Hall of Private Audience, Fatehpur Sikri, India
Hall of Private Audience, Fatehpur Sikri, in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Fatehpur Sikri was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570, in honour of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, who lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri, and foretold the birth of his son, who was named Prince Salim after him, and later succeeded Akbar to the throne of the Mughal Empire, as Jahangir. When Akbar became Emperor the Sufi Saint Shaikh Salim Chisti decided to leave as he realised that people would ahve to be killed for reasons of State and that it was unsuitable for him to be associated with these killings. Akbar was distraught. This room was constructed in order to fulfill Akbar's wish that people of different religious belief could be invited to debate with one another openly as to the truth of their beliefs. Originally there were curtains on the upper balcony, which allowed Akbar to listen in incognito to these debates
