The name of this magnificent structure is totally
arbitrary because it has neither twelve doors to be called Barahdari and
nor there are any proofs linking it to Todarmal, the finance minister of
Akbar's court. It cannot be a residential building of this nobleman
because it consists of only a single hall with open gallery and has no
other attachments nor it can be his tomb, for Todarmal being a Hindu
minister could not have been buried in a tomb. This double-storeyed
building is made up of red sandstone and is square in shape with
chamfered angles.
There is a tibara dalan in the middle of each façade of building
on the ground floor and the arches are synchronized well with pillars
and brackets on the upper storey. The corner rooms are given delicate
tower like forms and are inter-connected. The upper storey has
rectangular corridors overlooking the hall below. It has no dome or
chhatri but the presence of the brackets suggest that there must have
been a chajja supported by them. The central hall has a vaulted soffit
but a flat roof and thus, this building presents harmonious fusion of
different architectural traits.
Know about the Todar Mal Baradari at fatehpur
Sikri, India.