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Q93 (IAS/2014) History & Culture › Medieval India › Mughal cultural history Official Key

Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The Ibādat Khāna (House of Worship) was a meeting house built in 1575 CE by the Mughal Emperor Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri to gather spiritual/religious leaders of different religious grounds[1]. Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions on every Thursday[2]. Akbar had established an Ibadat Khana (1575), a hall of worship in which initially Muslim clerics gathered to discuss spiritual issues[3]. The place was originally prepared for Islamic scholars, but later it was opened for Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and others[4]. It was not a royal family mosque, nor Akbar's private prayer chamber, nor exclusively for nobles—it was specifically a venue where Akbar himself held interfaith discussions with religious scholars. In 1582, he discontinued the debates in the Ibadat Khana as it led to bitterness among different religions[3].

Sources
  1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadat_Khana
  2. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Akbar's Religious Policy > p. 207
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was [A] the mosque for the use of Royal Family [B] Akbar's private prayer chamber [C] the hall in which…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 5/10 · 5/10
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This is a textbook 'Sitter'. It appears directly in standard sources like TN Board Class XI and Spectrum. If you missed this, it indicates a gap in your core Medieval History preparation, specifically regarding Akbar's cultural and religious institutions.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri the mosque for the use of the royal family?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Ibādat Khāna (House of Worship) was a meeting house built in 1575 CE by the Mughal Emperor Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri to gather spiritual/religious leaders of different religious grounds..."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly describes the Ibadat Khana as a 'meeting house' and 'House of Worship' built to gather spiritual/religious leaders for discussion.
  • Shows its primary purpose was interfaith debate and inquiry, not a private royal family mosque.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions on every Thursday to ..."
Why this source?
  • Calls Ibadat Khana a 'hall' where Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions.
  • Implies a public/intellectual function rather than a private royal prayer mosque.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Ibadat Khana, a place for interfaith dialogue, was established in 1575 at Fatehpur Sikri. The place was originally prepared for Islamic scholars, but later it was opened for Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and others."
Why this source?
  • Describes Ibadat Khana as 'a place for interfaith dialogue' established at Fatehpur Sikri.
  • States it was prepared for scholars of various religions and opened to multiple faiths, indicating a forum rather than a royal-family-only mosque.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Akbar's Religious Policy > p. 207
Strength: 5/5
“Akbar began his life as an orthodox Muslim but adopted an accommodative approach under the influence of Sufism. Akbar was interested to learn about the doctrines of all religions, and propagated a philosophy of Sulh-i-Kul (peace to all). Badauni, a contemporary author, who did not like Akbar's inter-religious interests, accused him of forsaking Islam. Akbar had established an Ibadat Khana (1575), a hall of worship in which initially Muslim clerics gathered to discuss spiritual issues. In 1582, he discontinued the debates in the Ibadat Khana as it led to bitterness among different religions. However, he did not give up his attempt to know the Truth.”
Why relevant

States Akbar established an Ibadat Khana (1575) at Fatehpur Sikri as a 'hall of worship' where religious clerics gathered and debates were held.

How to extend

A student could combine this with the fact that Akbar founded the building to infer it had a direct royal patronage/function rather than being an ordinary congregational mosque.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions > 7.1 Life in the Chishti khanqah > p. 154
Strength: 4/5
“The khanqah was the centre of social life. We know about Shaikh Nizamuddin's hospice (c. fourteenth century) on the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of what was then the city of Delhi. It comprised several small rooms and a big hall ( jama'at khana) where the inmates and visitors lived and prayed. The inmates included family members of the Shaikh, his attendants and disciples. The Shaikh lived in a small room on the roof of the hall where he met visitors in the morning and evening. A veranda surrounded the courtyard, and a boundary wall ran around the complex.”
Why relevant

Describes a jama'at khana in a Chishti khanqah as a hall where inmates, family members and visitors lived and prayed—showing such halls served a mixed residential/ritual role rather than only public congregational worship.

How to extend

One could extend that an Ibadat Khana (literally 'house of worship') in a royal khanqah-like setting might have been intended for private or restricted use (e.g., royal family and guests) rather than a large public mosque.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions > Fig. 6.15 > p. 160
Strength: 4/5
“The dargah of Shaikh Salim Chishti (a direct descendant of Baba Farid) constructed in Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's capital, symbolised the bond between the Chishtis and the Mughal state.”
Why relevant

Notes the dargah of Shaikh Salim Chishti at Fatehpur Sikri symbolised the bond between the Chishtis and the Mughal state.

How to extend

A student might infer Fatehpur Sikri contained religious sites closely tied to the court, making it plausible that an Ibadat Khana there served courtly/royal religious activities.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > Religious Policy of the Portuguese > p. 29
Strength: 3/5
“In September 1579, Akbar forwarded a letter to the authorities at Goa requesting them to send two learned priests. The Church authorities in Goa eagerly accepted the invitation, seeing in it a chance to convert the emperor to Christianity, and with him his court and the people. Jesuit fathers, Rodolfo Aquaviva and Antonio Monserrate were selected for the purpose. When they reached Fatehpur Sikri on February 28, 1580, they were received with honour.”
Why relevant

Records that Jesuit priests were invited to and received at Fatehpur Sikri, indicating the court used Fatehpur Sikri buildings to host high-profile religious encounters.

How to extend

One could reason that structures used for such elite inter-religious debates (like the Ibadat Khana) were likely oriented to royal/private use rather than ordinary parishioners.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: The Mughal Empire > Architecture > p. 217
Strength: 3/5
“Built by Indian artisans and designed by Persian architects it set a pattern to be followed in the future. The Agra fort built with red sandstone is a specimen where Rajput architectural styles were also incorporated. The new capital city of Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri, enclosed within its walls, several inspiring buildings. Mughal architecture reached its apex during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal is a marble structure on an elevated platform, the bulbous dome in the centre rising on a recessed gateway with four cupolas around the dome and with four free-standing minarets at each of its corners is a monument of universal fame.”
Why relevant

States Fatehpur Sikri was a new capital enclosing 'several inspiring buildings', implying religious/palatial structures within the royal complex.

How to extend

Combining this with the Ibadat Khana being established there supports checking whether it was part of the royal precinct and thus served the court/royal family.

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