Buland Darwaza and Chisti Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri -Rohit Kumar Parmar

Buland Darwaza and Chisti Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri

-Rohit Kumar Parmar [1]

Pic BuDar 01 Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri (Fateh means victory, Pur means place, and Sikri is the name of the village), founded as capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, and ruled from 1571 to 1585, [2] was initially abandoned due to a campaign in Punjab. [3]

Pic BuDar 02 Map of Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, in two close locations – the Buland Darwaza and the Chisti Tomb in the first and the Fatehpur (fort/ palace) complex in the second, has several palaces/ buildings including :

i. Buland Darwaza and the Chisti tomb

Buland Darwaza; Islam Khan’s Tomb; Jama Masjid; Shahi Darwaza; Shaikh Salim Chisti’s Tomb,

ii. Jodha Bai Mahal (Palace),

iii. Fatehpur Complex

Anup Talao; Birbal's House; Diwan-i-Aam, (Hall of Public Audience); Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience); Ibadat Khana or Din-e-Ilahi Mahal; Hammam (Turkish Baths); Khwabgah (House of Dreams) Akbar's residence; Pachisi Court (square marked as a large board game); Panch Mahal, a five-storey palace,

iv. Office Buildings in the Fatehpur Complex

Aankh Michauli or Khazana (Treasury); Astrologer's Seat; Daftar [4] Khana (Records Office); Karkhana (royal workshop); Naubat Khana; Taksal (mint),

v. Ancillary Buildings

Caravanserai; Darogha's quarters; Hakim's quarters; Hiran Minar; Stables;

Pic BuDar 03 Grand wall of Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra Gate

Fatehpur Sikri, a walled city on a ridge, is accessed through/has several gates - Agra Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Birbal Gate, Chandanpal Gate, Chor Gate, Delhi Gate, Gwalior Gate, Lal Gate, and the Tehra Gate, along the 5 miles (8.0 km) long undulating wall.

Pic BuDar 04 View of the Grand wall of Fatehpur Sikri, from Agra Jaipur National Highway 21

The perimeter wall of Fatehpur Sikri over 40 feet high, is artistically layered with dressed stone, and a parapet to walk, while patrolling. The top/front/outside end of the wall has covered small openings (merlons), to observe, sight and an opening for guns/canons, to defend the fort. The wall also serves as a defence to the soldier patrolling the fort. Each end or turn of the wall has a round high rising defensive tower (Pic BuDar 03), to defend the fort.

Pic BuDar 05 Gate, Fatehpur Sikri

The low parapet wall or railing along the edge of a rampart has holes/perforations for guns/ canons to be mounted and fired. The parapet which also functions as a protective barrier for the rampart, extends over the gates.

Pic BuDar 06 Parapet wall extending over Hathi Pole Gate, Fatehpur Sikri

The arch shaped gates are made of red stone as the main building of the Fatehpur palace complex, and at times embedded on the wall, as in the case of Agra gate.

Pic BuDar 07 Agra Gate in red stone, as you approach Fatehpur Sikri

Use of red sandstone in Fatehpur Sikri displays several patterns - the trabeate style with lintels (horizontal bars), supported by strong vertical pillars; arches at entrances; domes at the top; windows with carved stone lattice work, to allow breeze, suited for hot and humid climate. [5]

Pic BuDar 08 Agra Gate, as you leave Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar remained heirless till 1569 when his son Jahangir (Mirza Nur-ud-Din Beig Muhammad Khan Salim), was born to his favourite wife Jodha Bai [6], a Rajput princes of Amer [7] (conferred with the title Mariam-uz-Zaman) in 1569. Akbar began construction of a large religious compound to commemorate Shaikh Salim Chisti, who had predicted the birth.

Pic BuDar 09 Shaikh Salim Chisti’s Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri

Tomb of Salim Chishti

The tomb of Salim Chishti (1478–1572) in white marble, is in the Jama Masjid courtyard. The tomb built on a square platform displaying precision geometry, is built partly in trabeated style, with latticed windows and ornate pillars carved out of marble stone. The grave of Shaikh Salim Chisti is under an ornate wooden canopy encrusted with pearl mosaic.

Sun-shades or run-offs protect the tomb and the visitors from strong sunshine and possible damage due to rain. Ornate brackets support the sun-shades/run-offs, as an artistically shaped protruding beam. The tomb also has two passageways for circumambulation, a covered one as part of the tomb and an open passageway for a longer circumambulation.

The magnificent monuments in the Fatehpur Sikri complex may not have been used for more than two/three decades and moved to disrepair and eventual ruin. There are several magnificent cities/palaces, including some built using red stone, along Delhi-Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi-Orchha, [8] that are all abandoned, primarily due the unsustainable nature of the expenditure – Tughlakabad, Datia, Orchha. [9] Unsustainable excessive capital expenditure, done to boost the name of the ruler, is bound to fail, and does so aided by nature, failure of water source in the case of Fatehpur Sikri and Tughlakabad.

