Panch Mahal

This guide to the Panch Mahal at Fatehpur Sikri traces Emperor Akbar's 1569 visit to the Sufi saint Salim Chishti to ask for an heir, and the palace of five diminishing stories he raised once a son was born. Eighty-four carved columns support the ground floor alone, drawn from Hindu, Jain, Persian and Buddhist traditions across an empire of many faiths. Look for the pierced stone screens on the upper floors, once used by the women of the royal household to watch the city below unseen.