The Discovery of Ibadat Khana - (Identification and Excavation of the site, Fatehpursikri)

Ibadat khana was the Place where Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions which culminated in the formation of a new religion known as Din I Ilahi. Most of the scholars such as V.A.Smith Percy Brown and H.G.Keen located it among the standing buildings of Fatehpur Sikri, especially the single pillared room. Saeed Ahmed Mararavi followed by A.A. Rizvi and Vincent Flynn were the only scholars who identified a buried mound as Ibadat khana. But their arguments suffered due to the lack supportive and corroborative evidence. As part of a collaborative effort by Archaeological Survey of India and Aligarh Muslim University Mr KK Muhammed excavated the mound for two years with meticulous care and precision and compared the excavated structural remains with a painting of Ibadat Khana(Akbarnama painting) painted during the life time of Akbar, presently preserved in the Chester Beatty collection at Dublin. The details of the building with the excavated remains prove that the mound excavated is the real location of Ibadat Khana.