Hiran Minar, Fatehpur Sikri

This guide to the Hiran Minar in Fatehpur Sikri opens with a nighttime beacon marking the Mughal emperor's court, then turns to the riddle in the tower's own name: Hiran Minar means the Deer Tower, yet the stone projections studding its shaft look to some like elephant tusks. You'll hear how Akbar's favorite elephant shared that same name, and the story of what he is said to have done at this spot when the animal died. From there the guide follows Jahangir, who grew up watching this tower as a child, and the practical role it later played in measuring the empire's roads.