Jain Yakshinis) and the foundation stone of a temple. I did see a few tourists succumb to their wiles, but the steely determination of the thrifty South Indian saw me run the gauntlet of wanna-be guides with a smile and a claim of not knowing Hindi… 😉 The tumultuous history of Fatehpur Sikriįatehpur Sikri! Doesn’t the name have a ring to it? A ring of intrigue, history and character? And abandoned, truculent grandeur maybe? The name comes from a village called Sikri which was here before Akbar made the place grand… It was a village with houses, temples, commercial structures and the like, occupied by the Sungas and later in the 12 th century, the Sikarwar Rajputs, who built a fortress here. When I went there, the bunch of self-proclaimed, unauthorized guides who tried to cajole and even threaten me into engaging their services, were a big nuisance. The visit is fraught with dangers of the unique kind that the average traveler faces in many countries, especially in India. After all, stories of love find much more favor than histories, don’t they?
The architecture, the history and the legends around this city deserve much more renown… Unfortunately, it is over-shadowed by the romance of the Taj. It was abandoned by Akbar during his Punjab campaign and then completely abandoned in 1610 AD. It was founded by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1571 AD and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire till 1585. This blog is about a place near the Taj Mahal – Fatehpur Sikri in Agra district. And some of the history that I have read seem to suggest facts that take away a bit from the much-publicized “eternal love story of a King”. But the legends and stories behind it seem far-fetched. Don’t get me wrong – it is indeed beautiful and awe-inspiring. On my maiden visit to see the Taj Mahal in Agra, I was quite unimpressed with it. It has unfortunately been overshadowed unjustly by its more famous neighbor, the Taj Mahal. "Lactating mothers can feed their babies inside the room, while male tourists accompanying them can enjoy a documentary on the palace premises," he added.Ī baby care and feeding room was inaugurated at the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort in 2019.Ītiq Akhtar, a government-approved tourist guide in Agra, appreciated the initiative saying it was much needed for the safety and privacy of mothers.Fatehpur Sikri, is a beautiful, historical town near Agra. "Now four world heritage sites in Agra - the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, and Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra - have a babycare and feeding room," Kumar said.Īt Fatehpur Sikri, the room has been opened on the premises of the Jodha Bai Palace, he said. "A babycare and feeding room was inaugurated on the premises of Fatehpur Sikri and Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra today," Vasant Kumar, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Agra Circle, told PTI.
The aim is to provide a safe and private space to lactating mothers during their visit to the monuments, a senior Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official said. A babycare and feeding room was inaugurated on the premises of the Akbar's Tomb at Sikandra and the Jodha Bai Palace at Fatehpur Sikri.
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