Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra

Akbar began his own tomb and Jahangir completed it around 1613, producing something unlike other Mughal mausolea: a stepped pyramid of five diminishing storeys in red sandstone, the upper level in marble with an open court rather than a dome, standing at the centre of a walled garden of about a hundred and twenty acres. The south gateway is inlaid with coloured stone in bold patterns and carries four marble minarets, among the earliest on a Mughal building and a direct ancestor of the Taj Mahal's. Blackbuck, deer and langurs graze the garden, and the actual grave lies in a plain vaulted chamber below.

What you actually see

• The five-storey tomb - a stepped sandstone and marble structure.
• The inlaid gateway - bold stone patterns and four early marble minarets.
• The walled garden - a hundred and twenty acres with grazing deer and blackbuck.
• The burial vault - the plain underground chamber holding the grave.

When to go

October to March; Agra summers are severe and the garden has patchy shade. Early morning is best for animals in the garden and for light on the gateway inlay.

Honest expectations

Langurs in the garden can be aggressive around food. The interior chamber is plain and dimly lit. The site is a drive out from Agra and often skipped by short itineraries.

Nearby

Agra lies southeast; Fatehpur Sikri is west.