The
city of Fatehpur Sikri was created by
Akbar, the greatest of the Mughal Emperors,
in 1571. It remained his capital for
only 14 years but it is here that he
laid the foundations of a culture whose
impact still reverberates in North India.
Akbar's free thinking, open minded and
innovative attitude is expressed in
the way the main mosque - the Jama Masjid
- has been built, in the way simple
village hut roofs and Central Asian
glazed tiles have been combined to create
innovative roofscapes, and in the very
original composition of the palace complex,
based on a delicate system of a series
of balancing axes. At the same time
the quality of the craftsmanship, as
seen in the very original brackets,
the intricate jalis or stone screens,
the chajjas or sunshades, clearly show
a strong sense of discipline.
Exquisite
miniature paintings from the Akbar Nama,
the book on Akbar's reign, illustrated
by the painters of the imperial atelier
and written by his friend, the poet
Abu'l Fazl, have been used in the film
in order to evoke the imperial court
and the events linked to the creation
of Fatehpur Sikri. Asad Ali Khan on
the Rudra Veena and Dhrupad by Wasif-ud-din
Dagar accompany the images. |
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