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[[File:Akbar's Tomb 04.jpg|thumb|[[Akbar]]'s Tomb of external entrance from the road, built to imitate the [[Buland Darwaza]] at [[Fatehpur Sikri]], the city, Akbar founded]]
{{Short description|Third Mughal Emperor Akbar's tomb}}
'''Akbar's tomb''' is the tomb of the third [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor "[[Akbar the Great|Akbar]] the great's" Tomb known as [[Mausoleum|mousoleum]] is situated in [[Sikandar Lodi|sikhandar]] in [[Delhi]], [[Agra]] as a main piece of monument.
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
[[File:Akbar's Tomb 04.jpg|thumb|[[Akbar]]'s tomb of external entrance from the road, built to imitate the [[Buland Darwaza]] at [[Fatehpur Sikri]], the city, Akbar founded]]
'''Akbar's tomb''' is the tomb of the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Akbar]]. It was built in 1605–1613 by his son, [[Jahangir]] and is situated on 119 acres of grounds in [[Agra|Sikandra]], a suburb of [[Agra]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]].


[[Category:Buildings and structures in India]]
==Location==
[[Category:Uttar Pradesh]]
It is located at Sikandra, in the suburbs of Agra, on the [[Mathura]] road (NH2), 8&nbsp;km west-northwest of the city center. About 1&nbsp;km away from the tomb, lies, [[Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani]], [[Mariam-uz-Zamani|his favourite wife]],<ref name=farishta>{{cite book|last1=Hindu Shah|first1=Muhammad Qasim|title=Gulshan-I-Ibrahimi|volume=2|date=1595–1612|page=143|quote=Akbur, after this conquest, made a pilgrimage to Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen Chishty at Ajmere and returned to Agra; from whence he proceeded to visit the venerable Sheikh Sulim Chishty, in the village of Seekry. As all the king's children had hitherto died, he solicited the Sheikh's prayers, who consoled him, by assuring him he would soon have a son, who would live to a good old age. Shortly after, his favourite sooltana, being then pregnant, on Wednesday the 17th of Rubbee-ool-Awul, in the year 997 was delivered of a son, who was called Sulim.|url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfTheRiseOfTheMahomedanPowerInIndiaVolume1/HistoryOfTheRiseOfTheMahomedanPowerInIndia-Volume-1/page/n579/mode/2up?q=143}}</ref> who after the death of Akbar laid a large garden around his tomb<ref name=Alaziz/> and was later buried there by her son, Jahangir.


{{asia-stub}}
==History==
[[File:Akbar tomb 2.jpg|thumb|Akbar's [[cenotaph]] inside the mausoleum, the real grave as per traditions lies below it]]
After Akbar's death, his son [[Jahangir]] planned and completed the construction of his father's tomb in 1605–1613. It cost 1,500,000 rupees to build and took 3 or 4 years to complete.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/tuzukijahangirio00jahauoft/page/152/mode/1up|title=The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge}}</ref> [[Mariam-uz-Zamani]], after the death of her husband, Akbar, laid a large garden around his tomb.<ref name=Alaziz>{{cite book|last1=Aziz|first1=Al|title=Selections from the Native Newspapers Published in the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh.|date=12 August 1905|page=262|jstor=saoa.crl.25922623 |url=https://jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25922623}}</ref>
During the reign of [[Aurangzeb]], [[Jat people|Jat]]s rose in rebellion under the leadership of [[Raja Ram Jat]]. Mughal prestige suffered a blow when Jats [[Desecration of Akbar's tomb|ransacked Akbar's tomb]], plundering and looting the gold, jewels, silver, and carpets.<ref name=jats4>Catherine Blanshard Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0521267285 "Architecture of Mughal India - Part 1"], Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, Page 108.</ref> The grave was opened and the late king's bones were burned.<ref name=jats1>Edward James Rap; son, Sir Wolseley Haig and Sir Richard, 1937, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yoI8AAAAIAAJ "The Cambridge History of India"], Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, pp.305.</ref><ref name=jats2>Waldemar Hansen, 1986, [https://books.google.com/books?isbn=812080225X "The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India"], Page 454.</ref>
As Viceroy of India, [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|George Curzon]] directed extensive repairs and restoration of Akbar's mausoleum, which were completed in 1905. Curzon discussed the restoration of the mausoleum and other historical buildings in Agra in connection with the passage of the [[Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904|Ancient Monuments Preservation Act]] in 1904, when he described the project as "an offering of reverence to the past and a gift of recovered beauty to the future". This preservation project may have discouraged veneration of the mausoleum by pilgrims and people living nearby.<ref name="loottotrophy">{{cite news |last1=Rajagopalan |first1=Mrinalini |title=From loot to trophy: the vexed history of architectural heritage in imperial India |url=https://iias.asia/sites/default/files/IIAS_NL57_2425.pdf |access-date=3 January 2019 |publisher=International Institute for Asian Studies |date=Summer 2011}}</ref>
 
