Deserted and Spooky!! Are the two words which come to everybody’s mind when we talk about Fatehpur Sikri. It is known as that deserted town which was abandoned by its inhabitants 15 years ago due to insufficient water supply, yet remains as a tourist destination among travel enthusiasts while visiting Agra. To relive and be mesmerized by the Mughal architecture, this is your destination.
How to reach?
Located 40 kilometers from Agra, Fatehpur Sikri is an ideal one-day trip from Agra. Cab services to bus facilities are readily available from Agra towards the destination with costs ranging from 0.7$ to 28$
What to do:
Made up of red sandstone, this monument is a perfect blend of Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture and has following places to visit:
- Start by entering via the Buland Darwaza which is free to enter
- Just after the Buland Darwaza lies the religious place called Jama Masjid which is tomb of Sufi saint
- Then one can proceed towards the Sikri which is the main monument is a palace complex and requires tickets to enter it. Usually, the tickets charge around 7.8$ for foreign tourists and around 0.62$ for Indian visitors.
- The palace complex has two entrances one the Diwan-e-Am and other Jodha Bhai where tickets can be availed for the main palace complex.
- There is also an archaeological museum which is free to entry inside the palace complex to rewind some history and culture of past times. Inside the complex lies the magnificent hall kind of structure with single pillar called the Diwan-e-Khas.
- There is another palace complex inside here called the Panch Mahal worth looking around.
- Head down the off-beaten steep stoned path towards the Hiran Minar for mesmerizing views on the top of the tower.
Beware of
Being downtrodden, while visiting this city one need to be careful of the following
- Ignore hawkers, touts, and beggars who harass visitors for money and are uncontrolled
- Be prepared for long walks from where your vehicle will be parked at the entry gates to the Sikri Palace complex
- Being overrun by touts, one needs to be extra careful about not encouraging fake tourist guides.
- Avoid falling into traps for buying cloth on the pretext of good luck if one ties the same cloth on the tomb, you will end up paying high prices and seeing it being removed and re-sold to next gullible tourist.
If you are careful of the above scams, Fatehpur Sikri is a must visit destination while visiting Agra for diving into history and culture of Indian past times. At the end, be left feeling mesmerized by the amazing architecture this monument highlights. In short, a tour to this pompous capital city of the Mughals in India is a worthwhile experience of true in-depth history.