Location:
Mariam‘s
tomb is situated some 1 km away from
Akbar's
Tomb at
Sikandra.
While coming towards
Mathura
from Agra,It
falls on the left side. You can see the
signboards/directions from the main highway
(NH2).
Visiting Hours:
From Sunrise to Sunset
Information below
is extracted from
ASI
(Archeological Survey of India) Inscriptions.
Mariam
Zamani
was the daughter of Raja
Bharmal
Kaccwaha
of Amer
( Jaipur)
and was married to
Akbar
in 1562 A.D. She gave birth to
Salim
(Jehangir)
in 1569 at
Fatehpur
Sikri,
when the title
mariam
zamani
(Compassionate of the world) was conferred upon
her by Akbar.
She died at Agra in 1623 and this tomb was built
by her son
Jehangir
between 1623 and 1627 A.D.
This was originally
a Lodi
Barahdari
(Open pavilion) which was adopted by the
mughals
and converted into a tomb by making a crypt
below the central compartment; reconstructing
the four facades of the building with carved red
sandstone panels and a
chsajja
with addition of
Duchhattis
(Mezzanine floors) at the corners; and remaking
the superstructure with
Chhatris
and
Chhaparkhats.
This square tomb
stands in the center of garden; the plan
consists of two thorough corridors at regular
interval. E-W and N-S from one end to the other
i.e
from every third archway intersecting each other
at right angles dividing the interior into nine
sections: The large one at the center, four
small square ones at the corners and four oblong
ones in the middle of four sides. Massive piers
have been used to support the broad arches and
vaulted ceilings. Construction is in brick and
mortar, finished by stucco.
On each façade of
arch in the center, set in a rectangular frame
which projects forward. It is flanked on either
side by a wing consists of three arches and set
of double arches, and one over other, Thus
accommodating a
duchhati
at each corner of the building. Arches are
pointed. Wings are protected by
Chhajjas.
The Tomb builder has three tombstones: one in
the underground mortuary chamber, ostensibly on
the grave; the cenotaph above it on the ground
floor and one cenotaph on the terrace.
Its superstructure
is composed of four massive octagonal
chhatris
on the four corners of the building and four
oblong
chhaparkhats
on the middle of the four sides, Each octagonal
chhatri,
all of red sandstone, stands majestically on a
square platform. Beautiful brackets have been
used to support the internal lintels and
external
chhajja,
five on each pillar, making a total of 40
brackets in one
chhatri.
Each
Chhaparkhat
is rectangular and has eight pillars with a
similar cluster of brackets. These
Chhatris
and
Chhaparkhat
constitute the most important ornament of the
whole composition. They dominate as much on
façade as on superstructure. They make up a
beautiful skyline and building is complete in
itself even without a dome. This Mausoleum
occupies an important position in the class of
“domeless tombs” of The Mughals. |