==Architecture==
[[File:Akbar's Tomb 4.jpg|thumb|Sideway of Akbar's tomb]]
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&nbsp;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.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/09/22/stories/2003092200330200.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031029183321/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/09/22/stories/2003092200330200.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=29 October 2003 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Fascinating monuments, timeless tales | date=22 September 2003}}</ref> The 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 [[Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah|Itmad-ud-Daulah's tomb]].<ref>[http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257 Akbar's Tomb] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619173350/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257 |date=2010-06-19 }} Archnet.org.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3ctLNvx68hIC&dq=Akbar%27s+Tomb+Sikandra&pg=PA107 Akbar's Tomb] ''Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1,&nbsp;Volume 4'', by Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher. [[Cambridge University Press]], 1992. {{ISBN|0-521-26728-5}}. ''p. 107''.</ref>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Unknowntomb.JPG|An unknown Lodi tomb in Akbar's tomb complex
File:Tumba de Akbar el Grande-Sikandra-India07.JPG|Barrel vault
File:Sikandra 066.JPG|Front façade
File:Sikandra 036.JPG|Circumferential gallery around the [[cenotaph]]
File:Sikandra 093.JPG|View of South Gate from interior
File:The Tomb of Akbar at Sikandra.jpg|The Tomb of Akbar, c. 1905
File:Main entrance of Akbar's Tomb complex from inside.jpg|Main entrance of Akbar's tomb complex from inside
File:Tomb ceiling detail, Tomb of Akbar the Great, Sikandra, Agra.jpg|Tomb ceiling details, Tomb of Akbar, Sikandra
Image:LDAkbarTombInlay1.jpg|Inlay panels on the South Gate
File:Calligraphy over the entrance to the main burial chamber at Akbar's tomb.jpg|Calligraphy over the entrance to the main burial chamber
File:The true tomb of Akbar, at the basement of the tomb, Sikandra.jpg|True Tomb of Akbar, at the basement of the tomb
File:Kanch Mahal, Sikandara, Agra.JPG|Kanch Mahal, built by Jehangir, as a harem quarter later used as a hunting lodge
File:Inside work of Akbar's tomb.jpg|Inside work of Akbar's tomb
File:Entrance Arch (inside details) of main Cenotaph.jpg|Entrance Arch (inside details) of main Cenotaph
File:Akbar's Tomb 2.jpg|Akbar's tomb at basement
</gallery>
 
==See also==
* [[Akbar]]
* [[Akbarnama]]
* [[Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani]], tomb of the chief queen consort of Akbar
* [[Tomb of Jahangir]], tomb of Akbar's successor
* [[Humayun's Tomb]], tomb of Akbar's father
* [[Bagh-e Babur]], tomb of Akbar's grandfather
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last= Keene|first=Henry George|author-link=Henry George Keene (1826–1915)|title=A Handbook for Visitors to Agra and Its Neighbourhood|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/ahandbookforvis00keengoog#page/n61/mode/1up|chapter=Sikandra|date=1899|edition=6|publisher=Thacker, Spink & Co.|page=43}}
* {{cite book|last=Havell|first=Ernest Binfield|author-link=Ernest Binfield Havell|title=A Handbook to Agra and the Taj, Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri, and the Neighbourhood|year=1904|chapter=Sikandra|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924024120200#page/n133/mode/2up|publisher= Longmans, Green & Co., London}}
 
==External links==
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161028020228/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_up_akbartomb.asp ASI's page on Akbar's tomb]
* A painting of the tomb by William Purser, engraved by J Rolph, as an illustration to {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1834/The Zenana|The Zenana]]}}, a poem by [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]].
 
{{Mughal Empire}}
{{Tourist attractions in Agra}}
{{Agra Division topics}}
 
{{coord|27|13|13.7|N|77|57|1.7|E|region:IN_type:landmark|display=title}}
 
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1613]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Agra]]
[[Category:Mughal tombs]]
[[Category:Mausoleums in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Persian gardens in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Agra]]
[[Category:Akbar]]
[[Category:1613 establishments in the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Sandstone buildings in India]]

Latest revision as of 07:53, 22 July 2023


Akbar's tomb of external entrance from the road, built to imitate the Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri, the city, Akbar founded

Akbar's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar. It was built in 1605–1613 by his son, Jahangir and is situated on 119 acres of grounds in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Location[edit]

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, Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, his favourite wife,[1] who after the death of Akbar laid a large garden around his tomb[2] and was later buried there by her son, Jahangir.

