Fatehpur Sikri - Agra - Architecture In India

• Fathepur Sikri is a Palace complex, built by the Mughal Emperor Abar in 1571- 1585 A.D.
• One of the well-known Architecture in India.
• The palace building is located on a hillside about 100 feet [40 m] above the artificial lake.
• Akbar is responsible for the use of residence veneer, which gives the complex its characteristics hue.
• There were two main stages in the construction of this building.
• 1572 to 15757 A.D., when the main building was raised and finished.
• 15757 to 1585, when passage and corridor added to building according to the need of the emperor and his family.
• The complex served as the residence of the emperor for 14 years. in 1585 A.D. following a political and geographical shift of the empire, Akbar and his court satisfied transferred their residence to Lahore.

Architectural Features :

The following are the Architectural features of Fatehpur Sikri, Architecture in India.

1. Market.
2. Shop lined road.
3. Karkhana or workshop.
4. Octagonal Baoli.
5. Hiran Minar.
6. Hathipul or Elephant gate.
7. Daulat kahana (aam o Khas) or Diwan e Khas.
8. Kawabghah.
9. Daftar Khana.
10. Hammam.
11. Courtyard of panch MAhal.
12. Jadh Bai Palace.
13. Raja Birbal house.
14. Serai.
15. Courtyard of Jami mosque.
16. Jami mosque.
17. Tomb of Saikh salim chishti.
18. Tomb of Isa khan.
19. Buland Darwaza.

• It is situated on a long narrow ridge of Redstone that runs southwest to northeast.
• The building inside the complex is rotated 45 degrees.
• It is surrounded by enclosed walls that enclose the irregular place by about 2 miles and 1 mile long.
• The whole complex is spread in the three Plates.
• The mosque complex is located on the uppermost level of the ride and consists of a great mosque. The palace complex is laid out on the two lower platforms, covering 250 m sq.
• The building of the complex can be grouped into two main zones.
• The middle plateau is most private, housing the residential buildings, Birbal palace, Jodh Bai palace, Shahi Bazar, and Mina Bazar.Other buildings such as caravanserai, the Hiran Minar tower, hammam.
• The dominant material used is red stone.
• The building can be divided into two classes, the Religious and the secular.

Jami Mosque :

• The Jami Mosque at Fatehpur Sikri, Architecture in India, was built by Akbar in 1571.
• It covers a rectangular area measuring 542 X 438 and a large yard.
• The mosque follows the standard plan form with the central courtyard.
• The sanctuary facade consists of a large rectangular Pishtaq in the center.
• Above and behind these central features rises a large dome over the central nave.
• Arrange pillared kiosks all along the entire parapet.
• The nave is a square hall entered through three doorway.
• The aisles are accessible by highways from the nave. In the center of each hallway is a small church building, covered with one of the two smaller domes.

Buland Darwaza :

• Buland Darwaza is a gateway built by Akbar about 25 years after the Jami Mosque.
• The gateway is 134' high and 42 steps.
• The structure is 130' wide and 123' deep.
• The facade is embowed by the means of 3 planes comprising a large central face and a lesser one on each side.

Buland Darwaza from Inside

• The central plane is 86' wide and rectangular in shape.
• The smaller planes are in three kevels varied opening at each stage. The main feature of the decorative treatment of the exterior facade is the wide border of the gate.

Tomb of  Salim Chishti :

• It is located in the courtyard of the Jami Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri.
• Originally a sandstone structure, it was transformed into an expensive marble structure.
• The tomb consists of a 24-sided square exterior of the '16-sided chamber', all covered by a lower dome.
• A wide verandah is carried out the outside.
• There are carved brackets all around to support the extremely wides eaves.
• The pillars that make up the porch with their honeycomb capitals.

Jodh Bai Palace :

• Jodh Bai palace is a structure built as the house of the principle, Queen.
• Mariam was a Hindu, and the palace in all its construction and all its ornamentations belongs to the Hindu and Jamia style of Mariam's native country, Rajputra, It even contains a Hindu temple.
• The palace in plan measure 215' X 320', consisting of a large central courtyard.
• To the left of the door is a small guardhouse.
• The external hall is 32' high plan.
• The outer part of the wall is disturbed only three times, once by the east gatehouse, the Pavillion hanging from the Hawa Mahal.
• One of the most interesting features is the Hawa Mahal, Here the ladies enjoy the cool breeze and the view of the lake.

Birbal's House :

• Raja Birbal was a Barhaman, who came to Akbar's court at the beginning of his reign.
• From the construction, it would appear that h the Hindu were the architects.
• Birbal's house s a two-story structure.
• The ground story is made up of two rooms and an open terrace.
• The upper rooms are covered with cupolas while the galleries have a pyramidal roof.

Diwan-i- Khas :

• The Diwan-i-Khas or a hall of a private audience is the most distinctive of the administration building at the Fatehpur, Architecture In India.
• It is not a large structure, Externally, the structure is rectangular in plan with two-story.
• The interior arrangement is quite unique.
• From the platform, a stone bridge radiates along each diagonal of the hall to connect with hanging galleries that surrounded its upper portion.
• The idea behind the arrangement is that the emperor would occupy the central position.

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Agra Fort - Architecture In India

 Historical Background :

• The fort constructed by Akbar in 1565-1573. 
• The other name of the fort is Lal Qila or Red fort.
• It is one of the best Architecture in India.
• Akbar is responsible for the use of a red stone veneer, which gives the complex its characteristics hue.
• There were more than five hundred masonry buildings, many have originally been held with the fort complex.

