Akbar's tomb Agra is the tomb of the Mughal emperor, Akbar and an important Mughal architectural masterpiece. It was built in 1604–1613 and is situated in 119 acres of grounds in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The tomb's construction was completed by his son prince Salim also called Jahangir. Akbar planned the tomb and selected a suitable site for it. After his death, Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction in 1605–1613. During the Islamic ruler Aurangzeb's time, the rebellious Jats rose against him under the leadership of Raja Ram Jat, they took the control of Agra fort after defeating Mughal forces.
Mughal prestige suffered a further blow when Jats ransacked Akbar's intricate tomb, plundered and looted all the beautiful gold, jewels, silver and carpets, whilst destroying other things. He even, in order to avenge his father Gokula's death, plundered Akbar's tomb, looted it, opened Akbar's grave and dragged Akbar's bones. Aurangzeb was so furious that he captured Raja ram and got him killed mercilessly. The Tomb has suffered a lot, until extensive repair was carried out by the British under Lord Curzon. The neighbouring Taj Mahal was also looted, and two of Agra's gates were taken away.
The south gate is the largest, with four white marble chhatri-topped minarets which are similar to (and pre-date) those of the Taj Mahal, and is the normal point of entry to the tomb. The tomb itself is surrounded by a walled enclosure 105 m square. The tomb building is a four-tiered pyramid, surmounted by a marble pavilion containing the false tomb. The true tomb, as in other mausoleums, is in the basement.Th e buildings are constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Decorated inlaid panels of these materials and a black slate adorn the tomb and the main gatehouse. Panel designs are geometric, floral and calligraphic, and prefigure the more complex and subtle designs later incorporated in Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb.
History of Akbar's Tomb
The site for the tomb was selected by Akbar, and most of the construction happened during his lifespan. After his death his son Salim, also known as Jahangir, decided to add another storey made of marble at the top of the structure, thereby seeing through the end of the construction for his father's tomb.
During the rule of Akbar's great-grandson Aurangzeb, the tomb suffered a lot of losses. Being an oppressive and strict ruler, Aurangzeb had offended a lot of Hindus but destroying their temples and belittling their religion. This resulted in a revolt headed by the Jats who attacked the Agra Fort. In order to offend Aurangzeb more, they looted Akbar's tomb and walked away with precious silver jewellery, gold ornaments, diamonds, and carpets and damaged the property. They even burned the bones of Akbar and cremated them, which is unacceptable in Islam. All of these retaliations were carried out under Raja Ram Jat in order to avenge his father's death.
Architecture of Tomb of Akbar
The Architecture of the Akbar's Tomb is an epitome of Mughal style. The architecture is a mixture of Hindu Rajputana design and gothic Mughal style. It has the standard feature of symmetry like other monuments of this era. The tomb is surrounded by a wall which encloses the entire property. There are four gates. The southern gate is the largest one with four marble chhatri-topped minarets which are very similar to those of Taj Mahal's. This gate is the normal point of entry. The shape of the tomb is pyramidal and has four storeys and a marble pavilion, which contains the false tomb. The true tomb is in the basement.
The ground floor is surrounded by walkways all around except at the centre of the southern side, which is the way that leads in from the main gate. These arcades are divided by huge arches and piers that divided the walkways into many bays. The next three storeys are square with arcades and clusters of kiosks on each side. In the second storey, some of the kiosks have marble roofs in pyramidal shapes. The rest of the kiosks are crowned by cupolas. Every end of the third storey has a small square shaped room.
The top storey that is, the pavilion is made entirely of white marble. It has an open-to-the-sky square court. Slender arches and piers have enclosed the central courtyard, dividing it into many bays. A square platform lies at the centre of the courtyard over which the false tomb is laid out, made of marble. The tomb had floral patterns and arabesque beautifully carved on to it.
The building is constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Black slate and various decorated inlaid panels adorn the entire structure including the main gatehouse. The panel designs are geometric with floral patterns and calligraphy.
How to Reach Tomb of Akbar
The tomb of Akbar is located on the Mathura Road at NH-2 and lies around 8 km from the city centre. The easiest way to get to Akbar's tomb is by hiring a cab or an auto rickshaw from any part of the city.
