About

Akbar's tomb is the mausoleum of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar, who reigned from 1556 to 1605 and is situated on 119 acres of grounds in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra. It was dubbed "Behistabad" or Heavenly Abode, and is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari. While the construction was started during Akbar's lifetime in 1602, it was completed by his son, Jahangir in 1613, after Akbar died in 1605. The evolution of design style suggests that there were changes initiated by Jahangir after Akbar's demise.

The tomb stands in the middle of a very large square garden surrounded by a perimeter wall. There are four gates along the perimeter wall, the southern one being the main entrance, with the other three being false doorways. 20m wide flagstone causeways connect the four gateways to the mausoleum in the center of the garden. The mausoleum stands in the center of a red sandstone platform which is 148m square on its side.

The tomb is built like a five-layered wedding cake, in tiers, based on the pillar and beam principle. It uses carved columns and brackets typical of pre-Mughal construction to create the openings on the upper levels, just like the sloping dripstones, finials surmounting all the domes, balcony windows and pierced screens. However, the pointed arches surrounding the base are distinctly Islamic, as are the inlaid geometric designs around the archways. It is unusual among Mughal structures in not having a central dome rising above the structure.

The tomb structure situated in the centre of the enclosure takes the form of a low truncated pyramid built up in concentric storeys, each with a square base. The four faces of the structure are symmetrical. The ground floor has a side of 100m. It consists of a massive terrace about 10m high, with a series of 10 arches recessed within its sides, flanking the ornate, 2-storey high, arched central entrance. This rectangular structure contains an arched alcove with a graceful triple-arched marble kiosk above its parapet. The extremities of the lowest floor end in octagonal projections above which stand octagonal chhatris.

The next level is a square of about 60m side, and the level above that is about 40m on its side. The second and third levels comprise of a series of sandstone pavilions, arcades and kiosks, whose delicate and light structure stand in stark contrast to the powerful substructure. These pavilions have a series of arches supporting the terrace. The corners of the pavilions feature twin chhatris projecting at right angles to the pavilion structure itself. On the second floor, there are three other chhatris distributed evenly above each face of the pavilion. The third floor has twin chhatris within the perimeter of the terrace, and one additional chhatri in the center. The terraces of each of the upper floors are surrounded by a low jali screen railing.

Above this third floor stands a white marble pavilion, about 26m on its side, with eleven arched screen windows adorning each face, and four-pillared white marbled domed chatris at each corner. The pavilion has open court with a cenotaph in the centre, and is surrounded by arcaded cloisters. The false cenotaph is inscribed with the 99 attributes of Allah and is carved from a single block of marble.

The entrance to the burial chamber is through a small, but profusely decorated ante-chamber with murals painted in a host of rich colours, with prominent use of the golden colour. It is said that pure gold was originally used for the ornamentation of this room, but was melted and stolen when the jats ransacked the tomb in 1688 under the leadership of Rajaram Jat.

The tomb of the emperor lies in the burial chamber which is a small square room at the center of the structure, a few feet below ground level. This austere room has a high dome rising 18m above the gravestone. While Akbar had intended several generations of his dynasty to be buried in the complex, his is the only grave in this chamber, and his daughters, Shakrunissa Begam and Aram Bano, are the only two members of the royal family to be also buried here.

The main gateway on the south is a magnificent structure by itself, and is popularly depicted as the Tomb itself. It is known as the Jahangiri Gate. It is a tall sandstone clad gate with ornate marble inlay carvings and inscriptions. It consists of a colossal arched niche flanked on either side by double-stacked balconies. Surmounting the gate pavilion are four towering white marble minarets, one at each corner, while twosquare chhatris stand above the central arched gateway. Its inscriptions were written and designed by Abd al- Haqq Shirazi (later known as Amanat Khan), famed calligrapher of Mughal monuments including Taj Mahal. While the inscriptions on the north elevation facing the tomb eulogize the deceased emperor, those above the entrance praise Jahangir. The gate features large sized white marble inlaid flowers by way of ornamentation along with geometric patterns. Onyx and porphyry complement the white marble in creating a rich palette of colours used to decorate the gateway.
The gates on the west, east, and north are of different designs. The gateway to the north is largely ruined.

The causeway connecting the gate to the central plinth is about 250m long. The causeway expands into a square platform about 72m from the plinth on each side, to make space for a square tank. There is an octagonal well on the south of the eastern causeway, towards the gate.

There are two other significant structures in close proximity to the tomb complex, to the east.
One is the Kanch Mahal or the Glass Palace, built around 1615 CE. It is understood to have been used as a hunting lodge It is a two-storeyed mansion with a central square hall. It has a base of 16.5m square, and is roofed by a vaulted soffit. The hall has rectangular openings on the north and south sides. Four square rooms are found at the four corners of the lower storey. Two staircases lead to the second storey which has a series of rooms corresponding to the ground plan, and overlooking the central inner courtyard. The northern facade has a central portal, flanked on either side by a smaller arch on the ground floor, and a semi-hexagonal jharokha with jali on the first floor. The eastern and western outer walls had two pillared balconies overlooking the first floor arches. The southern facade was originally identical to the north but has wasted away over time and is now represented by plain walls. The two original side walls are also largely gone. Ornamentation in the form of inlay work, murals, glazed tiles, and carvings are seen on the arches and walls of the structure. The yellow, blue, green, and orange tiles used on the parapet at the top of the building, and used on the semi-hexagonal cupola roofs of the jharokha gave the building its popular name - Kanch Mahal.

The other significant structure is the anonymous Lodhi Tomb which stands further south of the Kanch Mahal. It was most probably built in the early part of the 16th century. It stands on a square high plinth with chamfered corners, and originally had chhatris at the corners, much like the tomb of Sher Shah Suri at Sasaram. The interior is composed of a central octagonal hall, with four octagonal rooms at the corners, and oblong arcaded dalans on the sides, all interconnected by passages. There were three broad arches on each facade, protected by chhajja and brackets. It was roofed by a broad massive dome which has been destroyed. There are two tombstones, presumably of a noble couple, are visible, sunk in the roof. It seems that there were cenotaphs in the central hall, too, and the true graves were in the crypt. The entire construction is of rubble masonry, with minimal stone work. It was plastered over and decorated with paintings of which traces can be seen. It is the only known Lodhi tomb outside of Delhi.