Mausoleum of Shaikh Salim Chishti - 1820

Watercolour by a Delhi artist of the Mausoleum of Shaikh Salim Chishti in the courtyard of the Jami' Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, dated c.1820. The image, enclosed by black ruled borders, is inscribed on the front: 'Futtehpore Sicri'. The Mughal Emperor Akbar built his palace-city complex at Fatehpur Sikri on the site of Shaikh Salim's residence in honour of the saint's prediction of the birth of Akbar's heir, Prince Salim, who later became the emperor Jahangir. Shaikh Salim was a member of the Chishti order of Muslims saints or 'pirs'. Akbar would have consulted him on both religious and secular matters. The tomb is situated in the 'sahn' or courtyard of the congregational mosque, behind the impressive Buland Darwaza gateway. It is a single-storey building comprising a central square chamber with a surrounding covered passageway enclosed with carved pierced screens and an entrance to the south. In style the tomb is influenced by earlier mausolea in Gujarat of the sultanate period. The building is ornamented with white marble serpentine brackets supporting sloping eaves around the parapet and carved pierced screens of geometric design.

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