Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri was nothing more but a small stonecutters village, but when Mughal Emperor Akbar came to power in 1571, the town became the capital of the Mughal Empire. Legend says that Akbar didn't have a male heir and made a pilgrimage to Sikri in search of Muslim saint Shaikh Salim Chishti. The saint predicted that Akbar would have three sons and when this came true, he was so impressed that he pledged to build a city at Sikri. Akbar lived in Fatehpur Sikri for 14 years. During that time he discussed with Hindus, Jains, Parsis, as well as with Portuguese Jesuits from Goa. He combined several elements from the different religions and developed a new one called Deen Ilahi. In Fatehpur Sikri the religions are also merged, in the form of its architecture; Islamic building styles fuse with Hindu and Jain decorative art.

In 1585 Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned, possibly because of problems with the water supply. Akbar moved the capital to Lahore and 20 years later Fatehpur Sikri was a ghost town. In 1598, when Akbar returned to the region he went to Agra and completely ignored Fatehpur Sikri.

Because most buildings in Fatehpur Sikri were constructed out of durable red sandstone and efforts by the Indian Archaeological Survey, the town is preserved exactly as it was during the height of the Mughal Empire.

Most people visit Fatehpur Sikri on a day trip from Agra, although it is possible to stay in the ghost town as well. Fatehpur Sikri is 170 km south of Delhi.