Tomb of Salim Chisti Fatehpur Sikri

Tomb of Salim Chisti Fatehpur Sikri

Agra is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River in India. This medieval city was found by Sultan Sikandar Lodi in the year 1506 and had achieved fame as the capital of the Mughal emperors from 1526 to 1658. Agra is major tourist attraction today because of its renowned architecture and Mughal era buildings such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri , all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tourist from all over India and the world come to Agra because of this.

Fatehpur Sikri was the political capital of India's Mughal Empire under the reign of Akbar from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned, ostensibly due to lack of water. Fatehpur Sikri was built in honour of Sufi saint Salim Chishti in 1571 by Akbar.

Shaikh Salim was a Chishti saint who lived in the village of Sikri, as an ascetic. He came into the limelight when he had correctly predicted the birth of Akbar's son Jahangir, and also cared for his wife during her pregnancy. In order to thank and honour this saint, Akbar in the year 1571 established the palatial-religious complex of Fatehpur Sikri on the site of Shaikh Salim's village, making it his capital. Unfortunately the saint passed away shortly after construction work began.

The Tomb of Salim Chisti is made of white marble and sits in an enclosure with a pool. The entrance porch is held up by unusual, serpant-like supports. A verandah enclosed by a finely carved perforated screen surrounds the main tomb hall. At its center is the cenotaph, sheltered by a canopy decorated with mother-of-pearl. The center covered by a wide marble dome.

The tomb is still a venerated place of pilgrimage, especially for childless women who come and tie a thread on the lattice windows of the tomb chamber as a reminder of an unfulfilled desire. They also untie it when their wish is granted believing that just like Akbar's wish, their wish would also be granted.

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