Fatehpur Sikri is a beautiful red sandstone palace and grounds set on top of a hill near Agra, the only hill of several hundred feet I saw during our two weeks in North India.
About it my guidebook says: "By the age of 26, Akbar had assembled 300 wives and a harem of 5000 concubines and yet he had no heir. It was the Rajput princess, Jodhai Bai of Amber, who gave him his first son Salim, later to become emperor Jahangir. To celebrate this event, Akbar ordered the construction of Fatehpur Sikri."
It was built in 1571 but abandoned after only 14 years, perhaps because of failing water supply or a military campaign.
An elephant fight between two elephants owned by Salim and his brother Khusrau determined the successor to the throne.
Globetrotter Travel Guide to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra (New Holland, 2008).
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