JAMA MASJID
Fatehpur Sikri

Akbar, the third Mogul emperor after Babar, had no heir despite having 300 wifes and a large harem. In 1561, he visited a Chishti Saint, Shaikh Salim Chishti, at Sikri, a village of weavers and stone cutters 23 miles west of Agra. Shaikh Salim's prediction that Akbar would have three sons soon came true. In 1562 his first son was born; two other sons were born in 1570 and 1572.
In 1571, Akbar began building a new city near Sikri where the saint lived. At the same time, construction of the Jama Masjid began on a ridge overlooking the new city. Akbar called the city Fatehpur Sikri, the City of Victory.
The musicians playing by the saint's tomb are called Qawwali Singers. Qawwalis are devotional songs going back to medieval sufi cults. They are sung to arouse mystical ecstasy and are especially composed to sing the saint's praises in front of his tomb. They are always sung by a group.

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