Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri near the place where he had received the blessings of which Sufi saint?

Akbar built his new capital, Fatehpur Sikri, at Sikri, near Agra, where the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti lived, in honour of the saint.

Why Akbar honoured the saint:

• Akbar had no surviving son for many years.
• He visited Shaikh Salim Chishti at Sikri and asked for his blessings.
• The saint is said to have predicted that Akbar would have three sons.
• In 1569, Akbar's eldest son was born at Sikri, in the saint's house; Akbar named him "Salim" after the saint (he later became the emperor Jahangir).
• Two more sons, Murad and Daniyal, were born later.
• In gratitude, Akbar decided to build a new city at Sikri, beginning in 1571.

About Shaikh Salim Chishti:

• He was a Sufi saint of the Chishti order, who lived from about 1478 to 1572.
• He was a descendant of the famous Chishti saint Baba Farid.
• He lived on a ridge at Sikri, and was respected for his piety.

His tomb:

• His tomb, built of white marble with very fine lattice screens (jalis), stands in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri.
• It was built in 1580-81, and later decorated further.
• Many people, especially women wishing for children, tie threads on its screens while praying.

Akbar and the Chishtis:

• Akbar was devoted to the Chishti order.
• He frequently visited the dargah of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti at Ajmer, often walking on foot.
• NCERT notes that Akbar visited the Ajmer dargah fourteen times, sometimes two or three times a year.

About the city:

• It served as the Mughal capital from 1571 to 1585.
• It has the Jama Masjid, the Diwan-i-Khas, the Panch Mahal and other buildings.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti's dargah is at Ajmer.
• ✗Nizamuddin Auliya's dargah is in Delhi.
• ✗Shaikh Muhammad Ghaus's tomb is at Gwalior.