Fatehpur- The Deserted Fortress

At a distance of around fifty kilometers from Agra en route Jaipur lies the deserted town of Fatehpur. The journey from the entrance of the city to the actual fort has to be made either on foot or via auto-rickshaws. At the entrance gates are guide houses and parking spaces for cars, buses and other vehicles which bring tourists from all over the world to see this spectacle. Fatehpur was built by Mughal emperor Akbar on the birth of his son Salim (Jahangir), by his Hindu Rajput  princess Jodha Bai.

Thus on entering the fort the first and the biggest palace to be seen is the palace of Jodha Bai. The palace is divided into two distinct chambers. A Winter Palace which kept the chambers heated on chilly winter days. A Summer Palace which had ventilator shafts which provided natural air conditioning by making use of the lake behind the fortress. The lake today has dried up.Another interesting thing to note is that the walls were hollow and echoed. Thus no matter where you stand in the chamber you can hear what the other person says. This was used as a means of communication in the absences of telephones and other such gadgets. Outside the palace is a kitchen made specially for Jodha Bai where her vegetarian food was cooked. The now-charred walls of the kitchen is a proof of the activities that once went on in the kitchen. what is interesting to note here is the design of the kitchen walls.It has the carvings of Jodha Bai's ear-rings. It is said that the jewelers used to look at these carvings and make ear-rings for her.

JODHA BAI PALACE ENTRANCE 

WINTER PALACE 

SUMMER PALACE

COMBINATION OF HINDU AND MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE AT JODHA BAI PALACE

EAR-RINGS CARVED ON THE WALLS OF JODHA BAI'S KITCHEN

The next palace is of Rukaiyya Begum, who was from Turkey. She was Akbar's first wife and they were married off at a very young age. Though her palace is not as big as that of Jodha Bai's, but the intricacies of Turkish carvings, paintings and drawings is sure to leave one spell bound. The interior of the chambers have been built into cubic walls where the Begum kept her make- up, clothes  and other  personal items.

WALL CARVINGS IN RUQAIYA BEGUM'S PALACE

INTERIOR OF RUQAIYA BEGUM'S PALACE
PHOTO COURTESY: SHAKUNTALA SEN

The third palace is of Mariam , who was a Christian princess from Goa. Her palace had beautiful chinese paintings and patterns drawn in gold. Today, with time, both the patterns and the paintings are on the verge of decay.

Akbar had for himself, built an elaborate Dream House . It is said that whenever Akbar wanted to have dreams he  used to go and sleep in this chamber.

DREAM  PALACE
PHOTO COURTESY: SHAKUNTALA SEN 

Tansen who was one of the nine gems in Akbar's council used to sit and sing amidst rose water and open sky.His voice was such that it had mesmerized many including the emperor himself.

SINGING PLACE OF TANSEN

The Diwani-i-Aam was the Hall of public audience where Akbar met the common public. There was only one gate which served as the entrance and the exit both, as the common people were not allowed inside the fortress beyond the Diwani-i Aam.The Diwani-i-Khaas was the hall of private decision making where the emperor took important decisions regarding his kingdom after consulting with his nine ministers.

DIWAN-I-AAM

DIWAN-I-KHAAS

Right outside the Diwani-i-Khaas one can look at the dice board of Akbar where he used to play games. Girls acted as the counters of the game and whoever the emperor liked was added to his Harrem. Akbar  was said to have been very superstitious and thus had a fortune teller stationed inside the fortress itself.

AKBAR'S DICE BOARD
PHOTO COURTESY: SHAKUNTALA SEN

Lastly, the Palace on Pillars which in local language is the Hawa Mahal of Fatehpur. It is a five storeyed palace supported only by pillars.

• The first storey was where the security was stationed.
• The second storey was where Jodha Bai worshipped the sun every morning.
• The third storey was used by Rukaiyya Begum to worship the moon on the festival of Eid.
• The fourth storey was from where Mariam used to watch the sunset every evening.
• The fifth storey was where the emperor met all his wives.

  

  HAWA MAHAL OF FATEHPUR

The garden adjacent to this palace was where the Mina Baazar was held exclusively for the ladies of the fortress.The princesses and the ladies were not allowed to leave the gates and so the market was brought to their doorstep.

