{"id":2649,"date":"2023-05-06T17:18:06","date_gmt":"2023-05-06T17:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/?page_id=2649"},"modified":"2023-05-06T17:20:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T17:20:39","slug":"fatehpur-sikri","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/fatehpur-sikri\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatehpur Sikri"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The great Mughal city<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fatehpur Sikri is a town located in the district of Agra, Uttar Pradesh in India. Fatehpur Sikri was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986. Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the\u00a0Mughal Empire<\/a>\u00a0in 1571 by\u00a0Emperor\u00a0Akbar<\/a>, serving this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in\u00a0Punjab\u00a0and was later completely abandoned in 1610.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0khanqah<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Salim Chishti<\/a>\u00a0existed earlier at this place. Akbar’s son\u00a0Jahangir<\/a>\u00a0was born in the village of Sikri to his favourite wife\u00a0Mariam-uz-Zamani<\/a>\u00a0in 1569\u00a0and in that year Akbar began construction of a religious compound to commemorate the Sheikh who had predicted the birth. After Jahangir’s second birthday, he began the construction of a walled city and imperial palace here. The city came to be known as\u00a0Fatehpur Sikri<\/em>, the “City of Victory”, after Akbar’s\u00a0victorious Gujarat campaign in 1573<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ARCHITECTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General plan of the city in 1917<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fatehpur is a rhombic city sitting on a 40m high rocky ridge. It lies somewhere in the center of the walled area and runs from South-West to North-East. The top of the ridge due to the flat geography houses all the main buildings of the complex. It is surrounded by a 6km wall on three sides and an artificial lake on the fourth side which was the main source of water supply to the city. The slopes are difficult at the periphery so to facilitate movement on top lower structures are built as props. The lower structures are connected by steps to upper levels and are service facilities mostly easily approachable from roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sikri is modeled on Timurid styles and forms preferably with red sandstone, only the Salim Chishti dargah is incarnated with white marble. The architecture and the decor of palaces at Fatehpur Sikri reflect the influence of Gujarati architecture. The preservation of the original spaces helps the archaeologists to repaint the Mughal court scenarios and understand the royal living and working. The major spaces housed by the complex are Jami Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chishti, Buland Darwaza, Diwan-i-aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, Naubat Khana, Jodha Bai\u2019s Palace, Anup Talao, Birbal\u2019s house, Hiran Minar, Pachisi court, and Ibadat Khana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the axial planning of Islamic complexes where buildings are nestled in the gardens, the Fatehpur Sikri complex is organized in a sequential form with enclosed and open spaces of varying sizes. The connectivity of spaces is maintained with each space giving a different experience of scale and volume. The movement is directed from space to space and no definite paths are designed for accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The structure is a combination of traditional post and lintel systems and Buddhist origin arches and ribbed vaults. To align with the massive scale of the structure high domes are designed but the interiors are scaled-down by double domes decorated with paintings or plaster. The variety of roofs incorporated at Fatehpur Sikri is sloped angular vaults, curved vaulted roofs with stone ribs, stone domes, and flat-laid stone slabs. The roof finishing is smooth in some areas and carved fluting in others. The roof of lower structures is utilized as terraces with parapets finished with carved screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A noticeable design element of Fatehpur Sikri is the Chajja or the overhangs used for shading over the openings. They provide a floating effect to the structure as lower portions are openings generally and the portions above the chajja are the horizontal solids. Consistent incorporation of niches and screens as a functional and decorative wall feature can be experienced throughout the complex. The openings other than doors are intricately carved with floral work in stone screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMPORTANT BUILDINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fatehpur Sikri consists of many buildings which not only hold religious but also secular importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Buland Darwaza<\/strong>: Set into the south wall of congregational mosque, the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri is 54 metres (177 ft) high, from the ground, gradually making a transition to a human scale in the inside. It carries two inscriptions in the archway, one of which reads: “Isa, Son of Mariam said: The world is a bridge, pass over it, but build no houses on it. He who hopes for an hour may hope for eternity. The world endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jama Masjid<\/strong>: Jama Masjid of Delhi is one of the largest mosques in India. Situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad (today Old Delhi), it served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic gesture of Islamic power across India, well into the colonial era. It was also a site of political significance during several key periods of British rule. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Diwan-i-Khas<\/strong>: The Diwan-i-Khas, or the Hall of Private Audience, was built for such occasions. It is here that Akbar had representatives of different religions discuss their faiths and gave private audience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Diwan-i-Aam<\/strong>: Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience, was the place where Akbar heard petitions of the general public and did justice every morning. In the afternoon, he used to inspect his offices situated adjacent to this spacious complex. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Panch Mahal<\/strong>: Panch Mahal is a palace in Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Panch Mahal meaning ‘Five level Palace’ was commissioned by Akbar. This structure stands close to the Zenana quarters which supports the supposition that it was used for entertainment and relaxation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jodha Bai Palace:<\/strong> Jodha Bai Palace was commissioned by Akbar in Jodha Bai’s honour and was the largest residential palace in his harem. It is also known as Raniwas and Zenani Dyodhi. It consists of a central courtyard and is a mix of Hindu & Mughal styles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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CLIMATE CHANGES AND ITS EFFECTS ON FATEHPUR SIKRI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fatehpur Sikri is in the northern part of India and it hence belongs to the sub-tropical zone. One of the major reasons for degradation of the buildings on this site is air pollution majorly in forms of acid rain. Acid rain is formed of two pollutants – sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxides. Acid rains result in corrosion attacking the materials in both wet and dry forms. This has resulted in reduced service life of the buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of these ancient monuments were built using limestone, red sandstone and calcareous stones. These materials are highly vulnerable to corrosion. It is for the same reason that these monuments require constant renovation and retrofitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ministry of Environment, Government of India, has conducted a survey to find out the facts of pollution on the celebrated tomb. The report has revealed that the pollution levels in terms of both air and water have risen to most significant and dangerous levels, as a result of accelerated growth in industry, traffic and population. Illegal and irrational constructions are springing up around the Taj Mahal, the heavily polluted water of the river Yamuna are also causing serious damage to the monument. An air pollution control programme was launched in 1998, when it was found the monument\u2019s famous and peculiar white marble was turning yellow. The then American President Bill Clinton made an interesting statement that pollution had done, \u201cwhat 350 years of wars, invasions and natural disasters have failed to do and begun to mar the magnificent walls of the Taj Mahal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A series of serious measures have been taken including banning vehicles till 500 meters away from the structure. It was also noticed that the fluctuations in ground water table have been threatening the structure and the water in the river Yamuna is continuously polluted by the discharge of effluents. Many experts declared that the measurable Total Particulate Suspended Matter (TSPM), Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen are all posing huge threats to the ancient monument. According to Suryanarayana Murthy, a conservation architect, the organic matter that settle on the structure along with the dust leads to moth formation due to rains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The great Mughal city Fatehpur Sikri is a town located in the district of Agra, Uttar Pradesh in India. Fatehpur Sikri was designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1986. Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of the\u00a0Mughal Empire\u00a0in 1571 by\u00a0Emperor\u00a0Akbar, serving this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-2649","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2734,"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2649\/revisions\/2734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.openvirtualworlds.org\/worldheritage2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}