Fatehpur Sikri

The Mausoleum of Akbar at Sikandra near Agra was started by Akbar and completed by his son Jahangir in 1612 A.D. who changed the original design of his father. Designed on the model of a Buddhist Vihara, it is set in the centre of a square garden. The enclosure wall on each side has a gateway. The main gateway has four white marble minarets in the four corners. The Mausoleum has five terraces, rising from the basement, one above the other, diminishing in size as they ascend. The red sand-stone entrance gateway is the largest and is richly decorated with inlaid coloured stone work. With its charming proportions, it is by itself a work of art. Akbar’s greatest architectural achievement was the construction of Fatehpur Sikri, his Capital City near Agra. The construction pf the walled city was started in 1569 A.D. and completed in 1574 A.D. The religious edifices worth mentioning are the Jami Masjid and Salim Chisti’s Tomb. The tomb built in 1571 A.D. in the corner of the mosque compound is a square marble chamber with a verandah. The cenotaph has an exquisitely designed lattice screen around it.