W
elcome
to Sikandra, a supurb of Agra, only 13 km. from the Agra Fort, the
last resting place of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Akbar was the greatest of the
Mughal emperors and one of the most secular minded royalties of his time. He
was the heir to a long tradition of oriental refinement, a great patron of the
arts, literature, philosophy and science.
A visit to Akbar's monument opens before one, the completeness of Akbar's personality
as completely as the Taj Mahal does of Mumtaz Mahal's. Akbar's vast, beautifully
carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb is set amidst a lush garden.
Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct
a tomb in one's lifetime was a Tartary custom which the Mughals followed religiously.
Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.
The tomb stands in the center of a vast garden, which is enclosed by high walls
on all sides. In the middles of each enclosing wall is a monumental gateway.
The whole garden is divided into four equal quarters on the conventional charbhag
plan. Each quarter is separated by a high terrace or raised path with a narrow
shallow water channel running at the center. Each terrace has in the center,
a tank with fountains.
Although
there is only one entrance in use today there exist four red sandstone gates
which lead to the mausoleum complex. The decoration on the gateways is strikingly
bold, with large mosaic patterns set into it.
The gateway's four minarets rising from the corners are particularly striking.
Built of red sandstone, the minarets are inlaid with white marble polygonal
patterns; the pleasing Proportions & Profuse surface ornamentation makes
the gateways very impressive.
These gateways reflect a curious hybrid of different styles of architecture-Hindu,
Muslim Christian and a patent mixture of Akbar's typical style.
MAUSOLEUM:
A broad paved causeway lead to the tomb, which has five storeys and is in the
shape of a truncated pyramid. The main tomb has a unique square design which
is unparalleled by all other Mughal buildings,
Sikandra Fort, Agra Excursions, Agra Vacations
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