- Details
- Written by Anchal B Chaudhary
The Gardens of Sikandra
Located on Delhi-Agra road, The Gardens of Sikandra are home to the tomb of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great.
Akbar died in 1605 AD at the age of 63. As was the custom followed by the Mughal Emperors, Akbar chose the site for his tomb and ordered its construction before he died. However, as luck would have it, he died before the construction of the mausoleum could complete. The construction of Sikandra was completed during his son and successor Jahangir’s reign.
Akbar was known to be a connoisseur of arts and architecture and he experimented with and amalgamated different styles of architecture.
An architectural marvel, Sikandra displays a fine blend of Hindu, Islamic and Persian styles of architecture. The walled gardens are laid out in typical Mughal ‘charbagh’ layout where square gardens are divided into smaller squares by water channels, fountains and walkways.
Airy pavilions, elegant Rajput ‘chhatris’, intricate ‘jaalis’ and fine Persian calligraphy, all blend together brilliantly and highlight the architectural splendour.
The pyramidal, red sandstone tomb of Akbar stands in the centre of the garden. The final resting place of the Mughal Emperor is right underneath in the basement, accessed by a portico lined with beautiful Stucco paintings.
An inscription on the mausoleum reads ‘These are gardens of Eden: enter them to dwell eternally’.
Within the complex also lie buried Jahangir’s mother Mariam or Jodha Bai and two of Akbar’s daughters, Shakrul Nisha Begum and Aram Bano.
Originally the mausoleum complex had four red sandstone gates, however only one to the south is in use today.
Jahangir’s contribution to the tomb stands in sheer contrast with his father’s opulent taste. The four white marble minarets added later by him upset the symmetry of an otherwise red sandstone structure.
The gardens of Sikandra are very peaceful and blackbucks can be spotted grazing around.
Akbar the Great
Son of Mughal Emperor Humayun, Akbar was born in 1542 AD. Akbar became king at a young age of 14 years after his father’s sudden death when he tripped from the stairs of Purana Qila, Delhi and was fatally injured.
Akbar is said to be the greatest of all Mughal rulers. A great patron of arts, literature, philosophy and science, Akbar was a great builder too. Adoption of different architectural styles reflects his broadmindedness and openness to different cultures.
Akbar was known to be the most secular Mughal ruler. He experimented with religions and philosophies and created a new faith called Din-i-Illahi.
Though illiterate himself, Akbar had insatiable urge for knowledge. He had books read to him from his extensive library of 24000 books valued at 6.5 million rupees at the time.
Also, so deep was his curiosity and so unorthodox, unlike his most predecessors and successors, was he that he had the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana translated into Persian.
Mughal Empire flourished under this liberal, courageous, wise and resolute ruler and expanded to Orissa and Bengal in the east, Malwa and Gujarat in the west, Deccan in the south and Kashmir & Kabul in the north.
