Akbar ascended the throne in 1556 at age 13 and established the largest empire after Ashoka, with his capital originally at Agra. He built great architectural monuments during his reign, including the grand Red Fort and city of Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri was built from red sandstone in the local style and included secular palaces like the Jodha Bai Palace and religious buildings like the Friday Mosque. Akbar's architectural legacy demonstrated his power and vision.

1. Architecture under
Akbar’s reign
Ar. Hena Tiwari

2.  Jalal ud din aMohammad Akbar ascended the throne in 1556 C.E. at
the age of 13 when his father Humayun died.
 Akbar’s empire was the largest empire after Ashoka.
 He lived in Agra in his early years and established his rule at Agra, as
the capital city.
 He built great architectural monuments which were unparalleled.
 He died on 27 October 1605 (aged 63)
Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Mughal Empire (present-day Uttar
Pradesh, India) and is buried in Sikandra near Agra.
Akbar

3. Ruqaiya Sultan
Begum
Salima Sultan
Begum
Mariam-uz-
Zamani
Daniyal Mirza
(died during a
Campaign in
Deccan Inda)
Jahangir
(inherited the
throne)
Sultan Murad Mirza
(died due to
excessive drinking
of alcohol)
Akbar’s Son
Akbar’s Wife

4. Design and Construction
 Buildings were built in red sandstone which was readily
available in nearby area.
 Important elements were emphasised by insertion in white
marble for purpose of beauty and clarity.
 Construction was mainly trabeated style and Tudor arch was used
as a decorative elements.
 The pillars are many sided carrying bracket capitals.
 Carved design, inlaid patterns, painted designs were introduced in
interior walls and ceilings.

5. THE IMPORTANT BUILDINGS
Fort at Agra,1566 C.E.
Fort at Lahore,1575 C.E.
Fort at Allahbad, 1583 C.E.
Capital City of Fathehpur Sikri, Agra

6. Fort at Agra,1566 C.E.
 It is also called as Lal Quila and had treasure including Kohinoor
diamond.
 Earlier it was a brick fort and used by Rajput Kings.
 Lodhi’s, Babur, Shershah Suri all have lived in this fort at Agra.
 Akbar dismantled the earlier brick structures and new structure
including the enclosure walls, entrances, places in red sandstone.
 The fort is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

7.  It is an irregular semi circle with its chords measuring some 82.5
meters in length lying parallel to right bank of Yamuna river
measuring a land of some 38 hectares and has a wide and deep
surrounding moat.
 Fort is a large complex containing office building, courts,
luxurious fortifies palaces and service buildings.

8. ENCLOSURE WALL
 These walls are remarkable because of their massive structure.
 It consist of solid sandstone rampart of 21 meters high and nearly
2 ¼ k.m. in circumference built in dressed stone in such large
scale.
 The wall is a fine work of architecture containing features like
battlements, bastions, kiosks, stringcourse all carefully designed
and executed.

9. GATEWAYS
 The enclosure wall has two gateways and the Main gate is called Delhi
gate which is notable for its design.
 Lahore gate on south side called Amar Singh Rathore. This gate was used
for private purpose. These gateways provided accommodation to guards.
 It consist of two octagonal tower joined by an arched vault.
 The rear side of the gate has elegant façade, arched terraces above
surmounted by cupolas, kiosks and pinnacles.
 Within the fort there are number of structures like- Diwan-i-am, Khas
Mahal,Jahangir Mahal and other luxury palace.

10. JAHANGIR MAHAL
 The most complete building of the mahal is Jahangir Mahal.
 It has an extensive arrangement of the compartments.
 The brackets under eaves, inclined struts supporting the roof beams
of northern hall are all fine work of art in stone inspired by timber
carvings.
 Apart from this mahal there were other 500 structure in the mahal of
red sandstone built in fine style of Gujrat and Rajasthan architecture
inside the fort.

11. FATHEPUR SIKRI,AGRA (1565-1680C.E)
 This village was earlier called as Khansawa.
 Babur named it SURKI meaning thanks.
 It was a capital city built by Akbar at Sikri village 39km west of
Agra.
 It is covered in an irregular rectangular area of 3km length and is
1 ½ km wide.
 The whole city is surrounded by a bastioned wall.
 This is an extremely planned town.
 It is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

12. Approaches and layout
 The main approach to this fort is from Agra through Agra fort
leading to Naubat Khana or a drum house.
 From this it leads to Diwan-i-am or public audience hall.
 Diwan-i-am was a place where celebration, public prayers and
court transaction took placed and hearings were announced.
 It has open courtyard surrounded by cloisters on three sides and
emperor’s pavilion on west side.

13.  The south side of the fort is accessible to the public.
 Large area behind Diwan-i-am is to cater private use.
 The palaces are connected by the pillared corridors, paved open
spaces and gardens.
 Efficient system of water supply and drainage was also made.

14. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
 The secular buildings are mainly trabeated and the religious buildings of
the city are arcuated.
 The architecture is mainly of the hindu style of Gujrat and Rajasthan
region.
 The main building material used here is red sand stone.
 The building in this fortified city are distinguished in two classes:
 Secular buildings
 Religious structure

15. SECULAR BUILDINGS
PALACES
Jodha Bai Palace
Mariam House
Sultana’s House
Birbal House
Panch Mahal
ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING
Diwan- I-Khas
MISCELLANEOUS BUILDING
Khawab ghar (house of dreams)
Anup Tala (a water tank consisting of a central platform
connected by bridges on all four sides.
Astrologer’s Seat
Daftar Khana (Record room)
RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS
Jami Masjid
Buland Darwaza
Saint Seikh Salim Chisti tomb

16. JODHA BAI PALACE
 The palace measures 96 meters by 66 meters.
 Entrance is through a guarded single monumental gate house on east.
 The palace has staggered doorways to keep the privacy.
 The entrance wall to the palace are plane and simple and measures 10
meters in their height.
 The principals apartments are attached to the inner side openings of the
courtyards.
 It contains symmetrical range of the buildings surrounding an open
quadrangular square.

17. MARIAM’S PALACE
 It is less in size by 1/6th part of Jodha Bai’s palace and is situated on
the north east corner to jodha bai palace.
 It is called as sunahra makan means house of gold.
 It has rich frescoes of large mural paintings of Persian subjects and
were inlaid in gold.
 It is a small arrangement of rooms in two storys with no central
courtyard.
 Stone eaves surrounds the building supported on heavy brackets.

18. BIRBAL PALACE
 It is a two storey building having four rooms each 5 meters side and two
porches in ground floor.
 The house is totally enclosed building.
 It has two flights of stairs one in north east and other in south west corner.
 There are cupolas over the upper rooms and pyramidal roofs over the
porches.
 The exterior of building presents richly treated pilasters and wide projected
massive eaves brackets.

19. PANCHMAHAL
 It is an open pillared hall of five stories diminishing in size while
ascending.
 This building was for women of the royal house to pass their leisure
time.
 It is a columnar structure with no enclosing wall.
 This building is unusually asymmetrical.
 Ground storey contains 84 columns, first 56, second 20, third 12, top
storey is sinfle domed shaped kiosk supported on 4 pillars.
 No columns on first floor are alike some are circular others octagonal or
twisted.
 The pillar shows the workmanship of hindus temple of west India.

20. ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDINGS
 It is rectangular in plan and its two storeys have flat terraced
roof with a pillared kiosk raising above the parapet in the
corners.
 The interior is only one chamber containing a massive and
richly carved pillar in the centre of the chamber.
Diwan I khas

21. “If you don't know history, then you don't know anything.
You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ”
Michael Crichton