Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Buland Darwaja was constructed at Fatehpur Sikri by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
Reason (R): Akbar built this monument to commemorate the birth of his son Jahangir.
Select the correct answer from the code given below:
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is false, but (R) is true.
(A) is true, but (R) is false.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Buland Darwaza was built at Fatehpur Sikri by Mughal Emperor Akbar. It is the monumental victory gateway situated at the southern entrance of the Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri.
The construction of Buland Darwaza was associated with Akbar's victory over Gujarat. Akbar established Mughal supremacy over Gujarat during his Gujarat campaign of 1572–73 CE, and this monumental gateway was erected to commemorate that victory.
Therefore, the monument was not built to commemorate the birth of Jahangir.
Akbar's son Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir, was born at Sikri in 1569 CE. His birth was associated with the prophecy of the Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chishti and Akbar's reverence for him.
After Salim's birth, Akbar gave special importance to Sikri and undertook extensive royal construction there. Thus, there is indeed a connection between Jahangir's birth and the development of Fatehpur Sikri, but it cannot be treated as the direct reason for the construction of Buland Darwaza.
Buland Darwaza is fundamentally identified as a victory gateway, and its historical context is associated with Akbar's conquest of Gujarat.