Fatehpur SikriPlanning of the Palace Complex

Location Fatehpur Sikri  is a fortified city  in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.

The city was founded in 1569 by the Mughal emperor Akbar, and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585.

The city came into being after Akbar decided to construct it in 1571 on the same place where the birth of his son “Jahangir” was predicted by the wise sheikh “Salim Chisti”.

Unlike Agra, that was a thriving centre of trade, Sikri was a little village.

It was abandoned 20 years later by Akbar, due to inadequate supply of water to growing population.

The City

The palace complex is situated on the ridge of a hill about 40 meters in height by the side of an artificial lake.

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.

Most of the buildings are made up of red sandstone due to easy availability. The buildings were skillfully planned keeping in mind the climatic conditions, the geology of the terrain, the need of its occupants, its usage keeping, proper ventilation, and sanitation needs. Buildings meant for women ensured privacy in accordance with the 'purdah' system.

The town is fortified on three sides with eight gateways and has an artificial lake on the fourth side. The monuments here can be classified into four main categories - The Sacred Complex, The Royal Complex, The Imperial Harem and Other Monuments.

The whole complex is spread in three plateaus on receding levels with respect to the topography 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).

The two lower platforms, covering approximately 250 square meters, the buildings of the complex can be grouped in two main zones. 

The Middle Plateau 

The middle plateau is the most private.

Housing the residential buildings: the northern palace (Birbals Palace), the Shaqh-i Isbal (Jodh Bai’s Palace), the Sonahra Makan (Miriam’s Palace), the guest house (hospitalia) and the stables (Shahi Bazar and Mina Bazar).

The Lower Plateau

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

The public audience hall (Diwan-i Am), the (attributed) private audience hall (Diwan-i Khass), the Ank Michauli and Astrologer’s 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 the storage house (Abdar Khana).

Most of the buildings of the public and semi-public area face east, while the Khwabgah faces north.

• Symmetry and multiple axis through the plan of fatehpur sikri looks irregular but there is order in planning.

• Diwan e khaas and aankh micholi are symmetrical about east west axis diwan e khaas has a visual relationship with khwaagaah located on southern side.

• Water body near khwaabgaah linked with Maryam house along its east west axis.

• The buland darwaza imposed itself as and individual building, not harmonizes with rest of the building and its position is not aligned with the tomb of sheikh salim chishti which is exactly opposite to the gate.

• The location of diwaan e aam kept at the entrance by breaking the symmetry due to security reasons.

PLANNING OF THE CITY AND VISUAL AXISES.

The Sacred Complex

Comprised of the Jami Masjid, Salim Chisti tomb, the stone cutters mosque, the Hammam, the Badshahi Darwaza and the Buland DarwazaThe JAMI MASJID The first major structure built at the site was Jami

Masjid (congregational mosque) which was completed in 1571.

At the time of its construction it was the biggest mosque in India measuring 160 m east- west by 130 m north-south.

The stone cutters mosque and the Hammam towards the north of the masjid, the Buland Darwaza on the south, the Badshahi Darwaza on the east, and the tomb in the central courtyard.

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.

The centric mosque also provided a visual focus and guided the location of several other important buildings. For example Diwan-I- Khas, Khwabagh and the centric mosque are all in one axis.

Diwan-I-Aam

The place where the ruler meets the general public. Diwan-I-Aam is a typical feature of all the Mughal palaces.

The first court of the palace complex towards the Diwan-I Aam, the entrance to Akbar's private residence.

At one end of the court is an elevated pavilion. The pierced stone screens are most noteworthy. Now the open court is converted into a garden with lawn, where once stood the courtiers in humility.

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.

Diwan-I-Khas

Ceremonial Platform The free-standing structure situated in the centre

of this courtyard has come to be identified as the Diwan-I Khas.

This is a square two-storey building with a balcony. It stands on a panelled plinth, 0.75 meters high. From outside it appears double-storied; its four elevations are identical.

The arrangement of a square building with a central pillar may reflect some Hindu mandala whereby the central column represents the axis of the world.

Daulat Khana

Daulat Khana means "treasury." Daulat Khana is one of the monuments of Fatehpur Sikri.

The Daulat Khana was Akbar’s private quarters. It overlooked the palace of his Turkish Queen. The Daulat Khana housed the imperial library and sleeping quarters.

The emperor also had a resting area on the same floor. The sleeping quarters, Khwabgah, was on the second floor, decorated with Persian insciptions.

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-I Khas courtyard.

Another name for the Anup Talao, the "Char-Chamad," refers to four bridges. The tank served to cool the air near the Khwabagh. It formed part of a system of mini-tanks and canals built on the eastern platform of the Khwabgah.

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 Birbal’s Place, Miriam’s 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 level of water in the Anup Talao constant.

Astrologers Seat

The emperor would sit here and watch the distribution of the copper coins which contemporary European travellers say usually heaped in the courtyard to pay subordinate officers

IMPERIAL HARAM

An enclosure where women of the royal household lived in protected environs. It included the panch mahal, Jodh Bai’s palace, Maryam’s house and birbal’s house. Each was connected with other by covered passages, and screened off to the east from the Daulat khan

Panch Mahal

The Panch Mahal is a rectangular colonnaded structure open on all sides.

It is positioned to act as a "transition" building between the semi-public spaces that surround the Daulat Khana courtyard and the more private spaces of the Royal Harem.

The building is comprised of five levels, with the ground floor, and the upper floors decreasing in their horizontal dimensions as they rise, forming an asymmetrical pyramid stacked over the southeast corner.

The total height of the structure equals the total length of its ground floor.

Jodha’s Palace

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, Jodhabais Palace. The haram sarai is a double-storied structure composed of rooms arranged around a big open-air courtyard.

An adjunct structure housing baths and latrines projects to the south, and a balcony connected to a viaduct projects to the north.

Lower Haram Sarai

 At the rear of the principal Haram sarai, is a large colonnaded enclosure. It has been variously called the imperial stables for camels, elephants or the emperor’s choicest horses. The place must have been allotted to the serving maids of the ladies palaces. The sanitary needs of the staff were met with a hammam at the eastern end of the block.

Birbal’s House

Birbal’s House: Though it is named so, chances are unlikely that this was used by this famous minister of Akbar. This is one of the most beautiful buildings within the palace complex.

Thank YouChesham altaf shah, mohd zaid khan, ashad alam.B.Arch. III Year sfs