We departed our hotel at 08:30 and then headed south-westwards towards the region of Jaipur.
After about one hour’s driving whilst still in the Uttar Pradesh locale we stopped to visit an ancient site of Fatehpur Sikri regarded as one of the greatest and best well preserved examples of Mughal architecture in India.
The massive and sprawling city complex was built by the very famous ruler Emperor Akbar between 1571 and 1585 and was the Mughal capital for 14 years.
Fatehpur Sikri is a walled city with large private and public areas with imposing gateways showing a blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles which reflected Akbar’s secular vision and his style of governance.
Diwan Khana-I-Am (Hall of Public Audience) & grounds, Fatehpur Sikri
After the city was abandoned many of its treasures were plundered until the legendary conservationist, British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered the preservation of the Taj Mahal as well as the protection of Fatehpur Sikri. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We were only at the site for just over an hour but even during this brief exposure we encountered numerous points of interest.
The grand Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of private audiences) showing the balcony where Akbar sat
We visited the three palaces of Akbar’s wives; one a Hindu, one Islamic and one a Christian from Portugal.
Hindu Palace
Pachisi Court named for the ludo like gsme played her by the ladies of the court
Pool of Anoop Talao outside Akbar's private chambers
The emperor had about 1000 concubines so he was kept busy no doubt controlling all his female companions. We visited the Khwabgah which was the emperor’s private sleeping quarters. He had a huge bed made from sandstone rock supported two metres above the surrounding floor.
Sandstone bed in Emperor's private sleeping quarters (Khwabgah)
We passed the white marble tomb of Salim Christi and and then viewed the five storey open pavilion of Panch Mahal where Akbar’s Queens gathered to savour the cool evening breeze.
All the buildings within Fatehpur Sikri are clustered on a series of terraces and are constructed from red sandstone, consequently the structures become very hot in these 40C summer conditions. It was hard to find cool retreat areas during our visit and we consumed lots of water.
Courtyard
One fact that caught our attention was that Akbar had a pet elephant which lived within the Fatehpur Sikri complex.
The elephant was used by the emperor to inflict capital punishment upon those who may have transgressed accepted behaviour.
In the middle of one of the garden lawn areas is a large rock embedded in the ground with a hole cut through it used to attach the poor soul so he could not flee. It was then up to the elephant to trample the person to death or leave them untouched. The elephant's judgement was regarded as jury and judge in one. When the elephant died, Akbar constructed a memorial tower and tomb for his pet.
Rock for elephant to inflict capital punishment
Memorial for Akbar’s favourite elephant, Fatehpur Sikri
The gardens were very well maintained and there were lots of bouvardia shrubs in flower with their delightful jasmine-like smell. At this point we said farewell to our Agra guide Pawan and thanked him for his efforts in making our visit to the Taj Mahal and the Baby Mahal so memorable.
Gardens, Fatehpur Sikri
We departed Fatehpur Sikri around 11:30 and then spent much of the remaining daylight on the road to Ranthambore.
There were comfort stops along the way but the overall distance travelled must have been close to 350 km.
We eventually arrived at our accommodation, the Ranthambore Heritage Haveli and were given plans for our jeep safari in the National Park early tomorrow morning.
Our room at Ranthambhore Heritage Haveli