FATEHPUR SIKRI TOMB and UNESCO Heritage Site

The Sandstone Land of Uttar Pradesh

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Fatehpur Sikri is a small city near Agra, which is a house to many Red Sandstone buildings and some of them are UNESCO heritage sites. One of them is the famous fort of Fatehpur Sikri which was founded in the 16th century during the rule of the Mughal Empire.

This fort comprises many small palaces which have a vibe of both Hindu and Mughal architecture. Hindu architecture is found specifically in Jodha Bai’s palace, there are other palaces for Akbar’s other wives too. One for each as I remember.

This city is approximately 35Kms away from Agra and can be reached in multiple ways. You can take state buses from any nearby bus stand in Agra for merely 45 INR on one side. You can also book a 3 wheeler or a taxi for 6 hours (charged around 1500-2000 INR). We hired a taxi and reached the Fatehpur Sikri parking point area. This area has some small restaurants and multiple shops for buying some souvenirs or clothes.

This fort entry is not free and you can book a ticket online for the same. Now to reach the fort one has to travel in Government Approved CNG buses, which takes 10 Rs per person as personal vehicles or taxis are not allowed in the fort area. You can look for a travel guide here if you wish but totally your call, it’s not a compulsion

Once you reach there, you again have to pay a sum of INR 20 for Agra Municipal Corporation. You can pay via google pay or similar by scanning a QR Code.

Travel Tip: Try to hire an ASI-approved Guide only. There are multiple fraud people also running in the area.

This fort is huge with Panch mahal, treasure room, Anup Talao and many small palaces(46 as the guides say). So do carry water bottles as you won’t find anything to eat drink once inside the fort premises.

Below is an image from Jodha’s Kitchen, if you zoom in you can see the engravings still intact, thanks to ASI.

Fatehpur Sikri

Next up to the tomb is the world’s famous Buland Darwaza, the symbol of victory and also the highest gateway in the world.

It’s a UNESCO world heritage site, built in the 17th century by great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1601

Buland Darwaza opens up to Agra’s Jama Masjid where a lot of devotees visit every day. In the same complex, there is the famous Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chisti, a renowned Sufi Saint who foretold the birth of Akbar’s son.

It is indeed gorgeous in & out.

We spent about an entire day reaching and exploring the place at our pace once we had got a short crisp insights from the guides there.

Cost to reach

INR 2000 by Cab

~Appetitravel recommends~

Keep Buland Darwaza in your checklist for sure.