Akbar’s Tomb at Sikandara

Akbar's tomb at Sikandara was built in 1605–1613 by his son Jahangir and is situated in 119 acres of grounds in Sikandara. It is located at Sikandra, in the suburbs of Agra, on the Mathura road (NH2), 8 km west-northwest of the city center. About 1 km away from the tomb, lies , the tomb of mariam-uz-Zamani, wife of the Mughal Emeror Akbar.

Sikandra is a famous heritage area of Agra which is most widely known as the burial place of Emperor Akbar. It used to be a favored architectural site during the Mughal era, especially under Emperor Akbar.

Akbar planned the tomb and selected a suitable site for it. After his death, Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction in 1605–1613. It cost 1,5 millian rupees to build and took 3 or 4 years to complete.

During the reign of Auregzeb, Jats rose in rebellion under the leadership of raja ram Jat. Mughal prestige suffered a blow when Jats ransacked Akbar's tomb, plundering and looting the gold, jewels, silver and carpets. 

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.

As Viceroy of India, George Curzon directed extensive repairs and restoration of Akbar's mausoleum, which were completed in 1905.

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. The buildings are constructed mainly from deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Decorated inlaid panels of these materials and a black slate decorate the tomb and the main gatehouse. Panel designs are geometric, floral and calligraphic, and prefigure the more complex and subtle designs later incorporated in Itama-ud-Daualah’s Tomb.

Akbar had designed his own mausoleum called Tomb of Akbar the Great or Akbar Ka Maqbara in Hindi, which he illustrated so as to depict religious unity and harmony, involving the features of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Christianity. Moreover, the tomb’s architecture reflects Emperor Akbar’s deep acceptance of universal religions and exceptional secularism.

During the build of the Mousaleum, Akbar unfortunately died, and his son- Emperor Jehangir undertook completion of the tomb and named it as Sikandra. Jehangir also introduced numerous architectural alterations in the design of the mausoleum.

The tomb exhibits exceptional artistry of marbles upon the red sandstone used in the building of the tomb and minarets. Apart from Akbar’s Mausoleum, Sikandra also has the historical gardens built by city architect Sikander Lodhi, and the famous Baradari Palace