The Akbar's Tomb is situated on 119 acres of land in Sikandra area which is a suburb of the Agra city in Uttar Pradesh state of India. Akbar Tomb is a great masterpiece of Mughal architecture of that time which is an outstanding work of design and construction. Starting from the ceiling going through the walls and ending at the doors panels, everything is fascinatingly designed inside Tomb of Akbar. And the expertise on the architecture of the Mughal Empire is visualized in the form of huge Tomb.
The story behind Akbar’s Tomb is different from that of The Taj Mahal. Shahjahan started Taj Mahal’s construction for his wife Mumtaj so it is the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal especially. But the construction of Akbar’s Tomb Agra was commenced by Badshah Akbar himself to keep his sepulture. There are only few Tombs of this type in the world with such a great story behind the purpose of their construction.
The real Tomb of Akbar the Great is situated in the basement which is unfortunately not open for tourist for security reasons. The basement has panels, places to pass air and an open door where the actual body of Mughal Emperor Akbar is kept as per the mughal traditions.
The entire complex of Akbar’s Tomb is covered by thick walls from all sides and has four gates but only southern gate is being used for entry and exit which is the largest and enriched with vast work of architecture, all other gates are almost ruined. Akbar's Tomb has huge garden inside where you can easily spot wild animals like antelope, monkeys and peacocks. In fact the real beauty of Akbar's Tomb is the greenery and the animals roaming here and there inside the premises. Lush green surroundings with some wild life gives this tomb a unique identity in the city of cultural heritage.
It is said that while the grandson of Akbar, Aurangzeb was ruling the Mughal Empire, the rebellious Jats tapped the Akbar Tomb Agra and plundered a big amount of valuable articles, gold, silver and jewels. Furthermore, they destroyed a significant part of the tomb as well. During this time, the Akbar's Tomb has suffered a lot which was later repaired extensively by British rulers. But still they failed to return its original charm and heritage.
History
The tomb of Akbar was built 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.
Akbar was one of the greatest emperors in the history of India. However, during the reign of His great-grandson, Aurangzeb, the rebellious Jats under the leadership of Raja Ram Jat, ransacked the 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 and dragged Akbar's bones and burned them in retaliation. He was later sentenced to death by Aurangzeb.
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.
Style of Architecture
Akbar's tomb is a medley of architectural styles, displaying more interest in experimentation than harmony of design. The sloping dripstones, finials surmounting all the domes, balcony windows and pierced screens are all indigenous Hindu elements of architecture. Based on the pillar and beam principle, the tomb is built like a wedding cake in tiers, using the carved columns and brackets typical of Hindu construction to create the openings on the upper levels. But the pointed arches surrounding the base are Islamic, as are the inlaid geometric designs around the archways.
The tomb of Akbar, though Islamic in spirit, is a blend of styles. The magnificent entrance, use of exquisite patterns, excellent jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens), fine Persian style calligraphy, the charbagh garden layout (four-quartered garden layout, with the main building at the center), etc., are representative of Islamic influence.
India's craftsmen were masters of stone-carving and the art of inlay, preferring graceful organic motifs from nature to the more formal geometric and stylized floral designs of Persian origin. Built by Jahangir, the tomb shows far less of the deep figurative stone-carving employed so prolifically at Akbar's Red Fort in Agra, but several of the domes and the arched ceiling of the tomb give a spectacular display of colorful patterns created with the exuberant fluidity that is the mark of Hindu craftsmanship.
Large panels of superbly crafted jali (filigree) screens form the outer wall of the verandah on all four sides. Akbar's grave lies in the basement, reached through a portico covered with gorgeous stucco paintings in gold, blue, and green floral arabesque of Persian inscriptions.