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The Hathi pol was supposed to be the official entrance to the complex housing residences and other buildings of the royal family.

The heads and trunks of the once magnificent elephants have all but vanished due to the ravages of time, and the only parts remaining are the lower portions of the structures.

The most interesting fact about Hathi Pol is that it was constructed using rubble. It was then finished and ornamented with marble and red sand stone. There is another fact about this royal gateway that is quite surprising.

Most of the important structures of Fatehpur sikri were heavily decorated with intricate carvings and other embellishments.

Akbar was particularly fond of having his important buildings designed to look extremely beautiful. However, the Hathi Pol is completely devoid of any kind of ornamentation except the patterns naturally created by the marble and sandstone. There are no carvings or any other embellishment to speak of. Considering the fact that the Hathi Pol was the entrance to the royal complex, this is quite strange.

The stone elephants that have now all but disappeared were the only form of ornament that can be seen on this gate. It has a gallery at the entrance arch which has a width of 3 m. This gallery can be accessed with the help of a narrow staircase on both sides of the gate.