Buland Darwaza

The Buland Darwaza has three arched entrances, with the largest one in the centre. (Pic BuDar 01)

Pic BuDar 10 Wooden Door, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

The Buland Darwaza, 54 metres (177 ft) high, serves as a grand entrance to Fatehpur Sikri, on the south wall of Shaikh Salim Chisti tomb. The Buland Darwaza has a wooden door, bound by large iron nails.

Pic BuDar 11 Wicket Gate, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

The main gate of Buland Darwaza, may have been opened on special occasions, like the Urs [10] of Shaikh Salim Chisti. On the left gate, there is a wicket gate [11] for entry of persons.

Pic BuDar 12 Arch above the wooden Door, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 13 Another view of the arch of Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

The façade of the Buland Darwaza made of red stone has inlaid marble carving adding to the beauty.

Pic BuDar 14 Inlay marble carving on the Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

On entry from the Buland Darwaza into a large courtyard, there are covered corridors on four sides build in trabeate style from red stone, with arched roofs and stone flooring.

Pic BuDar 15 Courtyard of Shaikh Salim Chisti, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 16 Arched corridors with stone flooring, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 17 Arched corridors with stone flooring, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Jama Masjid:

Jama Masjid has a large courtyard for gathering on special occasions. A distinguishing feature of the Masjid is the row of chhatris. There are three mihrabs [12] in each of the seven bays.

Pic BuDar 18 Row of Chhatris, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

The Trabeate style of lintels and beam in red stone is distinctly visible in the Jama Masjid.

Pic BuDar 19 Trabeate style, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 20 Damaged art work, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 21 Inlay marble carving on red stone, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

Jama Masjid in the Buland Darwaza complex displays inlaid marble carving on red stone, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri. [13]

There is an Ornate Lamp Shade in the Jama Masjid, similar to the one at Government Museum, Lohagara Fort, Bharatpur, Rajasthan. [14]

Pic BuDar 22 Ornate Silver Lamp, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 23 Ornate walls and dome, Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri

On the left of the tomb of Shaikh Salim Chisti, facing east is a red sandstone tomb of Islam Khan I, son of Shaikh Badruddin Chishti, the grandson of Shaikh Salim Chishti, who became a general in the Mughal army in the reign of Jahangir. The tomb is topped by thirty-six small domed chattris and contains a number of graves of male descendants of Shaikh Salim Chishti.

Pic BuDar 24 Islam Khan’s Tomb, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Through a small door, the visitor moves into an open space behind the Jama Masjid to view the Hiran Minar, or Elephant Tower, covered with stone projections in the form of elephant tusks.

Pic BuDar 25, Small door, leading to an open space to view Hiran Minar, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 26, Hiran Minar, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 27, View of Bharatpur, the Jat Kingdom and now part of Rajasthan, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 28, Inside view of Shahi Gate, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

Pic BuDar 29, Outside view of Shahi Gate, Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri

[1] Author (Free lance, IES Retd, Former Senior Economic Adviser, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Adviser UNDP, Yemen P 4) has in posts on his website (https://rohitkparmar.wixsite.com/site), YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@rohitkparmar), twitter (https://twitter.com/rohitkparmar?s=09), facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rohit.parmar.5268750/), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-kumar-parmar-841b4724) been writing/ sharing varied topics and can be reached at rohitkparmar@yahoo.com. [2] Akbar reign, however, was from 1556 to 1605. [3] Later Fatehpur Sikri was also permanently abandoned. [4] Residents of Delhi will recall the DTC bus terminal outside North Block of the Central Secretariat was called Daftar, meaning office. [5] Several palaces/buildings in the area display the trabeated style of architecture and lattice windows. [6] Different from Jodh Bai, the wife of Jahangir, and daughter of Raja Udai Singh of Jodhpur. [7] Amer is the kingdom of Jaipur, ruled by the Kachwahas. [8] Starting with Tughlakabad fort, a few kilometres from the residence of the author. [9] Palaces in Datia, Gwalior and Orchha built by the local rulers, and are named after Jehangir, were never occupied by him or any other ruler. [10] Death anniversary. [11] A wicket gate is a pedestrian door or gate, built as part of a larger door. [12] A marking on the wall indicating direction of Mecca, which Muslims face while praying. [13] Officials of ASI feel the need to stay cool even in December by use of a cooler, ruining the view of the building. (Pic BuDar 21) [14] The lamp shade at the Bharatpur fort can be seen at the link https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid026kyrgDu5UXB3dL6iNUY9EBGFDqc34wrLfujHBVbFvZaoUBKPRvTdxCDozhrAa1vXl&id=100003403253504&mibextid=Nif5oz