Ceremonial Platform

Diwan-i Khass, Fatehpur Sikri (live map)

The use of this tall platform inside the Diwan-i Khass has been explained in various ways. Most likely, Akbar sat here in ceremonial meditation, viewed by privileged nobles from the surrounding balcony. Akbar's meditations led him to develop a syncretic religion which contained elements of Hinduism, Islam, and other traditions. Unlike his Hindu-Islamic architecture, the new religion did not outlast Akbar's reign.