A tour of the Fatehpur Fort is a reflection of the culture, values, architecture and engineering marvels present among the Mughal empire around five hundred years ago.The fact that their logic could be so advanced to build air conditioned palaces and forts with materials exhibiting high decay resistant qualities are a manifestation of the works of the genius minds in that era. Visiting the fort and its nooks and corners makes one feel transported to the Mughal era. Thus these architectural marvels and remnants of history act as portholes to the past , to unravel the stories that are lost in time.

WINDOW OVERLOOKING FATEHPUR CITY

Of Prayers And Blessings

If you are in Agra make sure that you have some extra time in your hands to visit  Fatehpur Sikhri shrine at a distance of about fifty kilometers from it. Though there are actually two very important places of interests to look at- the  Fatehpur fortress and Sikhri , my discussion here would be restricted to only Sikhri. Sikhri is actually a mosque that was built by Mughal emperor Akbar for his master, his savior and the one who guided him through all his joys and sorrows- Salim Chisti.

It is said that Akbar, despite having three wives -Hindu Rajput princess Jodha Bai, Turkish Rukaiyya Begum and Goan princess Mariyam did not have any children. He then traveled to Salim Chisti bare foot from Agra fort in order that his wish of having a son comes true. Salim Chisti blessed him and Jodha Bai gave birth to a son who was named Salim and later became famous as Jahangir.In fact the birth of a son meant so much for the emperor that Akbar established a fort in Fatehpur itself and when Salim Chisti died created a shrine in his honor beside the Fatehpur fort.

TOMB OF SALIM CHISTI

People till date believe that if you ask any three wishes from your heart the prophet blesses you and they are fulfilled. It is also believed that not anyone and everyone can actually visit the place- those who visits the place are called by the Great One.

If you want to make a trip to this holy shrine here are few things you must keep in mind. 

Do's

• Try and go during winter. 
• If at all you have to go during summer (like I did ) wear light cotton clothes.
• Make sure you wear long sleeves .It would protect you from the scorching heat.
• Carry a sunglass if you want to.
• Apply lots of sunscreen.
• Wear thick socks as you have to open your shoes outside the shrine. 
• Carry some cash with you . 
• Wear a cap or cover your head with a cloth.

Don'ts

• Avoid going during summer .
• Avoid wearing short skirts or pants. It is not allowed inside.
• Don't carry any valuables with you as they might be pick pocketed.
• Don't trust anyone who asks you to submit your valuables unless they know your guide or are from the authorities.

After the Dos and Don'ts it is important for you to know few other points which would help you in taking a good tour of this place. 

• The Sikhri is not only a shrine for the Great Prophet but it also holds graves of male, females, children, infants and the likes. 

  

  GRAVES/ TOMBS

• There is a tunnel in the enclosed area which, (though now it is closed) is said to have a hidden path connecting Fatehpur to Agra and Delhi. In fact it is rumored that when Anarkali the courtesan who Jahangir fell in love with was buried alive in the solid wall, she was made to escape through this path. 

  

  THE SECRET TUNNEL

• The devotees who come in lakhs or more per day offer stoles  and flowers on the tomb. They then tie the sacred thread around the walls of the chamber and ask for any three wishes that they want on the condition that they never reveal it to anyone. These stoles are later taken off and given in charity to make clothes for children who go to school in the chambers present in the mosque premises. 

  

  VISITORS OFFERING FLOWERS AND STOLES IN THE TOMB

• Most people who come here are tourists and are not left alone by the vendors who sell almost anything- pens, model Taj Mahal's, jewelleries, bags, hats and the like.

  

  LOCAL VENDORS

Another important sight which you cannot miss is the Buland Darwaza. It is almost a 107 feet tall door overlooking the entire region of Fatehpur. It is said that the Buland Darwaza is the tallest door in Asia. Right after paying homage to the great Prophet when one goes out and sees the view from the Buland Darwaza one feels as if the eyes of the prophet sees and blesses the people of the entire region and fulfills the wishes of all those who come to him.

BULAND DARWAZA

Next time you make a journey make sure you visit the Chisti and if you cannot visit it then remember that the prophet has not yet called you to himself and there will be a day when he would call you in the near future.

VIEW OF FATEHPUR FROM BULAND DARWAZA