Ibadat Khana

This article uses texts from within a religion or faith system without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article. (May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Ibādat Khāna
House of Worship
Akbar the Great holds a religious assembly in the Ibādat Khāna; the two men dressed in black are the Jesuit missionaries Rodolfo Acquaviva and Francisco Henriques. Illustration to the Akbarnama by Nar Singh, c. 1605.
Religion
Region	Fatehpur Sikri
Location
Country	Mughal Empire
Architecture
Founder	Emperor Akbar
Date established	c. 1575

The Ibādat Khāna (House of Worship) was a meeting house built in 1575 CE by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) at Fatehpur Sikri to gather spiritual/religious leaders of different religious grounds (and beliefs) so as to conduct a discussion and debates on the teachings of the respective religious leaders (if any).^[1]

In his eagerness to learn about different religions, Akbar built hall of prayer at Fatehpur Sikri in 1575 known as the Ibadat Khana. At this place, he invited selected mystics, intellectuals and theologians, and held discussions on religious and spiritual themes. He invited scholars belonging to various religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and even atheists. He conducted religious debates with these people. They visited Ibadat Khana in the past and discussed their religious belief (and faiths) with Akbar. The result of these discussions at the Hall of Prayer led them to the conclusion that all religions lead to the same goal.