History[edit]

Akbar's cenotaph inside the mausoleum, the real grave as per traditions lies below it

After Akbar's death, his son Jahangir planned and completed the construction of his father's tomb in 1605–1613. It cost 1,500,000 rupees to build and took 3 or 4 years to complete.[3] Mariam-uz-Zamani, after the death of her husband, Akbar, laid a large garden around his tomb.[2]

During the reign of Aurangzeb, 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.[4] The grave was opened and the late king's bones were burned.[5][6]

As Viceroy of India, George Curzon directed extensive repairs and restoration of Akbar's mausoleum, which were completed in 1905. Curzon discussed the restoration of the mausoleum and other historical buildings in Agra in connection with the passage of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act in 1904, when he described the project as "an offering of reverence to the past and a gift of recovered beauty to the future". This preservation project may have discouraged veneration of the mausoleum by pilgrims and people living nearby.[7]

Architecture[edit]

Sideway of Akbar's tomb

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.[8] The 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.[9][10]

Gallery[edit]

  • An unknown Lodi tomb in Akbar's tomb complex

    An unknown Lodi tomb in Akbar's tomb complex

  • Barrel vault

    Barrel vault

  • Front façade

    Front façade

  • Circumferential gallery around the cenotaph

    Circumferential gallery around the cenotaph

  • View of South Gate from interior

    View of South Gate from interior

  • The Tomb of Akbar, c. 1905

    The Tomb of Akbar, c. 1905

  • Main entrance of Akbar's tomb complex from inside

    Main entrance of Akbar's tomb complex from inside

  • Tomb ceiling details, Tomb of Akbar, Sikandra

    Tomb ceiling details, Tomb of Akbar, Sikandra

  • Inlay panels on the South Gate

    Inlay panels on the South Gate

  • Calligraphy over the entrance to the main burial chamber

    Calligraphy over the entrance to the main burial chamber

  • True Tomb of Akbar, at the basement of the tomb

    True Tomb of Akbar, at the basement of the tomb

  • Kanch Mahal, built by Jehangir, as a harem quarter later used as a hunting lodge

    Kanch Mahal, built by Jehangir, as a harem quarter later used as a hunting lodge

  • Inside work of Akbar's tomb

    Inside work of Akbar's tomb

  • Entrance Arch (inside details) of main Cenotaph

    Entrance Arch (inside details) of main Cenotaph

  • Akbar's tomb at basement

    Akbar's tomb at basement

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Hindu Shah, Muhammad Qasim (1595–1612). Gulshan-I-Ibrahimi. Vol. 2. p. 143. Akbur, after this conquest, made a pilgrimage to Khwaja Moyin-ood-Deen Chishty at Ajmere and returned to Agra; from whence he proceeded to visit the venerable Sheikh Sulim Chishty, in the village of Seekry. As all the king's children had hitherto died, he solicited the Sheikh's prayers, who consoled him, by assuring him he would soon have a son, who would live to a good old age. Shortly after, his favourite sooltana, being then pregnant, on Wednesday the 17th of Rubbee-ool-Awul, in the year 997 was delivered of a son, who was called Sulim.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aziz, Al (12 August 1905). Selections from the Native Newspapers Published in the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh. p. 262. JSTOR saoa.crl.25922623.
  3. ↑ "The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge".
  4. ↑ Catherine Blanshard Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher, 1992, "Architecture of Mughal India - Part 1", Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, Page 108.
  5. ↑ Edward James Rap; son, Sir Wolseley Haig and Sir Richard, 1937, "The Cambridge History of India", Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, pp.305.
  6. ↑ Waldemar Hansen, 1986, "The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India", Page 454.
  7. ↑ Rajagopalan, Mrinalini (Summer 2011). "From loot to trophy: the vexed history of architectural heritage in imperial India" (PDF). International Institute for Asian Studies. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Fascinating monuments, timeless tales". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 22 September 2003. Archived from the original on 29 October 2003.
  9. ↑ Akbar's Tomb Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Archnet.org.
  10. ↑ Akbar's Tomb Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1, Volume 4, by Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher. Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-521-26728-5. p. 107.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 27°13′13.7″N 77°57′1.7″E / 27.220472°N 77.950472°E / 27.220472; 77.950472

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