Agra Fort

• These buildings inspired by the architecture of Gujrat and Bengal featured trabeated construction and Hindu decorations motifs.
• After Akbar, his Grandson Shahjahan carried out the most extensive building projects with the complex including the Diwan-i' Aam.
• Between 1628-1637 A.D Shahjahan rebuilt the three main places courtyard and introduced white marble and polish stucco to the fort's red stone material palette
• The fort remained the main imperial residence until 1648 A.D when Shahjahan shifted his court to Dehli.
• Its place in Mughal history continued when Aurangzeb took the throne from Jahan in 1658 A.D.

Agra Fort Castle

Architectural Features :

• Hathi Pul / Elephant gate.
• Amar Singh gate and Akbari gate which together from the southern gate.
• Anguri bagh ( grapes grden ).
• Diwan -i'Aam ( Hall of Public Audience).
• Shah Burj (royal tower).
• Dulat khana.
• Diwan -I Khas (hall of private audience).
• Aram Ghar (sleeping chamber).
• Moti Masjid.
• Akbari Mahal
• Jahangir Mahal.
• Khas Mahal.
• Imperial Hamam.
• Dressed red stone walls about 21 m high with a circumference of 2.5 km, enclose the fort.
• The walls about the Jamna river to the east with a straight line, 725 m in length, then form an irregular are protected by a moat, towards the west.

Main Gate :

• There are two main gates complexes in the fort both protected by barbicans.
• Each gate comprises two gates. The inner gate penetrates Akbar's older wall and the outer gate punctures Aurangzeb's outer wall.

Western Gate :

• On the west-facing of the city of Agra, The Dehli gate leads to the inner hatipul, Originally the main public entrance to the fort.
• From south of the hatipul, a 226 m long market extends large Diwan-i'Aam courtyard.

Southern Gate :

• The southern gate, originally called Akbari Darwaza, was renamed the gate of Amar Singh by the British.
• The southern gate which includes the outer Amar Singh gate followed by the Akbari gate was originally used by the imperial family and is now the public entrance into the fort complex.
• It has three consecutive entrance gateway built at the right angle to each other.
• A simple ogee arched outer gate at the end of the drawbridge puncturasAurangzeb's wall.
• This gate leads to the courtyard, about 45 m east-west and 25 m north-south, where the 3rd and final gate punctuate through the northern wall.
• Tall bastions articulated gateway here.
• Geometric multi-colored tile patterns are visible on the lower portion of bastions while the upper niches are clad in red sandstone.
• Space planning Layout :
• In the original layout of the fort, the east-west axis defined the public route, while the north-south axis formed the imperial or residential route, and both routes conveyed at the courtyard of Diwan-i Aam.
• Along the residential axis, the southernmost courtyard complex has survived from the Akbar region. these include Akbari Mahal and Jahangir Mahal.
• To the north of the Jahangir Mahal are the structures of the place known as Anguri Mahal, the Khas Mahal, and Diwan-i Khas.
• In 1628 and 1637 Shahjahan reconstructed all these palaces as well as the courtyard to Diwan-i A'am.

Diwan-i'Am and Diwan-i ' Khas :

• The diwan-i'Aam is organized like a Mughal courtyard mosque, with the niche in the Qibla wall replaced by Emporer Jhaorka.

Diwan-i'Aam

• The series of palaces and courtyards are located southeast of Diwan-i Aam along the river.
• All of these buildings constructed by Shah Jahan, which the Jahangiri MAhal and the Akbari Mahal and Anguri bagh are the original places from the Akbar region.
• The Diwan -I Khas now called the Machi Bharan (fish house), includes a courtyard measuring a 40 m east-west and 45 m north-south.

Diwan -I Khas

Shah Burj :

• To the east of Diwan-i Khas, the shah Burj project towards the river from one of the Akbar's red stone bastions.

Shah Burj

• A white marble structure with an arcaded front towards the river and more solid edges, it is decorating with small shallow niches.
• The chattri features alternating red stone and white marble panels with opening and jalis.

Anguri Bagh :

• To the south of the Shah Burj is the Anguri Bagh built by Shah Jahan in 1636 A.D
• The garden measures 40 m east-west and 45m north-south.
• Narrow soluble stories buildings border it on the north, south, and west and its eastern edge contains the three marble structure of the Khas Mahal.
• Designed as a traditional rectangular char bagh.
• The double stories of a building are a succession of open pillared verandas and small enclosed rooms.
• The upper story has a continuous balcony supported on stone brackets and protected by a Redstone Jali parapet.
• These buildings are considered to have been the Zanana, or residence of Imperial women.

Akbari And Jahangri Mahal :

• South of Anguri Bagh is the Akbari Mahal, built by its namesake.
• The better preserved Jhangri Mahal is located to its south.

Inside the Mahal

• Built by Akbar in 1570 A.D, the Jhanagir Mahal is the only one of Akbar's palace construction to survive completely intact.

Interior Marble Inlay

Styles and Influences :

• Some decorative inlay work is present in the buildings from Akbari time.
• Shah Jahani architecture within the complex display a profusion of pietra dura, inlay work set into the white marble.

Pietra Dura

• The articulation is very similar to that found in the Taj Mahal, and it is possible that the same craftsman, was employed in both projects.

Inlay Work in Fort

• The original aesthetic of the fortress as defined by Akbar was Indo-Islamic influenced by the architecture of Gujrat and Bengal.
• The result was truly Mughal architecture, a hybrid of geometric decoration and Hindu motifs.

Here is the Agra fort :