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Ghost city on the Indian plains
The fabulous Taj Mahal, located in Agra, central India, is a beautiful building, one of the most famous and recognizable in the entire world. But the nearby ghost town of Fatehpur Sikri is easily more fascinating.
Situated only 30km west of the Taj, out in the emptiness of the desert, Fatehpur Sikri blends both Islamic and Hindu elements into its fantastic architectural style. A brilliant variation of red sandstone only available locally was used for construction of most of the buildings, which provides the city with much of its fabulous red lustre.
The ghost city was built during a time of lush rainfall, and the builders of the day did not realize that the lake surrounding the city would dry up entirely over time. Without steady access to water, the city’s inhabitants gradually drifted away. Today, visitors will find thousands of local artists from nearby villages attempting to sell handicrafts to tourists, but the complex essentially remains a ghost town.
The overall size and complexity of the ghost city is amazing. The Panch Mahal, or Palace of Five Stories, and the Buland Darwaza, a massive gate that provides entrance to the entire complex, are considered among the finest specimens of Mughal architecture ever built. Many art critics believe that Fatehpur Sikri is the greatest accomplishment of Mughal art ever designed, surpassing even the Taj Mahal both in beauty and in sheer volume.
Described in Indian tourist guides as “pure poetry in stone,” the most amazing aspect of the overall complex is that it has endured in such excellent condition for several centuries, largely due to the strength of the pure red rock used in its construction. Abandoned to the desert for hundreds of years, Fatehpur Sekri is more alive today than ever due to the everlasting brilliance of its architecture.
The entry fee to the site is a very expensive 485 rupees for foreigners, or $12.25 Canadian, a huge sum in rural India. Those travellers on a tight budget will be pleased to know that much of the city can be toured without official entry or payment, but only a good local guide will inform you of that detail. So, hire a local guide, preferably one standing on the road that leads into the ghost city from the highway. Plan to spend an entire day wandering around this extraordinary edifice of stone, listening to ancient whispers and fantastic stories of centuries ago.
Don’t forget your camera. Your friends will find it hard to believe that such an extraordinary place could ever exist in this modern world or survive the endless winds of time. The Taj Mahal may be beautiful, but Fatehpur Sikri is a world unto itself.
- Photos and text by Michael McCarthy
