Getting to Fatehpur Sikri
Agra is the most easily accessible tourist destination in India. The city has excellent air, rail and road links. While in Agra, the best way to visit Fatehpur Sikri is by a taxi. The Imperial fort of Fatehpur Sikri is approachable from Agra, 37 kilometers away or 18 kilometers from Bharatpur. Most visitors prefer to make a day trip to the fort en route from Agra or from Bharatpur, as it requires at least half a day to explore.
AIR : Nearest airport is Agra which is 7 km from the city center and 3 km from Idgah bus stand. It only takes 40 minutes from Delhi to Agra.
RAIL : The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. It is well connected to all major cities of India.
ROAD : Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where one can catch buses for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri, etc.
Travel Guide
It seems anyone and everyone in this neighborhood has the agility to metamorphose into a guide. Qualified guides are available near the ticket counter.
Try to avoid the unauthorized 'guides' who pester the visitors the moment one gets down from the bus.
If you are so needed a guide, fix up the rate and itinerary up front. Also make it clear that you need only guide service to the monuments and nothing else ( like hotel booking, souvenir shopping , donation for a charity and so on... ).
The qualified guides doesn't move around like a tout, nor are they pushy. Typically they approach as you buy ticket and enter the monument. Hire a guide for an hour or so in the palace complex for a quick tour.
Pay and release the guide after a tour. Now you can spend your time re visiting the spots again at your leisure. That is the best strategy especially if you wants to relax and see things at your own pace.
By the way it is worth hiring a guide. More so if you are new to the whole gamut of Mugal history and architecture.
Ticketing
Open from sunrise to sunset
Entrance Fee: Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 50 per head.
Foreigners : Rs 610.00
Indian Nationals : Rs 50.00
Entry to Fatehpur Sikri
Gateways and Bazaars
Access into the city was controlled by a series of gates or barriers that progressively restricted movement from the public spaces into the zones of the city reserved for the royal family and nobility.
The Gateways
Beginning from Delhi Darwaza in Sikri village, and moving westward, lay the city's gateways. The Lai (Red), Akbarabad (Agra), the Suraj (Sun) or Bir, the Ghandar (Moon), and the Gwalior Darwazas. Beyond these, further to the west, are the Tehrah (Crooked) and the Ajmeri Darwazas. Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, and Ajmer Gateways are so called because the roads to these towns led out from these named gateways. The gateways are all identical in design but the Agra Gateway is best preserved and most frequently used by the modern tourist coming either from Agra or Bharatpur.
Inside the Agra Gateway, is a large irregular pentagonal enclosure containing ruined cloisters. Locally known as the 'kotwali' or police check post, it was a caravanserai. Behind this caravanserai, the eastern end of the Fatehpur ridge rises, steeply; on its slopes and summit are the remains of some elegant quarters, of which the best preserved is a charming pavilion of red sandstone called Tansen's Baradari. The road leads to the attractive Dak Bungalow built by Lord Curzon (1898-1905). The Dak Bungalow is worth visiting for the magnificent view it offers of Sikri village and Delhi Darwaza.
The road, from Agra Gateway to the Imperial Palaces, runs through a walled enclosure, known as the 'Naubat Khana' or 'Naqqar Khana'. The Naubat Khana was a place where drums were beaten to make important announcements, and also to herald the emperor's appearances in the Diwan-I-Am. A huge structure with rubble masonry walls, popularly called 'Taksal' or mint, was the Karkhana or workshop where goods, both for daily use as well as luxury items were manufactured for the court. The Taksal was a part of the Karkhana and it is possible that gold and presentation coins were minted here. Among these ruins is a large plastered tank, called Hauz-i-Shirin or sweet tank, which was used to collect rainwater for preparing the food for the court.
Not far from the 'Hauz-i-Shirin', are the remains of the 'Yatish Khana' or House of Muhammad Baqir. He was the 'sufrachi' or Superintendent of the Imperial Table whose duty was to wait upon the emperor at his meals. Hakims' Quarters, believed to be the residence of the three Hakim brothers. Their knowledge of philosophy and the sciences, earned them the title of Hakim in Akbar's court.
The Imperial Palace complex can be related to various traditions, representing a unique and mysterious masterpiece. The complex, consisting of the Treasury, the offices, the Daulat Khana and the Haram Sara or ladies' palace , was divided into three parts; the mardana or men's section, the zanana or women's area, and the official area. Akbar planned the complex on Persian principles but the influences of his adopted land also came through in the typically Indian embellishments. The Imperial Palace complex consists of a number of independent pavilions arranged in formal geometry on a piece of level ground.
Tours
Daily tours is conducted by U.P. State Tourism Development Corporation for local sight seeing from Agra.
For booking, details and reservation, contact -
UPTOURS,
Rahi Tourist Bungalow,
Near Raja Mandi, Railway Station,
Agra 0562-2850120, 2851720
E-mail - rahitbagra@up-tourism.com
- Tourist Information Center, Agra Cantt Railway Station, Agra - 0562-2421204
- U.P. Tourism,64, Taj Road, Agra 0562-2226431
Tour Name |
Indian |
Foreigner |
Daily Full Day Tour (Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort & Tajmahal) |
750/- |
3600/- |
Half Day Tour (Fatehpur Sikri) |
550/- |
1500/- |
Child Full Day / Half Day Tour (Below 15 Years) |
550/- |
550/- |