Saturday, January 09, 2010

Tomb of Akbar

In the Agra suburb of Sikandra, we visited the Tomb of Akbar, built between 1605 and 1613. Akbar actually planned his own tomb and selected a site, with his son Jahangir carrying out the construction. With equal precision as the Taj Mahal, this site is aligned with the points of the compass. Similar in plan to the Taj, there is a water channel (although much narrower) leading from the main entry gate to the actual tomb building. Like the buildings at Fatehpur Sikri and those (except the main building at the Taj), these were constructed out of red sandstone. The entrance was particularly ornate, built to imitate the Buland Darwaza at Akbar’s royal Fatehpur Sikri. Geometric designs of ochre, black, white, and terra-cotta covered its surface.

Walking up to the tomb building, my guide pointed out the triple religious elements; the square Hindu dome, below that the crosses, and the Muslim arches. While the façade wasn’t quite as decorative as the entry gate, the interior was a feast for the eye. Here there were geometric panel designs and others with gold floral ornamentation, divided with rib-like lines and containing contrasting colored backgrounds. Classic Arabic calligraphy ran horizontally in a border and along the edges of the arched windows. The false tomb was surprisingly simple, once again in a room with geometric latticed marble windows. The actual tomb is down below in a dingy room illuminated by a single lamp above and the basement opening pointing towards the entrance gate. For such a prosperous emperor, the tomb and its room were spartan and humble.

No comments: