Fatephur Sikri

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21st January 2009
ATD - Happy to leave the unfettered chaos of Agra behind, we blazed our way towards the pink city - Jaipur. The only thing I had previously associated with this city was Shane Warne’s IPL-conquering cricket team, the Rajasthan Royals. On the way we stopped off at the very impressive ruins at Fatephur Sikri. These ruins have been well maintained, possibly because they have not had to carry the massive burden of tourists of the buildings in Agra. Fatephur Sikri gives one a real impression of how mighty the Mughal empire must once have been.
The long drive from then onwards was dominated by loud music reverberating from the stereo of our van. Perhaps unwisely, Maya had encouraged our driver with some positive comments towards his music as we left Agra. This was all the encouragement Susil needed to leave his stereo at maximum volume while he sang along and pumped his head back and forth. None of us had the heart to ask him to turn it off, despite our rapidly growing headaches.
Maya was feeling very crook from the flu, so when we arrived in Jaipur she crashed. The other three of us went out to explore some of what looks like a fairly modern and well-organised city in comparison to Agra. We found a place from the Lonely Planet (one of the only good tips we have had from that book so far!) called ‘Mediterraneo’. That’s right folks; authentic Italian cuisine right in the heart of downtown Jaipur - I’ve definitely got no need to go to Italy now. The food was good and just what we felt like after a long drive through the Rajasthani desert.

From wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri
HISTORY
Akbar had inherited the Mughal Empire from his father Humayun and grandfather Babur. During the 1560s he rebuilt the Agra Fort and established it as his capital. With his Hindu wife Mariam-uz-Zamani he had a son and then twins, but the twins died. He then consulted the Sufi Saint Salim Chishti from the Chishti Order who lived as a recluse in the small town Sikri near Agra. Salim predicted that Akbar would have another son, and indeed one was born in 1569 in Sikri. He was named Salim to honor the saint and would later rule the empire as Emperor Jahangir. The following year, Akbar, then 28 years old, determined to build a palace and royal city in Sikri, to honor his pir Salim Chishti. The tomb of Salim Chishti, "Salim Chisti Ka Mazar" was built there within the grounds of the Jama mosque.

The name, Fateh is of Arabic origin and means "victory", also in Urdu and Persian; Mughal Emperor Babur defeated Rana Sanga in a battle at a place called Khanwa (about 40 KM from Agra).

Fatehpur Sikri shared its imperial duties as a capital city with Agra, where a bulk of the arsenal, treasure hoards, and other reserves were kept at its Red Fort for security. During a crisis, the court, harem, and treasury could be removed to Agra, only 26 miles away, less than a day's march.It is at Fatehpur Sikri that the legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the nine jewels or Navaratnas, were born. The legendary musician Tansen is said to have performed on an island in the middle of the pool Anup Talao (lit. anup= without metaphor, unmatched). A strong belief comes across from generations that a tunnel from here stretches to Delhi and from there to Lahore and on the other end to Agra. Due to nonmaintenance, the tunnel had been closed in 1952 at approx 500m.

Innovations in land revenue, coinage, military organisation, and provincial administration emerged during the Fatehpur Sikri years.

Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned in 1585 and the capital moved to Lahore. The reasons for this remain obscure; it is possible that water sources dried up or that Akbar needed to be closer to invading Persian and Afghan armies.

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